Passenger Trains > Dirty Bird

Here is the Eagle train 22 departing St Louis this morning  See it yourself on the St Louis rail cam at 8:21am CDT

Diesel grim covering the diner. You have to wonder what type of experience the first class passengers are having enjoying their eggs smelling the fumes and looking at the view this morning 

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/24 06:36 by amtrakbill.

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Filth and grime, and smell, plus a constantly BLASTING air horn.

While the baggage car rides along at the end of train in blissful quiet.

Yet, some people refuse to criticize Gardner for this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/24 08:11 by ronald321.

ronald321 Wrote:
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> Filth and grime, and smell, plus a constantly BLASTING air horn.
> While the baggage car rides along at the end of train in blissful quiet.
> Yet, some people refuse to criticize Gardner for this.

I am not happy with the state Train 21 & 22 are in right now.  But as far back as when I joined Amtrak in 1974, it has been focused on simplifying and cost cutting. Altering time honored standards has been common.  I saw this first hand with the Lone Star.   Specifically to this grime issue, it was not that long ago that the diner/snack bar was moved to this location and the sleeper placed on the end in the consist probably in response to complaints or perhaps, a regulatory agency suggestion.

Allowing this display of grime on a passenger car behind the engine would support (in my opinion) some investigative reporting and (I would think) Amtrak management would see that as a liability to them. I don't know what number this cross country cafe is, but on April 12, I recorded car # 37013 trailing engine 57 and the grime was noticeable on it too.  Not to the extent shown in this post but certainly noticeable.  Poor Amtrak, I doubt anyone can raise the standards of service anymore.  
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/24 12:07 by Hou74-76.

Who, if anybody, at Amtrak is in charge of "consist co-ordination?"
This is deranged, putting the dining car right behind the diesel.
Also, on The Meteor and Star, why are the consists backwards?
As RONALD 321 says, "the baggage car rides in blissful quiet."
 

They only have four cars to play with in the consist south of St Louis.  As long as Amtrak keeps the short consist and single engine operation (yes, we see single locomotives all the time down south) it is simply rearranging deck chairs. I think the worries about equipment shortages, aged equipment dependability and concerns about breaking the consist in half to add cars is just too insurmountable for Amtrak. Therefore, cars are added or removed from the rear (for simplicity) and the diner remains upfront.  On the Eagle, this is the new normal and standard operating procedure.  

Quick, simple and cheap. 

CPMorris Wrote:
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> Who, if anybody, at Amtrak is in charge of "consist co-ordination?"
> This is deranged, putting the dining car right behind the diesel.
 

Hou74-76

Yes--"quick, simple, and cheep"  - and totally disgraceful and anti-passenger.

How much longer can Gardner and his AmManagement get away with such dereliction of duty!

This picture is proof positive of such dereliction !  -  When will the DOT, or STB, or Congress itself wake up,
and give this management team the boot!

 

I respect your opinion.  Like I said, Amtrak has demonstrated frequently over its life span cost cut initiatives. And frequently suffered simultaneous hardships that imposed less than stellar performance.  The cards are in many ways stacked against Amtrak although I do see improvement in some areas mainly time keeping and some on board services.  Amtrak is still reeling from Anderson.  He brought the notion of re-thinking what efficient and safe rail passenger service is and emphasized, in my opinion, "quick, simple, and cheep".    Coupled to that mantra in Anderson's time was "and if you want anymore than that, you pay for it."  Hence, I believe this is why we see the current ticket prices and accommodation limits.

Add the COVID reductions to this pricing strategy and you have short trains like the Sunset limited east of San Antonio, the Capitol Limited and the Texas Eagle.

If the Sightseer Lounge returns to the Eagle this year (as has been mentioned) and nothing else is removed in its place, there might be cause to re-evaluate the stinginess of Amtrak's management decisions - that things are improving.  But don't hold the breath.  Late trains get later and unwashed trains get dirtier too.


ronald321 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes--"quick, simple, and cheep"  - and totally disgraceful and anti-passenger.
>
> How much longer can Gardner and his AmManagement
> get away with such dereliction of duty!
>
> This picture is proof positive of such dereliction
> !  -  When will the DOT, or STB, or Congress
> itself wake up, and give this management team the boot!
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/24 15:02 by Hou74-76.

What I see in this photo is beyond disgusting.  It shows a total lack of respect for the passengers who paid money to ride the train and eat in the car that serves as a diner (or maybe all passengers are made to eat in their coach seats or sleeper accomidations).  

