Keeping the toilets clean on longer trips

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I've taken a few longer day trips recently, and it seems that I've encountered rank smells emanating from the bathrooms a bit more frequently than I remember in the past. I travel quite a bit along the NEC, and I rarely seem to encounter this problem, but last summer, my family and I took the Vermonter from Essex Junction to Baltimore, and by Hartford, it was getting pretty aromatic. This was a Sunday, and the train was pretty full, in fact I think they oversold tickets, as there was standing room only at Hartford. I've taken the Vermonter many times before, and I've never encountered this. I'm wondering whether it might be possible on a 12-hour run like this to have a cleaning crew come in and swab the heads down/clear out the trash bins halfway through the run. (I'm thinking a logical place might be New Haven, where the train has a long stop due to the locomotive switch.)

I also recently took the Carolinian from Baltimore to Raleigh, and while I opted for Business class and had no problem, a couple of the crowded coaches I walked through were also pretty aromatic. I also noticed this once while passing through a coach on the Empire builder.

I'm amazed at how well-patronized these non NEC trains are, which I suppose shows there's a market for train travel, but if word gets out that Amtrak trains stink like some third-world rail experience, ridership could fall off.
 
I have also encountered this on long haul trains. Once or twice on NEC trains. But I believe it is the Coach attendants job to keep the coaches clean on the long haul trains. On the shorter distance trains. Such as the Carolinian, Penny, Vermonter, and Maple Leaf they sometimes let it go, or have coach cleaners come in every once and a while.
 
On Regional trains is there an on board crew member who is responsible for this task? I do not recall seeing any coach attendants in my travels. The only on board crew member (non-operating) I've seen is the cafe car attendant.
 
There is no coach car attendant on NEC regional trains. I am not sure who is responsible for keeping the bathroom clean on these runs between BOS - WAS (or Newport news).
 
On the Empire Builder, the coach attendant told us to do it ourselves if we wanted a clean bathroom. She placed a cup o n the sink to flush water down the toilet, and eveyone did. We got complimented when the bathroom were inspected by her and she tiedied them up midway. She advised us that if they were a messed up and in shoty order, she would lock them and we could go outside on a smoke break! There was not a water spot on anything, anywhere to be seen. I was expecting a bowl brush and Lysol when I finally had to go downstairs and go. The dude in front of me was takin out the trash and mowin the lawn, a lady from Toledo was hangin curtains and makin brownies. Another dude, instead of smoking regular smokes, was smokin weed during smoke stops. He slept most of the trip and ate plenty. That train is wild, boyz and girlz! I have already signed up for weekly trips! It needs Karaoki tho! A rock band and free beer!
 
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Zepherdude, your post was the funniest thing I have read in ages, please tell us it isn't true!

This issue has been one of my biggest disappointments with Amtrak. It wouldn't be the best part of OBS's job, but they should be required to do it. It constitutes a health hazard for pax. I have found the restroom literally knee-deep in used paper towel and smelling bad on the Adirondack. Judging by the queue at Albany restrooms, lots of pax waited until the stop there. Just shouldn't happen. I have flown Qantas across the Pacific quite a few times and the cabin crew keep the restrooms in excellent condition.

Jean
 
This seems to be an on-going problem with Amtrak. I don't understand why it can't get resolved.

When I use the restroom, I clean the sink after I have used it. I find that when I do that, often other passengers do the same and we end up with it remaining fairly clean. But that doesn't solve the overall problem.
 
Here is what you do... Make your own home-made "OUT OF ORDER" sign and toss it up on the bathroom door of your choice when getting on in Chicago. No one will use it the whole trip and only you know it's working just fine. You have your own private clean bathroom the whole trip!!! Hahaha... Just joking of course!!! :giggle:
 
