Another dining car/SSL cutback

[Amtrakfflyer]

More of an observation then anything. On our recent trip I found the posters missing at the end of the dining cars and SSL’s. The frames looked awful empty. Huge scratched metal surfaces reminded me of something you’d see on a subway car. This was on three trains the SWC, SSL and TE. I wish I would have took photos I can’t empathize enough how bad and barren it made the cars feel. There used to be Amtrak posters similar to what you can buy on the Amtrak store website in the poster slots.

Interestingly  enough the posters were still in the sleeping car poster frames.

I do have one photo I cropped and edited that shows what I’m talking about on the TE diner. Apparently the crew knew it was such an eyesore and cut a paper table cloth and garland to fit it.

Obviously there’s no cost in a poster that can last years. So is it a coincidence 3 trains didn’t have them? A deliberate attempt to make it less appealing or lack of attention to detail.

Either way the little things count.  Being such an eyesore I think it’s a bigger deal then the removal of the flowers at the tables.

 

[cpotisch]

On all the recent trips I've seen and taken, they have still had them.

And I really don't think that anyone at Amtrak is making it their mission to destroy these trains just for the sake of it.

 

[PVD]

Hopefully, we can get reports from any riders as to their experiences. My last trip was Empire Service, the signage in the cafe was current. Heven't been in a diner or SSL since June

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

I agree front line employees wouldn’t destroy the trains. On the Texas Eagle they went out their way to cover it and make it look better. I only bring it up since it was 3 separate trains 2 LA based and one Chicago. 

Going through my trip photos ( I took like 400!) here’s a SSL one with butcher paper inserted.

 

[Maglev]

I did not notice any lack of framed posters on the Texas Eagle, Coast Starlight, or Empire Builder  last week.

edit:  On the Empire Builder a couple days later, I saw missing posters (see new post in this thread)

 

[Thirdrail7]

It seems like a good place to roll out a new on board entertainment feature.  After the dining car closes for the evening, instead of lawn darts, you have train darts!

Lean right over those tables and have a go of it.

 

[cpotisch]

It seems like a good place to roll out a new on board entertainment feature.  After the dining car closes for the evening, instead of lawn darts, you have train darts!

Lean right over those tables and have a go of it.

As my grandfather says, "He's a genius!"  :lol:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

 

[tonijustine]

More of an observation then anything. On our recent trip I found the posters missing at the end of the dining cars and SSL’s. The frames looked awful empty. Huge scratched metal surfaces reminded me of something you’d see on a subway car. This was on three trains the SWC, SSL and TE. I wish I would have took photos I can’t empathize enough how bad and barren it made the cars feel. There used to be Amtrak posters similar to what you can buy on the Amtrak store website in the poster slots.
Interestingly  enough the posters were still in the sleeping car poster frames.
I do have one photo I cropped and edited that shows what I’m talking about on the TE diner. Apparently the crew knew it was such an eyesore and cut a paper table cloth and garland to fit it.
Obviously there’s no cost in a poster that can last years. So is it a coincidence 3 trains didn’t have them? A deliberate attempt to make it less appealing or lack of attention to detail.
Either way the little things count.  Being such an eyesore I think it’s a bigger deal then the removal of the flowers at the tables.
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There is a cost to those things. Printing a small run of multiple items costs more than printing a large run of the same item even if, at the end of the day, the number of items printed is the same.

I think a lot of people are reading far too much into things. When you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras. They may not have any new on board. They may have had some on board and employees overlooked replacing them. Or they chose not to because it is extra work. Or any number of more likely things than someone is trying to get rid of LD by removing posters.

 

[tricia]

There is a cost to those things. Printing a small run of multiple items costs more than printing a large run of the same item even if, at the end of the day, the number of items printed is the same.

I think a lot of people are reading far too much into things. When you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras. They may not have any new on board. They may have had some on board and employees overlooked replacing them. Or they chose not to because it is extra work. Or any number of more likely things than someone is trying to get rid of LD by removing posters.

Perhaps it's more along the line of "no one at the top cares enough about LD to keep the trains looking attractive." There's a cost to allowing the on-board experience to deteriorate, too. In the short run, that's harder for the bean counters to quantify than printer costs. In the long run, that shows up in ridership numbers, and by then it's too late to retain passengers lost to more attractive travel options.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

There is almost no cost, the posters are already printed and sold on Amtrak.com and they last years and years. They don’t have to have different posters.  Put the same one in every frame who cares. Obviously this isn’t  a way to kill the LD trains it just shows a lack of detail and an indifference to customer service. The ones that aren’t covered with butcher paper or mcguyvered table clothes look hideous. 

 

[tim49424]

There is almost no cost, the posters are already printed and sold on Amtrak.com

They were discontinued being sold on Amtrak.com a few years ago.

 

[Anthony V]

Why don't they put advertisements in the spaces to increase revenue. It would at least fill the unsightly space.

 

[ehbowen]

It seems like a good place to roll out a new on board entertainment feature.  After the dining car closes for the evening, instead of lawn darts, you have train darts!

Lean right over those tables and have a go of it.

If you want to turn those spaces into boards for train darts, then we need a whole slew of photos of Richard Anderson to fill those frames....

