Discuss what Amtrak needs to do to improve maintenance performance/practices outside of NEC.

I am starting this thread because I unintentionally hijacked the bi-level equipment thread with this point.

My suggestion was that since Amtrak is unable to properly maintain the venture cars in Chicago, it might be better for Amtrak to purchase maintenance agreements with the manufacturers of subsequent equipment deliveries.

A current problem mentioned on the Trains Magazine website was that the process for ordering replacement parts for existing equipment was difficult enough that employees cannibalized parts from other non-working cars to fix cars that could be sent back into service.

In either case, I am primarily focused on the Chicago yard because I have lived in the Chicago area my entire life and am most familiar with how it functions or does not function.

I think the problem is more than just laziness on the part of Chicago employees and more than just managerial incompetence.

Regardless of the cause, I thought it would be interesting to discuss solutions.

Steve4031 said:

I am starting this thread because I unintentionally hijacked the bi-level equipment thread with this point.

My suggestion was that since Amtrak is unable to properly maintain the venture cars in Chicago, it might be better for Amtrak to purchase maintenance agreements with the manufacturers of subsequent equipment deliveries.

A current problem mentioned on the Trains Magazine website was that the process for ordering replacement parts for existing equipment was difficult enough that employees cannibalized parts from other non-working cars to fix cars that could be sent back into service.

In either case, I am primarily focused on the Chicago yard because I have lived in the Chicago area my entire life and am most familiar with how it functions or does not function.

I think the problem is more than just laziness on the part of Chicago employees and more than just managerial incompetence.

Regardless of the cause, I thought it would be interesting to discuss solutions.

Click to expand...

LA's 8th St Yard, the maintenance base for the Superliners on the Starlight and Sunset, as well as Surfliners, seems to have a lot fewer issues generally than Chicago in keeping their trains in service. They also have a lot fewer cars sitting around to cannibalize than Chicago does.

As to maintenance contracts, personally I think it is a good idea. One item, though, is Washington DOT's experience with Talgo. Talgo required a maintenance contract and ultimately Washington DOT ultimately became very upset at Talgo, apparently due to Talgo's intransigence in the price of those contracts. To the point that Washington apparently set up the terms of the RFP for the new car order to box them out (we're getting Siemens Airos, btw).

Finally, there is the issue of the infamous "Chicago repair", sending the car back out and hope someone else deals with it.

zephyr17 said:

Finally, there is the issue of the infamous "Chicago repair", sending the car back out and hope someone else deals with it.

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Ha! Reminds me of when I was a dispatcher for Greyhound in the early 1970’s. Back then, buses received periodic maintenance based on their mileage. They did not have a “ home shop” system, but whatever Company shop happened to service them when they were due for an “A, B, or C” (increasingly more involved) inspection, was required to perform it. Only “D” major overhauls were sent to the few heavy overhaul shops around the country.

So oftentimes, when a bus was getting close to one of the other inspection’s, the local shop foreman would ask the dispatcher to send the bus on a schedule towards another shop location, where its mileage would fall due.
It was like a game of “hot potato”. The other locations did likewise.

Steve4031 said:

My suggestion was that since Amtrak is unable to properly maintain the venture cars in Chicago, it might be better for Amtrak to purchase maintenance agreements with the manufacturers of subsequent equipment deliveries.

Click to expand...

Folks may wish to review the 2024 Illinois DOT presentation on this topic to NGEC:
https://www.ngec.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NGEC-IDOT-Pres-2024-Mid-West-Experience.pdf

INO the unacceptable high number of non passenger worthy cars is a direct result of skimping on spare parts. Any maintenance officer who is subject to a bonus review will want to decrease his parts budget by skimping or ordering spare parts. If he is not penalized for having too many cars out of service then why buy a spare part until a car is out of service (OOS).

Do not think that getting adequate spare parts without over ordering is simple. I have no idea how Amtrak tracks spares usage but some of the various things are ==== let us take CHI for example. length of travel and if any use of parts before cars and locos return to CHI. There are 4 very long runs of SLs and one medium run + the regionals. there are 2 overnight single level LD trains which are scheduled for ~12 hour turns to original departure point. The BOS cars are a outlier.

Mileage and as important what weather have the cars traveled so seasonal variations in spare usage are to be expected. Then the important HVAC units are most important. As such not only replacements needed at the turn station but whatever number at locations such a OAK, Minot, Denver, ABQ, SAS, Tuscon, Kansas City, MSP, SLC? The point is no spare part at any location should be used as the last available. Returned parts found to be good also have to be considered.

One item often overlooked is the long length of Amtrak equipment that remains operational. It must have ways to acquire spare parts supplies when some of the vendors cannot produce a certain part anymore. Tooling, drawings, ETC must all go to Amtrak without any penalty when vendor no longer makes a part or substitute.

There are other considerations as well.

Interesting PowerPoint. I wonder if the long-term unavailability of the charger locomotives is related to wreck damage from grade crossing incidents.

I have noticed that the recliner has not worked on each of my trips on Venture Coaches. However, the bathrooms have worked well and stayed clean on every trip. I have not taken any winter trips on the Venture cars. This winter, I will try my luck.