As an Amtrak Conductor I am fully aware of the importance of good passenger
service and Customer service skills to keep my passengers happy. I work the
popular Amtrak "Capitol Corridor" route between Sacramento and San Jose,
including the Silicon Valley. I carry about 650 passengers in one daily
round trip. (large by California standards and a 5 car train).
I spent my teen years riding the Burlington passenger trains with one coach
and E-Unit passenger trains between Kansas City and Omaha, Omaha - Creston,
KC - Chicago, etc. under Mr. Menk. At the same time, I had a chance to ride
the UP/Milw. Streamliners and later the Amtrak "Super Chief" meeting and
working with many Santa Fe employees. Obviously markets were different
between selected city pairs, but the emphasis on keeping and promoting
passenger service was clear.
The Burlington Passenger Dept. rivaled both the UP and Santa Fe at one time,
and suffered under Mr. Menk. A good friend of mine rode the KC Zephyr in the
mid-sixties and relayed an experience to me. The consist was an E unit,
RPO, and ex-Twin Zephyr Vista Dome Coach. The passengers could only occupy
the main levels of the coach, and the checked luggage was stored up in the
dome area, no passengers were allowed in the dome. Clearly anti-passenger.
Much later after the Omaha - Alliance train was stopped in the middle of
God's Country to expell passengers when the ICC "Train Off" became effective
after mid-night" I quickly became especially keen Menk's Burlington
anti-passenger tactics.
Mr. Menk may have been successful at his freight railroad grand plan, but was
short sighted when it came to the potential of effective passenger service.
Today, when I recall memories of the "Burlington", I prefer to remember Mr.
Murphy, and the "Way of the Zephyrs".
Hubert Hanrahan
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