EB Mess - 2

[Bob Dylan]

That is also true Ryan, but the Majority of the OBS Employees still take pride in their job and try to provide good service to their customers!

I've said it before, the Suits need to quit riding a desk and get out on the trains and talk with the customers and the people who keep the trains rolling

Making policy in meetings without information from those affected by the policy is the worst way to manage! My way or the highway doesn't cut it!!

 

[MrFSS]

Sounds like top management issued a policy directive to the line managers for the OBS to cut the amount of water,coffee and juice to " save money" but that the OBS, the ones responsible for good customer service, are trying to maintain a higher quality of service that Sleeping Car Passengers actually pay for, expect and deserve!

Hopefully none of these good OBS will get in trouble with the bean counters because doing their jobs prevents the troops in the Muddle East from getting hot meals as some idiot Congress critter actually claimed!

Let them eat cake indeed!

One could also construct the alternative narrative that lazy SCAs aren't doing their jobs and placing the blame on management from the facts we have here.

"I'd love to help you, but I'm just not allowed to go get you some more water!"

I have no way to prove it, but I tend to agree with Ryan. From a lot of the feedback we have in this thread, even today, it looks like there hasn't been a reduction in water, etc being available. Though, you may have to ask for it.

 

[Bob Dylan]

We have several members that are Active and recently retired Amtrak employees including OBS, I think we can believe them so it will be interesting to find out if this actually is a policy or just lazy control freak OBS doing their own thing! I agree there are some of these unfortunately!!

 

[JoeBas]

Hearing it from more than one, it seems like it's "Policy", that is being encouraged on a commissary-basis, but not strictly "Enforced" as of yet, and that the SCAs are just trying to take care of folks.

 

[Ryan]

I have no way to prove it, but I tend to agree with Ryan. From a lot of the feedback we have in this thread, even today, it looks like there hasn't been a reduction in water, etc being available. Though, you may have to ask for it.

In reality, I'm sure the truth is somewhere in the middle.

It's highly likely that some manager somewhere said something like "try and do a little bit to conserve some water", which gets turned into something between "Business as usual, waters are next to the coffeemaker" and "NO WATERS FOR YOU BECAUSE MANAGEMENT HATES PASSENGERS AND I DO TOO!!!" depending on the individual worker.

 

[George Harris]

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/228089043/82/Shelby-to-Sandpoint-Hi-Line-BNSF-337-9-Miles

This is a 70 plus page report discussing the heavy traffic increases in the Northwest, which specifically includes the Empire Builder route.

In case the link does not work, the title of the report is Heavy Traffic Still Ahead, dated February 2014, prepared for WORC, which is the Western Organization of Resource Councils

 

[TraneMan]

On our recent trip on the EB. #7 we had ice and juice and water out by the coffee stand all times. then on our #8 return trip, Gul had 4 bottles of water in our room, and he brought in ice for our water.. Then every now and then he would bring juice or pop along with ice for us.

I was coming down with a cold, so he brought OJ more often for me.

 

[William W.]

I've noticed that the western LD trains tend to be better stocked than the eastern trains. My sleeping car always had ample juice, water, and ice. Since I was sick during that trip, I drank a lot of water, so the sleeping car attendant offered to bring me a bucket of ice with bottles of water in it each night. He was the best one I've ever had (and he got a large tip).

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I don't think they are rationing water so much as preventing gross abuse of readily available water (I.e. Taking 15 bottles, 12 of which go into your suitcase)

 

[montana mike]

On our recent trip on the EB. #7 we had ice and juice and water out by the coffee stand all times. then on our #8 return trip, Gul had 4 bottles of water in our room, and he brought in ice for our water.. Then every now and then he would bring juice or pop along with ice for us.

I was coming down with a cold, so he brought OJ more often for me.

Gul is the best!!! we have had him as our attendant on several occasions. Amtrak is lucky to have him on board.

 

[Henry Kisor]

Service disruption listed for No. 8 out of Fargo the 22nd. Anyone know what happened? That train was 4 hours 6 minutes late leaving Spokane account freight problem on route of No. 28 the 21st.

