Passenger Trains > AM trash...distasteful photos

Let us see your most disturbing and distrasteful photos of Amrrak's "trashing" of diners, lounges (both Superliner and single level)  These photos would include huge cardboard open top skyscraper trash receptacles placed next to public eating areas; crews taking a multitude of the lounge tables; tables being used for food, beverage or other storage; cardboard boxes used to block access to stairways etc. This has been allowed for years with no attempt to mitigate it.  Bring on the rants with photos! 

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Amen.  The abuse of these issues has been a free-for-all for years.  Not to mention the safety hazzard of storge containers and heavy boxes stacked in public areas.  If the car turns over injuries occur.  This is why the NTSB requires the booth seating, and fixed to the floor seating in sleepers and other equipment.  Amtrak practices safety at the inconvenience of their customers, but staff can do as they damn well please.  And don't dare bring it to employee attention while you ride, for you will find out immediately what Amtrak reality is.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/18 09:13 by regalstream1516.

Maybe they are necessary because of all the pigs who ride the trains. I've never seen trash receptacles like this on any other country including many third world countries. Of  course in some places, they simply toss the trash out the open window. Even more gross. 

You can't run a service business with union employees.

Charles Rice
Saint Louis, MO

It looks like the handicapped accessible table is blocked with the conductor's grip.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.

I am not a member of a union.  However, based on my experiences as a customer of unionized and nonunion organizations in the transportation and other sectors, I completely disagree with this generalization.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/18 10:34 by RuleG.

This is a good reason to do away with diners.

Posted from Android

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.


Have you been to Canada? Overseas?    I’ve enjoyed numerous excellent train journeys in both - by unionized workers.  

Should you wish to put your money where your mouth is....finance a journey for the two of us and I’ll show ya. 😃

Nickatnight

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.
You probably enjoy, as most Americans do, the standard of living that unions brought about through higher wages and better working conditions. The current Administration has declared war on unions through court actions. 

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.
What piffle. Anyone who believes that  needs to get out more. I will not list the railways, shipping lines, hotels and yes, even airlines, on which I have had excellent service from unionised staff.

In the top photo, is the vacant booth bench for wheelchairs ? 
What do they do when one shows up, throw the trash out the side door ? 

IF these views are of the lower level of a Sightseer Lounge......it would be near impossible for a handicapped passenger to go there.  Even though equipped with lower level doors.....for the purpose of bringing supplies aboard, passengers are not allowed to use these doors for exit or entry.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

The probklem is that Amtrak apparently needs to design-in spaces to store all that stuff. Back in the day SP and Santa fe had designated plces for the conducter to work from. They also moved through trains and were approachable.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

joemvcnj Wrote:
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> In the top photo, is the vacant booth bench for
> wheelchairs ? 
> What do they do when one shows up, throw the trash
> out the side door ? 

This is a photo within the famous Amfleet II Diner Lite car. The "booth side" that is missing but has the garbage and gray boxes all stacked up is where a handicap person(s) would be accommodated. Since these cars have been rolled out and modified as such - a few years back now, I've NEVER seen someone accommodated there, but I have ALWAYS seen the same picture of trash and gray tubs. The "bathrrom space" that used to be in this car could be used for storage of such and the garbage could actually be put in some of the built in facilities within the car, but this is just an example of laziness and dumbed down operation. Put it where you can and the heck with how it looks or if the garbage can is right adjacent to the back (head) of someone, the same garbage can that will be used to scrape the dinner plates off in and throw out anything left on the dining tables. Wouldn't you love to sit right in front or behind THAT? Guess what - happens ALL the time. Or even to sit across from it. It's gross. This is why sitting in teh dining car has to be done very strategically, especially in these cars lately. 

Back in the day, there were designers who knew how to design railroad cars that could properly "store" items, or come up with ways to hide the garbage cans. Amazing with how the Budd company was totally creative with the space they had to work with. And the tables were properly matched up with windows, or windows were properly cut out. How would you like to have a seat in the one table that has no window! Little claustophobic sitting there. I refused to sit there one time because of that and the look and attitude I got from the waitress was unreal. Sorry, but there was a reason why I didn't fly and putting me in a cramped space with no window kinda defeats the purpose of why I would be taking the train. 

Garbage cans used to be encased in the corners of single level cafe/lounge cars, or in cabinets by the stairs leading downstairs in the Sightseeer Lounge. Ever look at all the little storage spaces, and neat hiding places one can find if aboard a pre-1970 coach, sleeper, or diner? Even VIA's REnaissance sleepers have neat cubby's. But it seems to be too much trouble for Amtrak to do this any more, despite it being standard practice on VIA and on European trains. I still consider it a dumbing down of operations. Make it as easy as possible - regardless of how it affects the passenger experience. At last check, the trains are supposed to be for passengers, not the crew convenience. Sometimes Amtrak needs a memo on this - let alone the current dining car "box meal" fiasco, which is utterly nonesense. 

Whoever designed the Amfleet Diner Lite cars likely worked with the dimensions only and COMPLETELY FORGOT they were within a train car. The setup on the "sit down dining section" could be done better by anyone who inspected the space ahead of time. There's no reason why the couldn't have even left the overhead racks in place on the Amfleet II Diners if they were so pressed with space - or enclose them like on Acela Express so as to make it look neater. 

As a Union member in a service industry I find great offense in this generalized statement.  I take great pride in delivering the service I do while proudly being a Union Member. The attitudes of employees is a direct result of supervisors or lack of supervisors doing their job. 

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.

JP, Thanks for the clarificatin/correction......I should have known this was not the lower level of a Sightseer by the window.

AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

If Amtrak has a route manager that supervises the regimen of crews then it would be that person's job to ensure that the railcars are tidy.  The boxes, paper and other scheiss left all about the cars by crewmembers is a total joke.  The other sad issue is crewmembers who spread out papers all over two tables in the lounge and camp there for hours.  They could care less if there's enough space for passengers.

Solution:  Give the route manager 10 business days to stop this mess from happening.  Put shppers on the trains to monitor the revisions.  If the crews don't straighten out, fire the route manager.  I for one am SICK of seeing crap spread out on seats, in corners, on tables.

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.

I'm guessing you don't know that hundreds, if not thousands of the finest restraunts and hotels in the country have unionized service employees.

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.

Southwest Airlines, for one, does it quite nicely.

MoPac1 Wrote:
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> You can't run a service business with union
> employees.

If you don't remember the wonderful Pullman service of days of yore, go to the nearest railfan book source and read up. Those attentive folks in the immaculately kept uniforms...were members of Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Hotel and Restaurant workers in  places that have good customer service (not the fast food joints where 98.6 more or less is the qualification) have been union since the end of hte 19th Century.

TAW