Amtrak Health Inspectors

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Green Eye

Train Attendant
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
39
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
This past Friday, I helped present the Trails and Rails program on Train 29, the Capitol Limited. As we sat in the Sightseer Lounge car waiting for the train to depart Washington Union Station, a young man came through the car dressed in an Amtrak polo shirt and carrying a flashlight and other tools. He inspected the safety equipment, the locked equipment areas, the restrooms, the cafe (which was not in service, food was being sold out of the diner/cafe car ahead of us) and even the trash cans. He told us he had just checked the diner/cafe, including the kitchen, and the sleeping cars. He moved on to the coaches behind us.

He told us that he was employed by the Amtrak legal department as a health inspector. He said there was one inspector each in New York, Washington, Chicago (about to be two there) and Los Angeles. He said that they routinely ride the trains to ensure proper health and safety. He was very pleasant and professional and his inspection (that we could see) was thorough and impressive.

I didn't get to ask him if this was something new or if this was an activity that has been ongoing. Has anyone heard of this before?
 
Certainly nothing new. It's not uncommon for them to watch us work for a period of time to make sure that we are full in compliance with food handling, they will test our sanitizer and test yogurts to make sure we are not fudging our temps, etc.
 
I had a water quality specialist on the CZ back in June. He was based in Chicago, he was heading home, said that besides checking the onboard water supplies, they were double checking the Denver supplies since they were new, and wanted to make sure that everything was still in compliance. A very polite and professional gentleman, the crew announced that he was retiring, and this would likely be their last encounter, and they thanked him for his years with the company. One of the behind the scenes types we seem to take for granted
 
I once ate dinner with a dining car inspector.

The next morning, the car was closed for breakfast - "bad ordered." (We were sent to the lounge car and our food was comped). I doubt it was anything very serious as I didn't hear of anyone getting sick, and as I remember, the inspector had the fish as his dinner.
 
Pure speculation: The cause of closing probably had to do with an issue related to the mechanical condition of the car or something like unavailability of water. Unlikely that it was an issue that could be addressed & corrected by the crew. If they could have solved the problem, they would have. Of course, if Dana Andrews and Sterling Hayden had been there, it might have been different.
 
I'm sorry I even brought up the inspector thing, now. (He really DID order the tilapia or whatever the fish dish was on that run.)
 
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