zepherdude said:
On the Empire Builder, the coach attendant told us to do it ourselves if we wanted a clean bathroom. She placed a cup o n the sink to flush water down the toilet, and eveyone did. We got complimented when the bathroom were inspected by her and she tiedied them up midway. She advised us that if they were a messed up and in shoty order, she would lock them and we could go outside on a smoke break! There was not a water spot on anything, anywhere to be seen. I was expecting a bowl brush and Lysol when I finally had to go downstairs and go. The dude in front of me was takin out the trash and mowin the lawn, a lady from Toledo was hangin curtains and makin brownies. Another dude, instead of smoking regular smokes, was smokin weed during smoke stops. He slept most of the trip and ate plenty. That train is wild, boyz and girlz! I have already signed up for weekly trips! It needs Karaoki tho! A rock band and free beer!
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The part about the cup was for very true. Part or our introduction to potty sanitation was "in a vacuum toilet, not everything always flushes and sometimes needs a helping hand, use the water to help things along and the toilets will stay clean and neat." And yes, she said she would lock them if we did not care for them. The part about the dude smokin weed was true too! It was when the meeting of the two trains happened in Spokane and I was drifting in and out of sleep and I smelled this "odor". Mamma did'nt raise no dummie so I went out to see who or what.....sure nuff, he was passing tokes around to a select group of stoners!

There and every smoke stop he got high or whatever! Not that there is anything wrong with that! Whatever trips your trigger!
 
I think one of the real problems with the bathrooms is the smell, not just the mess of paper towels, etc. The Vermonter stops at NYP for a decent period of time, and I don't see why they couldn't clean the bathrooms then. New Haven or Springfield might be another opportunity, but I'm not sure if Amtrak has the personnel on hand or if there would be enough time for a good job. But as for the smell, at a certain point, don't they just need to pump the toilets? And is that really feasible mid-route?

I hope that any new equipment Amtrak orders comes equipped with better designed and functioning bathrooms.
 
Everydaymatters said:
This seems to be an on-going problem with Amtrak. I don't understand why it can't get resolved.
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Which is why I think that having my own toilet and sink in my sleeper room, is so very very important. It will always be as clean as I keep it (which is pretty clean). Communal or public toilets are always an absolute mess on LD trains, especially when they are running late (longer time between scheduled cleanings).
 
zepherdude said:
She advised us that if they were a messed up and in shoty order, she would lock them and we could go outside on a smoke break!
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If she thought that I would be too modest or embarrassed to actually do that, would she be in for a total surprise. :hi:
 
Guest said:
Everydaymatters said:
This seems to be an on-going problem with Amtrak. I don't understand why it can't get resolved.
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Which is why I think that having my own toilet and sink in my sleeper room, is so very very important. It will always be as clean as I keep it (which is pretty clean). Communal or public toilets are always an absolute mess on LD trains, especially when they are running late (longer time between scheduled cleanings).
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I ride the western LDs in roomettes quite a lot and have very seldom encountered a restroom in the sleepers that is an "absolute mess." So "always" is more than a bit of hyperbole. It is part of the SCAs job responsibilty to police up the restrooms. Of course the ratio of passenger to restroom is a LOT lower in the sleepers, so they get don't get as much use, too.

They don't have scheduled restroom cleanings enroute to my knowledge. Certainly a station crew member doesn't come on board and clean them at service stops. To repeat, it is the SCAs responsiblity to keep things clean enroute.
 
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zephyr17 said:
I ride the western LDs in roomettes quite a lot and have very seldom encountered a restroom in the sleepers that is an "absolute mess." So "always" is more than a bit of hyperbole. It is part of the SCAs job responsibilty to police up the restrooms. Of course the ratio of passenger to restroom is a LOT lower in the sleepers, so they get don't get as much use, too.
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Well, you might not have ever come across a restroom in a LD coach that was an "absolute mess", but I think that claim of yours is more fantasy than fact.
 
Guest said:
zephyr17 said:
I ride the western LDs in roomettes quite a lot and have very seldom encountered a restroom in the sleepers that is an "absolute mess." So "always" is more than a bit of hyperbole. It is part of the SCAs job responsibilty to police up the restrooms. Of course the ratio of passenger to restroom is a LOT lower in the sleepers, so they get don't get as much use, too.
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Well, you might not have ever come across a restroom in a LD coach that was an "absolute mess", but I think that claim of yours is more fantasy than fact.
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I was not speaking about coach, and noted that coach is different. I was speaking specifically about the common restrooms in the sleepers, primarily used by roomette passengers, since the post was about the need for your own toilet which is only available in bedrooms, at least on Superliners. Over tens of thousands of miles in Superliner sleepers, I have very seldom encountered a severely dirty sleeper restroom.
 
