Passenger Trains > Keeping It Classy, Amtrak, Keeping It Classy

Apparently the extra fee charged to sit in business class isn't enough to pay for properly marking the car.

I spotted this on the Starlight's Business Class car during a station stop at Santa Barbara yesterday.

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Attention to detail separates who has great work ethic and who does not

It’s the culture of any business to create employees who care

Posted from iPhone

More like keeping it Crassy.

duct tape.  the handyman's secret weapon.

How many Delta aircraft has anyone seen something like that on? None would be the appropriate answer. Why can't Amtrak hold to the same standards as the top airlines? Especially when their President comes from one of  those very airlines. 

Because nobody from the top down cares. They don't care about the precious corridor as evidence by the poorly maintained equipment, filthy stations and cars, horribly dated "first class" lounges from the 80s, inconsistent service, poor wifi, horrible treatment of employees and passengers, dated, filthy and crumbling stations, incompetent managers that are totally disconnected from passengers and employees...that that is ON the NEC. Imagine west of Harrisburg where the trains run through untamed territories at 40MPH (Paraphrasing Richard Anderson).

Interestingly, trains on the NEC may rattle along at 100-125MPH for a few miles here and there, but often much slower. Most NEC trains only average in the 50 to 60MPH range from end to end.

Morale among employees is almost non existent. Basic tools to do the job are taken away and trains depart initial terminals with filthy cars, bathrooms and PA systems that don't work, doors that are malfunctioning letting in snow and rain, heating and cooling systems broken, cars that rattle and squeak so badly you can't hear yourself think and managment that never backs up staff. The results are what Amtrak has become. It's a national Penn Central, with fewer trains and no charm.


andersonb109 Wrote:
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> How many Delta aircraft has anyone seen something
> like that on? None would be the appropriate
> answer. Why can't Amtrak hold to the same
> standards as the top airlines? Especially when
> their President comes from one of  those very
> airlines. 

Posted from Android

walstib Wrote:
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> Apparently the extra fee charged to sit in
> business class isn't enough to pay for properly
> marking the car.
>
> I spotted this on the Starlight's Business Class
> car during a station stop at Santa Barbara
> yesterday.

Beyond sad, in my opinion, to see that no one gives a rip anymore.  More like revolting, sickening, disgusting, insert your own word here _____________.

-John

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Gardner (Senior Executive VP and Chief Operating and Commercial Officer) is  also running the place. The inmates are running the asylum.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> Especially when their President comes from one of
> those very airlines. 

This seems to support my hypothesis that Anderson had better lieutenants when he was at Delta. His immediate subordinates at Amtrak are mediocre. Anderson fanboys might be relieved to hear that he might not be the villain, but if those fanboys report to him, they need to realize that they need to shut up and improve? :-)

cabsignaldrop Wrote:
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> Because nobody from the top down cares. They don't care about the precious corridor as evidence by the poorly maintained equipment, filthy stations and cars, horribly dated "first class" lounges from the 80s, inconsistent service, poor wifi, horrible treatment of employees and passengers, dated, filthy and crumbling stations, incompetent managers that are totally disconnected from passengers and employees...that that is ON the NEC. Imagine west of Harrisburg where the trains run through untamed territories at 40MPH  (Paraphrasing Richard Anderson).
>

Let me know how much more of a budget cut you need to fix the problem.

Brian

At least it's spelled correctly.  Many times I've seen hand-written signs like that with all sorts of spelling errors.    

That's why Amtrak trains are painted silver.  It's to match the duct tape.

The days of the Super Chief are long gone.  

Magic Markers at their best!

However, still reminded of when a select few of the Heritage Diners received an overall interior refresh and the Terimosa Kits. The "kits" gave the Heritage Diner a relatively nice looking modern upgrade within a 1950s/1960s era Diner. The interior was gutted and outfitted with pre-fabricated coverings that left decor accented in greens and pink/cream. Wall sconces were added and the dining car roof had light that could shine through tiny little holes - as if stars shining in the night. Overall, a nice touch and upgrade to an old diner. These diners were still operating when the Viewliner Diners took over.

But the diners were released from Beech Grove without the "table numbers" marked above the windows where they HAVE ALWAYS been located so it could be viewed by the wait staff. After all there were only a total of 10 tables (two less than what was usually found in the Heritage Diner). That was solved by one of the LSA's who with a magic marker wrote a large number above the nice picture window. Since the LSA accidentally wrote two number "4"s, one was just crossed out and a "5" placed next to it..... Car was hardly out of the shop. The number labels were likely still on order and just had to be places at a later date. Beech Grove had out done themselves with a providing a little class to the diner, but this didn't suit the operational side of things!      

jp1822 Wrote:
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> However, still reminded of when a select few of
> the Heritage Diners received an overall interior
> refresh and the Terimosa Kits. The "kits" gave the
> Heritage Diner a relatively nice looking modern
> upgrade within a 1950s/1960s era Diner...

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The name was actually "Timoinsa" derived from the Spanish manufacturer of the kits, Tecnicas Modulares e Inustriales S.A.

Sadly, the project was intended to convert all the Heritage diners but was never completed.  Nearly half the kits were sold off as scrap.
 

GenePoon Wrote:
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> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > However, still reminded of when a select few of
> > the Heritage Diners received an overall
> interior
> > refresh and the Terimosa Kits. The "kits" gave
> the
> > Heritage Diner a relatively nice looking modern
> > upgrade within a 1950s/1960s era Diner...
>
> ===============================
>
> The name was actually "Timoinsa" derived from the
> Spanish manufacturer of the kits, Tecnicas
> Modulares e Inustriales S.A.
>
> Sadly, the project was intended to convert all the
> Heritage diners but was never completed.  Nearly
> half the kits were sold off as scrap.

Gunn outfitted a couple of more after Warrington had started the refurb program (and supposedly ran out of money and had to stop). But yes, what a big waste of what could have been. I always thought this was a pretty nice upgrade to the Heritage Diner interiors. 

So does this mean I could upgrade my coach ticket by putting a piece of duct tape on it that has "Business Class" written with a sharpie?

LooseCaboose Wrote:
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> So does this mean I could upgrade my coach ticket
> by putting a piece of duct tape on it that has
> "Business Class" written with a sharpie?

Never know, it might just work!

Posted from iPhone

Was Red, Harold and the whole gang traveling back North to Vancouver?

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> How many Delta aircraft has anyone seen something
> like that on? None would be the appropriate
> answer. Why can't Amtrak hold to the same
> standards as the top airlines? Especially when
> their President comes from one of  those very
> airlines. 

Years ago I was on a tour of the United maintenance facility at SFO and they'd just taken over PanAm's Pacific routes, along with a number of 747s/L1011s.  They showed me a 747 they were rebuilding and there was duct tape everywhere,  on all kinds of piping, around wire harnesses, in the landing gear wells, etc.  The guide told us they were going to part out some of the 747s which he said were 'hopeless'.   Ever since I've wondered how well planes I'm riding on are really maintained.  A top tier airline like Delta, who does most of their own maintenance, probably by the book.  Others,  like say Spirit, maybe not.  But all fly safely until they don't.   btw, I got the tour because I was working on a project for the airport and at a meeting I asked a United guy what is was like in those big hangars.  Hence the tour invite.

Our Crew Base in Oakland was always trying to crack down on stuff like this.  Several memos went out demanding (begging?) the On Board Crews to knock it off with the Sharpies!
SR