Passenger Trains > "Fingerpainting" graffiti on Amtrak Hiawatha 337

The dirt has become thick enough on the Hiawatha Service equipment that it's possible to do a kind of reverse fingerpainting on the car sides.  Two examples from train 337(14) at Glenview, IL today.  Not sure who the artists are, but there are two different handwritings, and it's hard to reach and walk along the letterboard except from a shop building walkway.

Empire Builder 7(14) running ten minutes ahead of 337 hadn't been washed, either; photo 3 shows Portland sleeper 2730 failed the white glove test.





 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/14/25 22:08 by illini73.

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Wow.  Just wow.  I have been saying that the lack of exterior cleaning is affecting employees, and sure enough, there it is.  Highly likey an employee did that to the car.  

I thought the Chicago wash was up and running.  Or is it down again, already?  It is Chicago, after all.  My expectations are very low for anything that relies on Chicago.

Looks like from a frustrated employee who knows incompetence when he/she see's incompetence.  Thought the washer was fixed in Chicago?  Wonder how long this public relations sign will be on this car?  This is embarrassing!

I was expecting to see the classic "Wash me!"

If the washer is working trains must still get to the washer to get clean.
Where in the service cycle does washing come in ?
Does anyone know what the cycles are ?

The only operational 'cycles' at Amtrak may be the ones employees ride to work. ( motor cycles or bicycles )

Posted from Android

Nice   work!!

To our railfans who love to scream "Prove it, Prove it" -- open your eyes. Filthy trains
are everywhere--and, not just Chicago.

To our railfans who say- "stop complaining, there's a good reason.."  Give us a good reason.

My "good reason" is that AmManagement cares little about their customers--and is simply cutting cost.
(for which Harris was rewarded with a $700,000 Bonus in 2024).

 

In another thread about a week ago where concerns about the speed of getting cars washed was discussed, I suggested giving it about a week to give Amtrak time to get the backlog of unwashed cars through the now-operational Chicago washer. That thread: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,6074677,page=1

Well, here we are a week later (8 days actually) and some equipment is still filthy and clearly untouched. Not good. Is the washer now out of service again? Has it been in consistent service over the past eight days? Are consists and cuts of cars regularly getting through the washer? Especially since it's been reported that Amtrak bulletined a switch job at Chicago for washer duty. That should mean a switch engine and crew has a regular job just working consists and cuts of cars and locomotives through the washer. 

All legitimate questions.

I spent last Friday trackside for most of the day on the Michigan line at Michigan City, Ind. photographing one of the last days that the former MC / NYC coaling tower there would be standing over Amtrak trains on the Michigan Line. Every train that passed was looking soiled to some degree or another. Even as bright and clean as the head-end of the Blue Water consist looked in the first photo in the thread I posted, most of the cars back in the train were noticeably soiled to some degree or another. Not as dirty as these Hiawatha consists, but not bright and shiny either. The grime is especially noticeable on the mid-afternoon eastbound Wolverine in the video of the thread that I posted:  https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,6077627

Later in the evening, I spent some time on the platform at Kalamazoo where two Wolverines both stop around 9:00 PM, sometimes meeting there. During the stops of the two trains, I got a good look at them. The sides of each consist looked like they had seen a trip through the washer. But there are concerns. The washing appeared to be incomplete, with large, rectangular patchy areas that were relatively clean, and other such areas that were still soiled, almost as if the washer brushes had passed over them, but with lighter pressure, not fully removing the grime.

Yes, by the time I saw these trains around 9:00 ET it was dark. But the platform area at the Kalamazoo station is quite brightly lit with a combination of older fluorescent fixtures and very bright new LED fixtures. It was plenty bright enough to see how clean the Venture trainsets that passed there were.

What was of more concern on the Venture cars were the undercarriage areas. They were absolutely filthy, looking completely untouched, with heavy, dark grime overall. Now, we all know those areas pick up a lot of soiling and can get very dirty very fast from all of the dust, dirt and debris that gets kicked up and onto the undercarriage areas as the train moves at speed. No surprise that this happens. But it still needs to be washed and cleaned, particularly the side panels facing out for mechanical system boxes hung on the underside of the cars, and the trucks. On the Venture cars, those underside equipment boxes have faces that are canted in at about a 45-degree angle, instead of being parallel with the car sides, as in older designs. Probably done for better airflow, and reflecting the European heritage of these Siemens-built cars. Such design for undercarriage equipment boxes is common in Europe.

Not necessarily a bad idea, but if those canted sides present a problem for washer brushes or nozzles reaching in to scrub them clean, then yes, that's a potential problem. Particularly for HVAC equipment boxes that may have airflow into and through them, which it looks like at least one box on the Venture cars does. With what looks like an open filter grid facing out. If so, and if those build up too much grime and dirt which is not washed off regularly, then the reliability of the HVAC systems can potentially be affected. Just like getting your air conditioning unit at home too grimy, with a filter or condenser face too covered with built-up grime and debris. Which at the least puts more strain on the unit and uses more energy. Or at the worst can cause a failure.