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Why don't they put advertisements in the spaces to increase revenue. It would at least fill the unsightly space.

Maybe something like this would fit...

 

[Rail Freak]

I think each car should have a spot ,similar to these, for printed Route Schedules!

 

[SP&S]

I think each car should have a spot ,similar to these, for printed Route Schedules!

But then everybody would know how late the train is running. 

 

[dlagrua]

Posters can be printed in low volume very cheaply on a large PC printer. I've used my Epson to print long banners so posters shouldn't be a problem. I hope that the recent cuts don't go as far as keeping the poster frames empty.  Here's an idea. How about Amtrak soliciting the cities that they service that are looking to build up tourism?  Give them the poster space at a low cost and maybe they will bite.  If you look online you will find travel/vacation posters for Chicago "The Vacation City" , MIAMI,  Denver, New Orleans and many other destinations.  This idea for trains may be a throwback to an earlier time but the airlines still seem to do it.

 

[VTTrain]

If those spaces were going to go unused, I'd like to see Amtrak do something like UHaul does.  Put up some scenes from locations that the trainsvisit along with some interesting facts about those locations.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If those spaces were going to go unused, I'd like to see Amtrak do something like UHaul does.  Put up some scenes from locations that the trainsvisit along with some interesting facts about those locations.

Today U-Haul is doing quite well but back when they started those ingenious ads they were suffering from years of consumer indifference and market contraction.  Much of their hardware was old and ugly and they didn't have enough money to replace the bulk of the fleet quickly.  Those splashy and colorful signs served two important purposes.  They increased U-Haul's awareness in the market and they also took your eyes away from the ancient looking cabs and underbody.  I personally think it might make sense for Amtrak to have one coach car per train with a bus wrap style advertisement for riding Amtrak.  On trains that still have baggage cars the wrap could go there instead.

 

[jebr]

I personally think it might make sense for Amtrak to have one coach car per train with a bus wrap style advertisement for riding Amtrak.  On trains that still have baggage cars the wrap could go there instead.

As long as it doesn't cover up the windows at all. One of the most annoying things about those wraps is that it makes it difficult to see out the window fully - the dots aren't quite enough to have a nice view out the window, and it feels as though the advertising is more important than the experience when you're a paying customer inside the bus or train. It's a pet peeve of mine when those cover up the bus windows, and I hope Amtrak doesn't go so far as to cover up the windows with a wrap. The rest of the car is fine, though.

 

[Anderson]

There is a cost to those things. Printing a small run of multiple items costs more than printing a large run of the same item even if, at the end of the day, the number of items printed is the same.

I think a lot of people are reading far too much into things. When you hear hoof beats, think horses not zebras. They may not have any new on board. They may have had some on board and employees overlooked replacing them. Or they chose not to because it is extra work. Or any number of more likely things than someone is trying to get rid of LD by removing posters.

The problem is that a sense of intentional mismanagement HAS become horses to a lot of folks on here.

 

[cpotisch]

I personally think it might make sense for Amtrak to have one coach car per train with a bus wrap style advertisement for riding Amtrak.  On trains that still have baggage cars the wrap could go there instead.

As long as it doesn't cover up the windows at all. One of the most annoying things about those wraps is that it makes it difficult to see out the window fully - the dots aren't quite enough to have a nice view out the window, and it feels as though the advertising is more important than the experience when you're a paying customer inside the bus or train. It's a pet peeve of mine when those cover up the bus windows, and I hope Amtrak doesn't go so far as to cover up the windows with a wrap. The rest of the car is fine, though.

This. Anyone remember when there was passenger outrage over an Acela with a full History Channel wrap?

 

[me_little_me]

More of an observation then anything. On our recent trip I found the posters missing at the end of the dining cars and SSL’s. The frames looked awful empty. Huge scratched metal surfaces reminded me of something you’d see on a subway car. This was on three trains the SWC, SSL and TE. I wish I would have took photos I can’t empathize enough how bad and barren it made the cars feel. There used to be Amtrak posters similar to what you can buy on the Amtrak store website in the poster slots.

Interestingly  enough the posters were still in the sleeping car poster frames.

I do have one photo I cropped and edited that shows what I’m talking about on the TE diner. Apparently the crew knew it was such an eyesore and cut a paper table cloth and garland to fit it.

Obviously there’s no cost in a poster that can last years. So is it a coincidence 3 trains didn’t have them? A deliberate attempt to make it less appealing or lack of attention to detail.

Either way the little things count.  Being such an eyesore I think it’s a bigger deal then the removal of the flowers at the tables.

View attachment 12052

You got it all wrong! There is no missing poster. It's an ad for the Empire Builder during winter in Montana. It shows passengers eating vanilla ice cream during a whiteout while the OBS  in a  new white uniform is passing out the cream to coffee drinkers who are holding foam cups and eating Boston clam chowder just as the train is buried in an avalanche.

 

[cpotisch]

You got it all wrong! There is no missing poster. It's an ad for the Empire Builder during winter in Montana. It shows passengers eating vanilla ice cream during a whiteout while the OBS  in a  new white uniform is passing out the cream to coffee drinkers who are holding foam cups and eating Boston clam chowder just as the train is buried in an avalanche.

Post of the year. :giggle: