Vintage railway film - Spick and Span - 1962

[Music] so [Music] two and a half million passengers every day all over the country leaving their newspapers empty cups cigarette ends chocolate papers litter dirt in thousands of trains and somehow it's all got to be cleaned up again a long distance train may be in the platform just long enough between journeys for the cleaners to do a quick clean through sort of a lick and a promise before the train pulls out again this is known in most regions as an e-clean but the main cleaning is done at whichever depot keeps the coaches between journeys there are some modern depots built to handle only cleaning and maintenance work but most cleaning is still done in general yards and fitted in with shunting and other work every train of coaches is identified by a set number these set numbers are listed so that the cleaning inspector can check the types of cleaning each set has been given day by day and note what is due for the following day from this book he makes out the daily work list for the foreman to keep pace with the trains going in and out at all hours the cleaning gangs work in three shifts six in the morning until two in the afternoon two until ten in the evening and ten until six in the morning again each gang works for different ships in turn at the start of a shift the foreman gives the work scheduled to a charge hand from each gang the cleaning work is divided alphabetically into five categories the first job for this gang is a c clean which is the basic daily clean given to every set of coaches all other categories of cleaning are additions or subtractions on this basic c clean from an e clean down quickly in the station up to the heavy a clean done three times a year before starting work the charge n flags the train to show there are people aboard and to prevent possible champion [Music] accidents each cleaner deals with one section of the whole cleaning operation on a c clean these sections are basically sweeping dusting polishing and washing the floors [Music] the first cleaner opens the windows empties the ashtrays onto the floor and collects any cups and bottles lying around these are stacked in bins between the roads from where they are sorted and returned to the canteens or bottle makers then she brushes the upholstery thoroughly and with a second brush sweeps the floor [Music] so at one depot three ten-ton trucks of litter are collected every week [Music] when the carriage is swept the next cleaner comes in to dust and polish taking off the grime with a damp chamois and polishing up with a dry duster [Music] this sometimes in winter cleaning the corners get missed out or done too quickly which means trouble later for if the glass is not cleaned properly right up to the window frame a dirty stain soon develops spawning the appearance of the whole window and by the time it is a definite mark it really is difficult to clean off again laboratories are cleaned re-equipped and disinfected if necessary anytime a cleaner finds something is broken or missing she reports it to the foreman who has it seen to the litter from all the carriages is collected into a sack at the end of the corridor and disposed of later [Music] a good charge hand can help a gang to get themselves organized as a team as a team they can work more quickly and efficiently with a rhythm to their cleaning avoiding for example too much squeezing past each other in the corridors which slows down work as well as doing her own work the charge hand makes sure that none of the others fall behind with theirs if for some reason one of the gang does get delayed the charge hand will help her catch up with a good gang there's plenty of good humor give and take and carriage cleaning is a job where there's an opportunity for companionship the sea clean includes work on the outside of the coaches which is done by men they wash the windows either with water or with industrial detergent known as x-mover one man lays in the windows the others follow washing off the windows with water and then water washing the sides of the coaches it is essential that they wash down the coach thoroughly a drip of x mover that dries on gives a poor finish and is harder to get off next time handles two need to be cleaned off properly particularly the backs dirt there may not be obvious but it will be on a passenger's hands or light-colored gloves if the lavatory tanks are to be filled from the ground the hose is screwed into the water supply on the road where the pressure is enough to force it up to the tank in the coach roof so much for the sea clean for the be clean portable vacuum cleaners are used for cleaning upholstery carpets and curtains at least once a fortnight [Music] nowadays there are some depos doing this work with a system of underground vacuum pipes the cleaner plugs our hose into one of the suction heads fitted in intervals along the cleaning road a central vacuum powerhouse collects the dust from all the roads fire these underground pipes with the addition of vacuum cleaning work inside a coach on a bee clean is similar to the work done during a sea clean sweeping brushing dusting washing the difference lies in the work done on the outside of the coaches during a bee clean not only the windows but the hole outside of the coaches washed with x-mover water alone cannot remove the layers of dirt and grease which each journey lays upon a coach ex-mover detergent will remove this dirt but it needs careful use put it on rub it in to loosen the dirt then wash it off with clean water clean water which must be changed frequently so that it is clean otherwise it soon becomes just a weak solution of x mover no use at all and the drops of x mover that this will leave on the coaches will dry in whitish streets spoiling the appearance of a coach and eventually making the paintwork crack and peel the new method of washing stock externally is by a machine washer which is started by the train itself passing through the beam of an electric eye nozzles on the rollers spray either solution or water and the felt flails brush the sides of the coach on the way into the washer x-mover solution is sprayed onto the sides on the return trip water washes them clean again of course all the windows must be shut or the carriages will be flooded out but most stock is still hand cleaned and will continue to be for some time to come back to the be clean checking the water level in lavatory tanks is also part of it and refilling is done either from the ground or from the overhead supply [Music] on coaches that have white roof ends these also are scrubbed with ex mover during a bee clean an a clean takes place at least three times a year all ceilings interior paintwork and any plastic surfaces are washed with carbo cleanser [Music] with dust sheets over the seats to prevent damage to upholstery [Music] uh [Music] do [Music] woodwork and varnished or polished surfaces are cleaned and re-polished upholstery and most carpets are cleaned by hand in the carriages but rotary brushes are used for the carpets at some depots the carpets are brushed to remove surface dust clean with a rotary brush and then dried out before they are folded away ready for use put you on first aid boxes from the guards fans are checked regularly as part of the ancillary services work carried out by a special gang who also clean plastic corridor curtaining change anti-macasas towel master rules and services sleeping cars work study is being used to help modernize cleaning work no study is begun without the consent of the cleaners themselves but more and more depots are acting on work study suggestions as they're part of the wider railway modernization program like working conditions the mess rooms vary some are still old-fashioned though they have often got a very friendly atmosphere modern mess rooms are on the way in but money is tight and it has to be stretched over a lot of different aspects of modernization cleanliness is one of the things most commented on by the passengers especially if anything is wrong efficient carriage cleaning is important in the running of a modern more successful railway so [Music] you

Channel: Bennett Brook Railway

Views: 61,693

Rating: 4.9460673 out of 5

Keywords: trains, steam power, diesel power, diesel, train station, steam train usa, train, steam train, diesel train, rail, thomas the train, thomas the tank engine, railway, railway line, steam loco, steam locomotive, diesel loco, diesel locomotive, narrow gauge, passenger train, freight train, whiteman park, swan valley, perth, western australia, australia, bennett brook railway, british transport films, transportfilms, transperth, transperth trains, perth trains, vintage railway films

Id: DF8ETt70CCQ

Length: 18min 45sec (1125 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 25 2021