Two of those equipment boxes with the canted faces can be seen in the first photo in this thread. If memory serves, the one at the right closest to the truck is the one which looked like it had a filter grid facing out, perhaps an HVAC unit. But even if not the case, you can see how dirty those undercarriage equipment boxes have become. Yes, they have always gotten dirty on passenger trains forever, being subject to dust, dirt and debris pickup at speed. But that dirt and debris still needs to be cleaned off periodically and kept relatively at bay to assure that the mechanical systems inside are not negatively affected. 

Other undercarriage areas also need to stay relatively clean for inspection and regular service, and for relatively clean access for repairs and adjustments. If they get too grimy and encrusted with dirt and debris, that impairs inspectability in regular service and serviceability by shop forces when needed.

Bottom line: The Chicago washer may have gone into service - finally. But has it stayed in service, and is it working well, and are consists getting regularly cycled through it? Things still have a way to go to getting consists as clean and bright as they should be. It may take a while for that to happen - there's a lot of equipment to be cycled through, and it all has gotten quite dirty over recent months. Undercarriage areas are of concern - is the new washer reaching them?

Amtrak needs to continue this effort with strong focus and intensity, with no let-up whatsoever. The grimiest season of all - winter - is coming soon.  The trains must get thoroughly washed and be cleaned before winter hits, or the grime buildup may become so heavy and encrusted that it will be very difficult to remove in the future. This must be a top priority to maintain the serviceability of the fleet at a time when Amtrak's fleet is squeezed to the limit. And to assure a good passenger experience too.

MC



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/25 06:33 by ironmtn.

Amtrak will solve this problem by looking at shop cams to see who did it and discipline them for the ills illustrated.

ironmtn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In another thread about a week ago where concerns
> about the speed of getting cars washed was
> discussed, I suggested giving it about a week to
> give Amtrak time to get the backlog of unwashed
> cars through the now-operational Chicago washer.
> That
> thread: https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/re
> ad.php?4,6074677,page=1
>
> Well, here we are a week later (8 days actually)
> and some equipment is still filthy and clearly
> untouched. Not good. Is the washer now out of
> service again? Has it been in consistent service
> over the past eight days? Are consists and cuts of
> cars regularly getting through the washer?
> Especially since it's been reported that Amtrak
> bulletined a switch job at Chicago for washer
> duty. That should mean a switch engine and crew
> has a regular job just working consists and cuts
> of cars and locomotives through the washer. 
>
> All legitimate questions.
>
> I spent last Friday trackside for most of the day
> on the Michigan line at Michigan City, Ind.
> photographing one of the last days that the former
> MC / NYC coaling tower there would be standing
> over Amtrak trains on the Michigan Line. Every
> train that passed was looking soiled to some
> degree or another. Even as bright and clean as the
> head-end of the Blue Water consist looked in the
> first photo in the thread I posted, most of the
> cars back in the train were noticeably soiled to
> some degree or another. Not as dirty as these
> Hiawatha consists, but not bright and shiny
> either. The grime is especially noticeable on the
> mid-afternoon eastbound Wolverine in the video of
> the thread that I posted: 
> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,
> 6077627
>
> Later in the evening, I spent some time on the
> platform at Kalamazoo where two Wolverines both
> stop around 9:00 PM, sometimes meeting there.
> During the stops of the two trains, I got a good
> look at them. The sides of each consist looked
> like they had seen a trip through the washer. But
> there are concerns. The washing appeared to be
> incomplete, with large, rectangular patchy areas
> that were relatively clean, and other such areas
> that were still soiled, almost as if the washer
> brushes had passed over them, but with lighter
> pressure, not fully removing the grime.
>
> Yes, by the time I saw these trains around 9:00 ET
> it was dark. But the platform area at the
> Kalamazoo station is quite brightly lit with a
> combination of older fluorescent fixtures and very
> bright new LED fixtures. It was plenty bright
> enough to see how clean the Venture trainsets that
> passed there were.
>
> What was of more concern on the Venture cars were
> the undercarriage areas. They were absolutely
> filthy, looking completely untouched, with heavy,
> dark grime overall. Now, we all know those areas
> pick up a lot of soiling and can get very dirty
> very fast from all of the dust, dirt and debris
> that gets kicked up and onto the undercarriage
> areas as the train moves at speed. No surprise
> that this happens. But it still needs to be washed
> and cleaned, particularly the side panels facing
> out for mechanical system boxes hung on the
> underside of the cars, and the trucks. On the
> Venture cars, those underside equipment boxes have
> faces that are canted in at about a 45-degree
> angle, instead of being parallel with the car
> sides, as in older designs. Probably done for
> better airflow, and reflecting the European
> heritage of these Siemens-built cars. Such design
> for undercarriage equipment boxes is common in
> Europe.
>
> Not necessarily a bad idea, but if those canted
> sides present a problem for washer brushes or
> nozzles reaching in to scrub them clean, then yes,
> that's a potential problem. Particularly for HVAC
> equipment boxes that may have airflow into and
> through them, which it looks like at least one box
> on the Venture cars does. With what looks like an
> open filter grid facing out. If so, and if those
> build up too much grime and dirt which is not
> washed off regularly, then the reliability of the
> HVAC systems can potentially be affected. Just
> like getting your air conditioning unit at home
> too grimy, with a filter or condenser face too
> covered with built-up grime and debris. Which at
> the least puts more strain on the unit and uses
> more energy. Or at the worst can cause a failure.
>
> Two of those equipment boxes with the canted faces
> can be seen in the first photo in this thread. If
> memory serves, the one at the right closest to the
> truck is the one which looked like it had a filter
> grid facing out, perhaps an HVAC unit. But even if
> not the case, you can see how dirty those
> undercarriage equipment boxes have become. Yes,
> they have always gotten dirty on passenger trains
> forever, being subject to dust, dirt and debris
> pickup at speed. But that dirt and debris still
> needs to be cleaned off periodically and kept
> relatively at bay to assure that the mechanical
> systems inside are not negatively affected. 
>
> Other undercarriage areas also need to stay
> relatively clean for inspection and regular
> service, and for relatively clean access for
> repairs and adjustments. If they get too grimy and
> encrusted with dirt and debris, that impairs
> inspectability in regular service and
> serviceability by shop forces when needed.
>
> Bottom line: The Chicago washer may have gone into
> service - finally. But has it stayed in service,
> and is it working well, and are consists getting
> regularly cycled through it? Things still have a
> way to go to getting consists as clean and bright
> as they should be. It may take a while for that to
> happen - there's a lot of equipment to be cycled
> through, and it all has gotten quite dirty over
> recent months. Undercarriage areas are of concern
> - is the new washer reaching them?
>
> Amtrak needs to continue this effort with strong
> focus and intensity, with no let-up whatsoever.
> The grimiest season of all - winter - is coming
> soon.  The trains must get thoroughly washed and
> be cleaned before winter hits, or the grime
> buildup may become so heavy and encrusted that it
> will be very difficult to remove in the future.
> This must be a top priority to maintain the
> serviceability of the fleet at a time when
> Amtrak's fleet is squeezed to the limit. And to
> assure a good passenger experience too.
>
> MC

