Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Equipment Failures
Mechanical breakdowns occur and can be very disruptive,
depending on how and when they happen. Things are improv-
ing, but for many years severe budget restraints forced Amtrak
to keep a limited amount of equipment in more or less constant
use and to stretch out the time between equipment maintenance
and overhauls.
The most significant problems, as you might expect, occur
when locomotives break down. Even a partial loss of power at
the head end can disrupt an entire schedule. For instance, if you're
on the California Zephyr heading out of Denver and up into the
Rocky Mountains and one of the engines fails, it could be enough
to delay the entire train until a replacement unit arrives.
The most common equipment problem is the breakdown of
one or more of the toilets. Sometimes it's mechanical, sometimes
they're clogged, and occasionally in the winter they freeze. What-
ever the reason, it's unpleasant and inconvenient for all concerned,
passengers and crew alike. (For more than 50 years, toilets in the
older cars simply emptied onto the tracks. Because they were so
simple, they almost never failed. Many train-travel veterans still
say the federal mandate to require all Amtrak cars to have self-
contained toilets was expensive and unnecessary. There are good
arguments on both sides of that issue, as you would expect.)
Electrical problems in the dining car can be bad news for the
entire train. When the ovens or grills go down, the kitchen crew
has to improvise. Sometimes the only answer is a frantic phone call
to a fast-food restaurant near the next scheduled stop. One way or
another, however, they always manage to make sure folks get fed.
Follow Up on Your Complaint
There may be a certain amount of nostalgia attached to the image
of the grizzled old railroad veteran, one who was brought up on
Search WWH ::




Custom Search