Toilet problems on LD trains..

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R

RobertF

Service Attendant
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
177
Location
SLC Utah
So, on my TE trip from Chi to Lax we had intermittent toilet problems, particularly it seemed above about 4,000 feet. I would have to constantly ring the attendant (Yevone, she was great) and she would walk down stairs and do something and viola, it would work! She told me that apparently they had pulled one of two "pumps" off the toilets, which caused the problem. Anyone know anything about this?
 
We had that issue temporarily on the SWC last month. The upper level toilet stopped working then we had to ring the attendant to "reset" the toilets in the lower level. Then, all the suddem, they began working again without the need to be reset.
 
We had the exact issues on both the CZ as well as the SC on return. We had the same explanation of the problem, incompetent replacement of the systems that made them work causing problems in high altitude. My comment at the time was you would think that someone would have the sense to fix them.. they gave us a 1,000 dollar voucher for our trip due to the problem. You would think it wouldn't take too many refunds to pay for the cost of the proper equipment.. Its just yet another example of how the powers that be are totally disconnected from reality.. Raise the fares and dam the public..
 
Larry H. said:
We had the exact issues on both the CZ as well as the SC on return. We had the same explanation of the problem, incompetent replacement of the systems that made them work causing problems in high altitude. My comment at the time was you would think that someone would have the sense to fix them.. they gave us a 1,000 dollar voucher for our trip due to the problem. You would think it wouldn't take too many refunds to pay for the cost of the proper equipment.. Its just yet another example of how the powers that be are totally disconnected from reality.. Raise the fares and dam the public..
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WOW...1,000 Dollar Voucher! That seems really generous. You're right though. Just fix em. Can't belive they want to keep giving out that kind of scratch so often.
 
Mike S. said:
Larry H. said:
We had the exact issues on both the CZ as well as the SC on return. We had the same explanation of the problem, incompetent replacement of the systems that made them work causing problems in high altitude. My comment at the time was you would think that someone would have the sense to fix them.. they gave us a 1,000 dollar voucher for our trip due to the problem. You would think it wouldn't take too many refunds to pay for the cost of the proper equipment.. Its just yet another example of how the powers that be are totally disconnected from reality.. Raise the fares and dam the public..
Click to expand...

WOW...1,000 Dollar Voucher! That seems really generous. You're right though. Just fix em. Can't belive they want to keep giving out that kind of scratch so often.
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How much complaining did you do???? :eek:
 
$1,000 for lack of a toilet seems like overkill. They should have stopped at an outhouse somewhere.
 
Maybe it was something like this...

outhouse.jpg
 
Yes I was rather surprised also! My mom who called Amtrak just told them that she had purchased the bedroom in order to have a functioning private toilet and that in both directions they wouldn't flush properly. They offered the voucher which we will be using hopefully this fall.. That on top of the 30,000 points she has and the 25,000 I have should go quite a ways to paying for the trip.

My point still is however not what we got as a voucher, but rather why don't they fix it knowing everytime they head for the mountains they are having this problem! There seems to be plenty of money for tearing up lounges and turning them into cars no one likes.. How about decent working toilets instead. To be fair I realize much of this is political, but it shouldn't be.
 
Larry H. said:
We had the exact issues on both the CZ as well as the SC on return. We had the same explanation of the problem, incompetent replacement of the systems that made them work causing problems in high altitude. My comment at the time was you would think that someone would have the sense to fix them.. they gave us a 1,000 dollar voucher for our trip due to the problem. You would think it wouldn't take too many refunds to pay for the cost of the proper equipment.. Its just yet another example of how the powers that be are totally disconnected from reality.. Raise the fares and dam the public..
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Consider yourself very lucky you were offered that much toward a future trip. I got back from a trip from NY to AZ and back just last week and complained about a lot more serious problems involving the SWC than just the toilet flushiing problems which I too experienced. I got offered half as much as you did to be used within one year and thought that was quite generous. However, I don't know if I'll get to use it. Not all of us can afford the time or money for a second trip within a year.

Over 10 years ago I had problems of a different nature involving the SWC and was offered several hundred in a voucher to be used within 3 year. I never got to take advantage of it and I have to think that many of those vouchers offered are never used and the amounts offered are affected by how many given are actually used.
 
We had the same problem last year on the SWC westbound. Our eastbound trip was ok.

In our car the toilets just stopped flushing completely. They said it was due to the altitude and they would start working again but they didn't. The next car worked intermittently. The attendant would reset something every 20 minutes and they would flush once. He would announce a 20 minute drill over the PA.

I went to the other car to use the facility and forgot where I was and tried to get into a roomette in the wrong car.