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Hi,

I am sorry to say that the weakest link in most Amtrak business is often the human being employed to serve the customers.

Cleaning, heating food, (I won't describe it as cooking..) selling tickets, giving correct information, whatever...

I know there are a lot of competent workers, and there are some outstanding ones, but the simple task of cleaning a toilet, no matter how unpleasant, should be done as soon as required.. if it is part of the job description..

Eddie :cool:
 
One of the determining factors in how well the SCA is tipped is how they policed the restrooms. Most do a decent job--it doesnt take that long to check the trash container and empty if necessary, wipe off the counter and see that the toilet is not soiled too bad. :rolleyes:

We always wipe down the counter when we are finished and make sure the toilet seat and surrounding area is wiped clean. I agree that it seems to stimulate a similar behavior among other passengers :lol:

And part of the reason we always go sleeper class is those restrooms in coach are generally pretty wild by half way through a trip. :(
 
I do agree, I have been on the LSL many times and trash is knee deep in some cars. It is a passenger feeling that they should not have to clean up after A. Themselves, B. Other Passengers. It stems from the first passenger that dropped a tissue on the floor or left a mess in the bowl. There is more water flushed in the bowl on the standard cars than the LD vacuum systems, which helps a lot. OBS Crews are not housekeepers, but whats wrong with with a broom and a dust pan with a handle (so they do not have to bend over) LD crews sweep in the cars and police. Amtrak needs to provide gloves, some spray stuff for cleaning and the instructions how to do it (as airlines do for FAs). Then the Union would have get involved and the whole matter would have to go to arbitration and finally become a non-issue. So, where does one go from there?? It is this hard to get things done.
 
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It doesn't take a minute to spray some cleaner in the bowl, swirl it with a toilet mop and flush. Major problem solved. I've done it several times on board if the supplies are handy and the toilet is getting marginal.
 
In sleeping cars, the bathrooms are usually ok. To be fair to a coach attendant, there are 70 plus passengers on each coach on a superliner coach with 4 or 5 bathrooms, and 60 plus on Amfleet 2 coaches with 2 restrooms. I believe now that on LD trains, Amtrak has coach attendants working more than one car. So what would seem relatively easy is now a bit more difficult.

I think it was inappropriate for the attendant to threaten to close the toilets. It was appropriate to ask the passengers to not leave a mess on the floor. There is a place for paper towels, so this is kind of unnecessary. Also, the advice about using water to augment the vacuum system was appropriate. Most people would not know this, but they would appreciate the benefits of everybody doing this.

Additionally, the vacuum toilets do not work that well. On superliners they fail at high altitudes. And they fail in cold temperatures on the Amfleet IIs and on Horizons. I am assuming that all Amtrak equipment has similar toilet systems. Honestly, the toilets and bathrooms are a weak link in amtrak service. They were just not designed well. If there was a working system that alleviated this problem, Amtrak should adopt it in future equipment orders.

One thing that would eliminated the need for paper towels is a decent air dryer, like the ones that you insert your hands into at Union station in Chicago. Those do the job. Or the Xclerator ones that blow strong air out and really dry your hands. Over time, these would cut cost because there is no need to restock the paper towels. I don't know about their maintenance issues.
 
Every time I read a thread about train restrooms, it is always stated that it's the attendant's job. Is it? I mean, is this really in their job description? I have seen only two times where an attendant has even so much as entered the bathroom. Once was when the toilet was overflowing. That was about 20 years ago. The 2nd time was last weekend. Makes me wonder.
 
amtrakwolverine said:
On the paper towel issue the horizon cars have blow dryers but not the Dyson kind.
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You are correct on that, but those dryers do not really get your hands dry. But it was a step in the right direction. The controls for the faucet in the horizon cars are idiotic. You have to push up on the bottom of the faucet to get water to come out, and then it sprays all over.
 
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