Small fire breaks out on Zephyr Sleeper

So I found out why CZ 5(28) was so late out of Nebraska.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says a bag of linen against a hot heater grate in a Sleeper ignited early Sunday as the CZ was approaching Hastings about 2:20 a.m. A fire extinguisher was used to put out the bag. Hastings FD made sure the fire was out.

No injuries. Sleeper set out. PAX "seated elsewhere."

I wonder if it was the used towel bag they prop up in the shower?

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19852888

http://www.hastingstribune.com/january/ ... akfire.php

Happy New Year. I hope this isn't a portent of 2011's bad luck.

"seated elsewhere" at what fare rebate to the customers? or in another sleeper? If I were to pay $400 or so per night for a sleeper, I damn well wouldn't be too happy to be 'reseated' in coach for the duration.

When I was OBS and worked the sleeper, we would receive a huge amount of linen. I was OCD and I liked everything in it's rightful place with all rooms ready for occupancy at a moments notice, so I would bring all of the linen upstairs and put it away in the linen locker, my room or the mechanical lockers.

Many sleeper attendants don't like bringing the linen upstairs, so they would just lock off one of the bathrooms and put all of their linen in there (or in the H room if it was empty). The heating grills are a real issue. The linen bags in the bathrooms or the H room would always hit rub up against these, which got very hot in the winter. This risk was always discussed during our safety briefings, but it was mostly ignored. I wish I was still at Amtrak so see the crap-storm management is probably laying down on OBS now.

bardk has it. I was on the returning 6(28) that had the pleasure of coupling up to that sleeper at Hastings at 3am. Scuttlebut had it that the linen caught fire by being too close to the heater in a bathroom. Imagine what that's cost Amtrak:

Delay to #5
Delay to my #6 (1.5 hours)
Foregone revenue of one sleeper for how many months
Car repairs

You have to figure that's $100k+ in repairs and delays. How the heck is this an overlooked issue in safety briefings?

One wonders if responsible party has been let go.