Very dangerous situation, fortunately I just got hollered at.

We were told to write to Amtrak in Washington and describe the problem and give the car number for a possible refund. I never applied but if I knew they were giving our $1,000 vouchers I would have.
 
When I encounter a piece of equipment that's not functioning properly, I'll almost always call it in to Amtrak after the trip (in addition to notifying the car attendant) with the car number as well. From what I've heard, the key is getting the problems documented. Once they're in the system, I've been reassured by Amtrak personnel up and down the ladder that the issues are investigated pretty promptly and the cars are pulled out for service ASAP if necessary.

I had the opportunity to witness this process in person two months ago, in fact. I came into DC on the Capitol Limited and found that my room's electric outlet wasn't working and the table was broken. I alerted the room attendant and intended to call reservations to report it, but as fate had it, the next day I had a photo appt with Amtrak Mechanical in DC's Ivy Yard for a news story we were working on. The yard foreman ended up being my escort and as we passed the consist I rode in on the day before (as it was being cleaned), I happened to mention to him the problems I had in my room. He double checked the "to-do" list for that car, and saw that the tray table was listed by my room attendant, but not the electric outlet. Five minutes later he had electricians up in that room re-wiring. I was impressed, needless to say. When I asked him "are you guys responding to this just because I happened to mention it to you in person," he responded that as long as it's called in and put into the computer, they address every issue ASAP.

So again, I pretty much call in everything just to help Amtrak keep tabs on that stuff and to help others have the best trip possible. Then again, I'm also the guy who spots mis-directed bags on the baggage belt at the airport and runs them to the baggage counter so they can be rerouted ASAP. Drives my wife nuts. ;)

Rafi
 
Rafi,

I wish it were so, but for probably years before I took that trip I have read of this "bathroom" issue on the superliner cars. If we know about it and every attendant is having to flush and reflush the toilets it would seem that someone up the line is well aware of a system wide problem at higher altitudes. In fact the attendants in both directions were throughly sick of the situation and had reported it many times. I mentioned it to the Manager of Customer Service on the CS in person when he talked with us and said it had been and ongoing situation for some time. So obviously there is a lack of will to fix the situation. If they knew when they cut the vacuum pumps from two to one, as at least was explained to my by one attendant, then they have known they don't work since the inception of the situation. It is totally beyond belief that such a basic thing as the toilets working properly could go un repaired for years on end while charging thousands of dollars for a trip.. Any hotel that constantly sold rooms with toilets that didn't work or worked only on someone else's cue, would be out of business. But amtrak is a the only game in town, evidently run by people who haven't a clue! Our round trip tickets for two were in the 5,500 range so one would expect decent service, but then you kind of know what your getting into when you choose amtrak. Unfortunately the string of things that don't match the prices is getting longer and longer.
 
Larry H. said:
Rafi,
I wish it were so, but for probably years before I took that trip I have read of this "bathroom" issue on the superliner cars. If we know about it and every attendant is having to flush and reflush the toilets it would seem that someone up the line is well aware of a system wide problem at higher altitudes. In fact the attendants in both directions were throughly sick of the situation and had reported it many times. I mentioned it to the Manager of Customer Service on the CS in person when he talked with us and said it had been and ongoing situation for some time. So obviously there is a lack of will to fix the situation. If they knew when they cut the vacuum pumps from two to one, as at least was explained to my by one attendant, then they have known they don't work since the inception of the situation. It is totally beyond belief that such a basic thing as the toilets working properly could go un repaired for years on end while charging thousands of dollars for a trip.. Any hotel that constantly sold rooms with toilets that didn't work or worked only on someone else's cue, would be out of business. But amtrak is a the only game in town, evidently run by people who haven't a clue! Our round trip tickets for two were in the 5,500 range so one would expect decent service, but then you kind of know what your getting into when you choose amtrak. Unfortunately the string of things that don't match the prices is getting longer and longer.
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Larry, point well taken, and in truth, my post was aimed at more "minor" issues than the vacuum issue at higher altitudes. FWIW, I've had mixed experiences with the "bathroom problem." I've taken the CZ three times in the past month or so: once from EMY to DEN via Donner Pass and the Wyoming Detour, once from DEN to GJT via the normal canyon route, and once from PRO to EMY again via Donner Pass. In those three cases, I was in a recently refurbished car (wood paneling) and had absolutely no issue in my deluxe bedroom. Contrast that with my previous trip on the Zephyr in 2006 from Provo to Chicago where the bathroom was out of service the entire trip and the sink constantly moaned through the mountains. That car hadn't seen a refurbishment since about 1985, our attendant guesstimated.

Rafi
 
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