Railfan Window

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KmH

Engineer
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Dec 6, 2014
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2,055
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Is this heaven? No. It's Iowa.
Who else has thought about ways to clean the outside of the railfan window on Superliner cars while standing on a boarding platform?

I've been thinking about a screw together paint roller handle extension about 12 feet long when assembled.

With a way to lock a painting roller in place, but still be able to advance it for multiple cleaning swipes, I think it might do the trick.
 
The window is in the door at the end of a car.

The door is disable so passengers can't open it.

But, when the train goes through the wash station the back window doesn't get cleaned.
 
Who else has thought about ways to clean the outside of the railfan window on Superliner cars while standing on a boarding platform? I've been thinking about a screw together paint roller handle extension about 12 feet long when assembled.

With a way to lock a painting roller in place, but still be able to advance it for multiple cleaning swipes, I think it might do the trick.
The only problem I can envision is that you may have to wash it at a weird angle or risk being shouted at for standing too close to the tracks. Maybe bribe the SCA to clean it? Do they have a key to open the door like the conductor?
 
Check with a truck stop for a squeegie they make for reaching semi truck windows. Just saw one yesterday.
 
Check with a truck stop for a squeegie they make for reaching semi truck windows. Just saw one yesterday.
What about going on a cherry-picker and using a regular squeegie to clean it? I would suspect that the Canadian does that after going through the Jasper National Park, or whenever the dome windows get too dirty, so what's stopping Amtrak from deploying a cherry-picker and a man with a squeegie.
 
Check with a truck stop for a squeegie they make for reaching semi truck windows. Just saw one yesterday.
What about going on a cherry-picker and using a regular squeegie to clean it? I would suspect that the Canadian does that after going through the Jasper National Park, or whenever the dome windows get too dirty, so what's stopping Amtrak from deploying a cherry-picker and a man with a squeegie.
Hmm, money & time comes to mind.
 
I've been thinking about a screw together paint roller handle extension about 12 feet long when assembled.

With a way to lock a painting roller in place, but still be able to advance it for multiple cleaning swipes, I think it might do the trick.
At the hotel where I work we have an extend-a-pole with a double-sided squeegee on the end. The other side of the squeegee is a plush wand that is soaked with window cleaner for washing the window. The pole reaches maybe twenty feet-other sizes are available. No need to invent something--it's already out there.

I was really disappointed when I rode a sleeper on the Empire Builder to Portland and it was impossible to see out the rear window because it was so dirty. Fortunately, the lounge car had clean windows.
 
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