According to insider reports, the Chicago washer occasionally working. They might be occasionally running a few cars through to ‘test’ it but it’s not ready for regular use. There’s also nobody qualified to run cars throughout at night when part of the trains need to be done . They certainly aren’t regularly washing all the trains yet. Way too many of them are still leaving dirty.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/25 06:14 by alan2955.

A picture really is worth a thousand words!!!  Bravissimo to whoever did this.  

 

And no one in Chicago management will lose their jobs.  And they will all be expecting bonuses at the end of the year.........

Nobody wrote Penn Central or Southern Pacific. 

Didn't NARP/RPA tell us baldfacedly that the Chicago car washer was in operation?

Must have been a sham...

well, as with politicians and what they say, actions speak louder than words.  Would anyone get on plane that looked this badly kept up?  Even  UPS, to move boxes, send out clean equipment because 'image' matters even though Amtrak does never seen to understand this.  If I were one of Amtrak's state 'partners' I would be furious over funding this s#@*show.  Hundreds of millions of dollars of new equipment and this management team at Amtrak cannot 'manage' clean equipment even after years.  Did anyone on this list believe that this would soon get better?  I did not.

ssarcadia Wrote:
 
> Even  UPS, to move boxes, send out clean
> equipment because 'image' matters even though
> Amtrak does never seen to understand this.  

I don't know if it still true, but UPS used to wash every vehicle every day.  The motivation was not just "image" but also equipment longevity.  Lots of grime is somewhat corrosive.  If a scratch in the paint became visible after washing, it was immediately touched up to prevent rust/corrosion.  Don't the same things apply to Amtrak?

well, of course these things apply to Amtrak too but unlike UPS, they have a regular spigot of government money so concerns like this are quaint.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Didn't NARP/RPA tell us baldfacedly that the
> Chicago car washer was in operation?
>
> Must have been a sham...

In a word, Yes.
1/3rd of the last weekly hotline was spent on "pop up transit" at Oshkosh, WI
They are really on the ball. (Anything to fill white space but inconvenient reality). 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/25 13:12 by joemvcnj.

Englewood Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the washer is working trains must still get to
> the washer to get clean.
> Where in the service cycle does washing come in ?
> Does anyone know what the cycles are ?

Each set goes to Chicago overnight every other night. Between 9:30pm and 6am.