I presume the passengers are then bused to their destinations.

Got a friend on that train.

 

[Grandpa D]

Service disruption listed for No. 8 out of Fargo the 22nd. Anyone know what happened?

'Track-A-Train' looks like 8(20) took the Surrey cutoff. I haven't seen anything about a reason.

 

[Ispolkom]

I thought that it might have something to do with the massive fire in Williston, but #8 got through before that started. The article talks about a half-mile evacuation zone, which from Google Maps would seem to include the Hi Line. I wonder if the track is closed.

 

[EB_OBS]

Service disruption listed for No. 8 out of Fargo the 22nd. Anyone know what happened?

'Track-A-Train' looks like 8(20) took the Surrey cutoff. I haven't seen anything about a reason.

Washout on the Devils Lake Subdivision.

 

[montana mike]

Wow-what a summer for the EB's!!!

:-((((((

 

[tim49424]

I am in Chicago in the Metropolitan Lounge and will be boarding #7 this afternoon. Hopefully there are no long delays in departure......not really concerned about delays once I'm on the train as I'm headed to PDX and will be staying there the weekend. I'll be headed back east on the CS and CZ, Monday & Tuesday.

 

[lyke99]

I think GML hit it on the head with the water. Yesterday before departing Chicago, several members of an America By Rail tour group were hoarding the water bottles set out on the Empire Builder's 0730 car as if they were filled with money. From Roomette 2 we saw one guy grab and dart off with 8(!) bottles of water. When that case of water was gone, the SCA didn't set any more out - probably out of concern that she'd be out of water before nightfall.

As for ice, we were westbound on the Empire Builder of 7/8/14 and the attendant in the 0731 car said she didn't have ice on the car due to budget cuts, but she was happy to run to the dining car for a bucket of ice when it was cocktail time in our room.

I wouldn't be surprised if yesterday's tour group were encouraged by their guide to stock up on water. On our 7/8/14 trip, a tour group was encouraged by their guide to show up for breakfast and lunch as soon as service began. As a result, the dining car started breakfast service at 6:30 and began a waitlist at 6:45. Lunch was scheduled to start at 11:30 so by 11:15 there was a line stretching most of the length of the 0730 car. It's a train ride people, chill out!

 

[jebr]

And now an ill passenger.

From TO:

Due to an ill passenger, Amtrak Train 8(21) has been contaminated; the contamination

will need to be professionally cleaned before Amtrak employees will be permitted to
enter to prepare it for the equipment's next departure.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Who does "Professional cleaning" on Amtrak cars? Certainly not the crews in the Chicago yards!!

Sounds like a contract job, maybe Ghost Busters is available??

 

[William W.]

Station agent says that there's a tour group on today's train.

"I'm going to be stuck on a train with an obnoxious tour group for three days? Does tomorrow's train still have a roomette available?"

hboy: I couldn't imagine.

 

[user 1215]

Well, it's about time they professionaly cleaned the train!

 

[OBS]

The Operations Standards update dated 6/18/14 states:

In reference to sleeper room setup "two bottles of spring water per person per trip (additional water may be purchased in the café/lounge car)"

Further down the memo it references the fact that Complimentary coffee/tea/ or orange juice are provided between 6 and 11 am.

 

[montana mike]

Another bureaucratic rule that makes no sense, since it doesn't take into account time and distance. Pity the poor soul who has to spend 48 hours from SEA to CHI......bummer. As I said, worse than the darned airlines now. Arrrrrgh. I would just love to be able to get in front of the top dogs at Amtrak to walk them thru how unbelievably stupid most of their "marketing" actions are.

 

[Ispolkom]

I want to know what the ill passenger did that contaminated *the whole train.* The mind boggles.

 

[William W.]

That's one of the stupidest rules I've ever seen. If they're really concerned about people taking too many water bottles, just put the SCA in control of them. If you want water, simply ask. If they are really going to enforce this, I'd think that people would begin looting water from empty rooms. I had to do that once when I was on the CL, because the SCA didn't leave any out, and was no where to be found (let's just say that he didn't get a tip).