Passenger Trains > Dirty windows on Superliners

There have been several comments over the years about dirty windows on some of the LD trains.  My brother is preparing a spring trip on the Empire Builder, the Coast Starlight, and the California Zephyr.  All of these are Superliner trains.  He is going with a few friends on their annual Baseball trip.  He hates to ride and has to look out of a dirty window, so he is planning to take a squirt bottle and a long-handled device to wipe the windows.  The question is, he is six feet tall, so how long does it have to be in order to reach the upper-level windows from most platforms?  I can find out the height of the Superliners and about every other dimension, but I can’t find out how high the windows are.  My guess is that the top of the windows are about 15 feet above the railhead, or about 14’-6” above the platform.
 
Any help would be appreciated.
 
John
 

CZ windows get  washed in Denver

This will give you an idea how long a pole is needed!  It's quite a reach!

---

Amtrak needs to have this in place at:

- Whitefish, MT
- Denver, CO
- Albuquerque
- San Antonio 

Not while Gardneer conducts stealth attacks on the LD network, and dirty windows are part of his arsenal. 
Broken down toilet systems, crappy website, lack of timetables, broken down locomotives, getting rid of extra boards, minimal consists, failure to cut down the Beech Grove dead line are other tactics. .

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Amtrak needs to have this in place at:
>
> - Whitefish, MT
> - Denver, CO
> - Albuquerque
> - San Antonio 

Nice idea but they often don’t even wash them at the ORIGINATING terminals. For 2 years or more the Cardinal and Silver Service trains are filthy about every trip. Many others too. It’s a terrible public image, plus ruins viewing out the windows. Gardner doesn’t care. Unbelievable

Posted from iPhone

UP/Amtrak yard in Oakland, CA can't even use there wash rack due to State regulations on waste water treatment. It would cost a small fortune to treat the amount of water to perform a thorough cleaning on all the power that passes through the service area.

Valleyman

He'll need a pole at least 16 ft. long. Might find one online that telescopes out that long???  Dirty windows are one of my constant gripes/ Darn shame. Ross Rowland 

Valleyman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP/Amtrak yard in Oakland, CA can't even use there
> wash rack due to State regulations on waste water
> treatment. It would cost a small fortune to treat
> the amount of water to perform a thorough cleaning
> on all the power that passes through the service
> area.
>
> Valleyman

Amtrak can't pull its "we're federal" card out and ignore the  state?

windows are squeeged at Den and Abq, used to be on the EB.

Valleyman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP/Amtrak yard in Oakland, CA can't even use there
> wash rack due to State regulations on waste water
> treatment. It would cost a small fortune to treat
> the amount of water to perform a thorough cleaning
> on all the power that passes through the service
> area.
>
> Valleyman
And how many people cleaning windows during a stop? Thats another problem, for one or two trains a day you need people to do so, but when they are done then what send them home after only working a few hours? CA creates many problems within there state that dont need to be.

amtrak uses a subcontractor for the squeeges i forget their name

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Valleyman Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > UP/Amtrak yard in Oakland, CA can't even use
> there
> > wash rack due to State regulations on waste
> water
> > treatment. It would cost a small fortune to
> treat
> > the amount of water to perform a thorough
> cleaning
> > on all the power that passes through the
> service
> > area.
> >
> > Valleyman
>
> Amtrak can't pull its "we're federal" card out and
> ignore the  state?

No. Does not work like that and you know that.

alan2955 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jp1822 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Amtrak needs to have this in place at:
> >
> > - Whitefish, MT
> > - Denver, CO
> > - Albuquerque
> > - San Antonio 
>
> Nice idea but they often don’t even wash them at
> the ORIGINATING terminals. For 2 years or more
> the Cardinal and Silver Service trains are filthy
> about every trip. Many others too. It’s a
> terrible public image, plus ruins viewing out the
> windows. Gardner doesn’t care. Unbelievable
>
> Posted from iPhone

I well understand that the originating terminals have had their wash racks BROKE for YEARS at this point. This is why I am suggesting they do the old-fashioned squeegee - manually - at these stations fro at least five of the long distance trains (e.g. Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, CA Zephyr, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief). It is a TERRIBLE image. I don't care what type of rail operation it is - dirty windows are not going to win over passengers at all. The Empire Builder did have mid route washing of the windows - sometimes Minot, sometimes Whitefish....... But now NOTHING on the Empire Builder route, while at least the Southwest Chief and CA Zephyr seem to get something. All is NOT that hard, but Amtrak makes it hard. It's such a POOR image of the Amtrak brand overall.......And its not just the western trains and long distance trains - it's everything that needs washing. If the mechanical forces aren't available - try to contract out with manual labor. 

The mini-Capitol Limited pulled into Elkhart IN this morning, and its few cars were absolutely filthy. Even from the distance of the station camera it looked awful.  The P42 (196?) looked OK. Like it had seen a cleaning recently

Yeah I can just imagine what the reactions would be if a passenger exits a car and starts washing the windows at a station stop. It wouldn't be pretty...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/23 09:51 by PHall.

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> alan2955 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > jp1822 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Amtrak needs to have this in place at:
> > >
> > > - Whitefish, MT
> > > - Denver, CO
> > > - Albuquerque
> > > - San Antonio 
> >
> > Nice idea but they often don’t even wash them
> at
> > the ORIGINATING terminals. For 2 years or more
> > the Cardinal and Silver Service trains are
> filthy
> > about every trip. Many others too. It’s a
> > terrible public image, plus ruins viewing out
> the
> > windows. Gardner doesn’t care. Unbelievable
> >
> > Posted from iPhone
>
> I well understand that the originating terminals
> have had their wash racks BROKE for YEARS at this
> point. This is why I am suggesting they do the
> old-fashioned squeegee - manually - at these
> stations fro at least five of the long distance
> trains (e.g. Texas Eagle, Sunset Limited, CA
> Zephyr, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief). It is a
> TERRIBLE image. I don't care what type of rail
> operation it is - dirty windows are not going to
> win over passengers at all. The Empire Builder did
> have mid route washing of the windows - sometimes
> Minot, sometimes Whitefish....... But now NOTHING
> on the Empire Builder route, while at least the
> Southwest Chief and CA Zephyr seem to get
> something. All is NOT that hard, but Amtrak makes
> it hard. It's such a POOR image of the Amtrak
> brand overall.......And its not just the western
> trains and long distance trains - it's everything
> that needs washing. If the mechanical forces
> aren't available - try to contract out with manual
> labor. 

A non train buff friend in Tampa happened to see the Silver Star pulling in a few weeks ago. He commented there is no way he’d want to ride an ‘old run down train’ like that. The sole reason it gives that impression is it’s filthy. How do we get rid of Gardner and associates?! This is beyond ridiculous.

If your bedroom isn't on the platform side at a station stop, how does one de-train safely enroute to clean a window?  Open a vestibule door without authorization?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/23/23 10:29 by Peter_Hawtrey.

The brilliant design of the passenger car fleet that Amtrak uses allows them to look brand new and shiny for decades - if you wash them.

Once again, I'll ask the same question that I ask over and over about Amtrak: Why can they not take advantage of the many unique favorable innate qualities of their railroad and use them to their advantage?

Posted from Android

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah I can just imagine what the reactions would
> be if a passenger exits a car and starts washing
> the windows at a station stop. It wouldn't be
> pretty...


You can often see car attendants and passengers cleaning lower level windows on the VR Tucson camera. It has been mentioned several times.

Posted from Android