Nostalgia & History > Keeping clean on the Santa Fe: 1969-71

Back in Spring of 1969, I worked  at the Santa Fe Radio Shop in Los Angeles.  One of our tasks was to test the sound systems on #17 (The Super Chief/El Capitan) after it arrived at Union Station.  We would test the PA and music systems (which used tapes provided by Muzak, Inc, major supplier of "elevator music" around the country) in the sleepers and HiLevel cars, and then disconnect the jumper cables that ran between the cars.  After this was done, one of the crew would drive the truck back to the shop and the other two would ride the cars back to 8th St. Coach Yard, where the Radio Shop was on the west side of the yard tracks.  On several occasions, we got to ride through the car wash, an experience I photographed in "Slosh-o-Rama" one morning. 
 
In Sept. 1971, I was no longer with the Santa Fe, but had some vacation time with my next employer, so I went to Chicago to ride the South Shore and the "L" trains, and visit some of the railway museums.  At Albuquerque, I got a look at the machine that made sure we had clean windows for admiring the scenery of Raton Pass.
 

---

---

---

The washer in Photo 3 is really an interesting contraption.
ALLEN

krm152 Wrote:

> The washer in Photo 3 is really an interesting
> contraption.

As info, the washer was a self-contained unit that was being held aloft by a standard-issue Yale forklift.

Does Amtrak still use this machine to clean windows on #3/4 in Albq. ?

As I recall there is some footage of this the car washer in action at Albuquerque on some high level cars in Ron McElreath's epic video collection of super 8mm films "Through The Guide"

This was in 2005, but back then the Albuquerque window cleaning was done by workers with long-handled mops.  I remember thanking the window cleaners for making sure we could admire the beautiful southwest through clear windows.

Here's a photo from the 1971 trip, heading up to Raton Pass.

---

The old window washing machine was replaced long ago by manual labor. I seem to recall 
seeing it still on the property; probably costs too much to repair. Nowadays a couple of guys 
do the job by hand.

The_Chief_Way Wrote:

> The old window washing machine was replaced long
> ago by manual labor.

I wonder if machines lie awake at night worrying that one day they might be replaced by a human...

Looks like you are at Dick Woottons ranch in the last shot.

Back in the day, Cheyenne was where UP trains got a thorough window cleaning. As I recall the train was moving slowly as as a hand crew washed the windows prior to the station stop.