Right now Amtrak, for some reason, refuses to wash train exteriors on a regular basis.  Insides are OK, but outsides are terrible.

No one on this forum has a "good" answer as to why?  Neither do Trains magazine or the RPA.  

Basically, how do us, the passengers, make Amtrak give a shit about what there trains look like on the outside, and why all car washers are ALL not working?

So...here is the question to all TO members...what members of Congress could realize this is a problem, and find out from Amtrak why trains are not washed and when this practice will begin again?

This member of Congress would need to visit Gardner and put pressure on him.

I will contact my reps to see what I can do.

Who will follow my lead?  If Gardner has members of Congress inquiring about this, maybe, just maybe we can get some answers.

If anyone has any other ideas please respond.  

No bitching about Gardner and bonuses...let's see if TO members can make a difference.

Thanks,

BillLindsay

😎

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I believe it wasn't too long ago the sleeper was behind the engine on 21 and 22.  Then the put the food service car there.  Can't put a baggage car there because there is no baggage car on the train.

I remember when the Eagle was nine cars out of St. Louisin the 1980s and 90s.  Took the through sleeper to Phoenix, later Maricopa.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/30/24 09:44 by MILW16.

What’s sad about this the Eagle sits in STL for 2 or more hours most mornings waiting to depart on-time

Couldn’t Amtrak hire a guy with a hose, a squeege, and soap and clean the windows on this 4 car train?

Seems so easy

Posted from iPhone

It looks to me like windows and exterior cleaning are a lower priority to Amtrak than other issues to tackle. 

amtrakbill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What’s sad about this the Eagle sits in STL for
> 2 or more hours most mornings waiting to depart
> on-time
>
> Couldn’t Amtrak hire a guy with a hose, a
> squeege, and soap and clean the windows on this 4
> car train?
>
> Seems so easy
>
> Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/24 20:28 by Hou74-76.

Hou74-76

It is much too forgiving to say that dirty (filthy) windows might be a "lower priority" at Amtrak.

Face reality--it is a dereliction of duty.  It is a management failure. It is a service downgrade.  And, it is anti-passenger.

CPMorris Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Who, if anybody, at Amtrak is in charge of
> "consist co-ordination?"
> This is deranged, putting the dining car right
> behind the diesel.
> Also, on The Meteor and Star, why are the consists
> backwards?
> As RONALD 321 says, "the baggage car rides in
> blissful quiet."
>  

Honestly, Amtrak needs to re-assess its complete deployment of assets - what do they have, what's operating where, how best to maximize revenue and meet customer satisfaction with the equipment that's operable. And then maintain it. Manage it. The current system of asset (passenger car) assignment/deployment is a patchwork quilt display with no attention to the basic principles of revenue and equipment management/efficiency. Amtrak has become masters in corporate excuses and BS. Even without a Claytor or Gunn, I still HOPE for a better passenger rail system to emerge. But Amtrak's got to be more aggressive in restoring more capacity to the system. It can be done and Amtrak can do it, if Amtrak wants to do it.   

Congress holds hearings on Amtrak every year.  The hearings re a joke.  Congress knows nothing about Amtrak so the members use the time to grandstand.  Gardner and company know this so they throw out a bunch of BS about "improvements" and that's about it.   I have written my Congressman and both Senators.  My reply was the standard "we support Amtrak and are working toward improvements BS" that was written by some staffer and that's it.  I even had a chance to ask questions about Amtrak of my Congressman at a Town Hall meeting.  He was clueless. So, until members of Congress become more knowledgeable about Amtrak and start to actually apply some serious pressure, all we are going to get is the same old same old.

As long as Coscia is Amtrak Board Chairman, nothing will change. 

agent1522 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Congress holds hearings on Amtrak every year. 
> The hearings re a joke.  Congress knows nothing
> about Amtrak so the members use the time to
> grandstand.  Gardner and company know this so
> they throw out a bunch of BS about "improvements"
> and that's about it.   I have written my
> Congressman and both Senators.  My reply was the
> standard "we support Amtrak and are working toward
> improvements BS" that was written by some staffer
> and that's it.  I even had a chance to ask
> questions about Amtrak of my Congressman at a Town
> Hall meeting.  He was clueless. So, until members
> of Congress become more knowledgeable about Amtrak
> and start to actually apply some serious pressure,
> all we are going to get is the same old same old.

Amtrak has about as much visibility in Congress as it does with the general population. Almost zero.

Well, Congress  gave Amtrak $66 BILLION dollars. - They're not as invisible to Congress as you think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/24 13:45 by ronald321.