The Power of a Paint Job

MTS Trolleys and commercial airliners don’t usually fit in the same conversation. But when it comes to paint, they do. “The same paint used on aircraft is used on our Trolleys,” said Andy Goddard, MTS Superintendent of LRV Maintenance. “It’s not cheap, but it lasts a long time.” 

Similar to airlines, the first appearance of a Trolley as it approaches passengers on a platform can make or break an opinion about our service. Research studies suggest that up to 90% of snap judgments made about a product can be based on color alone. So it’s important to be invested in the color of a highly visible asset, such as our Trolleys. 

And our LRV Maintenance Department ensures each Trolley has a premium paint coat to go along with top-notch service. 

“MTS has established a very high standard,” said Andy Goddard, Superintendent of LRV Maintenance. “A typical car has a gloss level in the 5-6 range. We require Trolleys to have gloss level in the 8-10 range.”

To handle the high standards, MTS works with CG Inc., a family-run paint business based in Long Beach. CG Inc. has provided MTS Trolley paint and body repair services for 13 years. 

These 14 employees of CG apply their craft in a large building next to the LRV Maintenance facility and stay very busy. Each Trolley can run up to 400 miles per day so they get huge exposure to the elements. 

Our trains can take a beating. Vandals will etch the sides of trains with ballast rock, or rocks ricochet or will be thrown into the body of the train. Even overgrown bushes in tight spaces will leave scarring on the paint. So we are always on the lookout for needed paint work to maintain a strong look and feel for the MTS image. Central Control will generate work orders based on feedback from employees in the field. LRV mechanics also do nightly inspections.

It can take anywhere between a day for touch-ups, and a month for a complete repaint. MTS’s contract with CG calls for a 10-year warranty on any paint work done on Trolleys. “Nobody in the U.S.A. gives a ten-year warranty,” said Carlos Guzman, CEO of CG Inc. “But I do it because I believe in my workers and my process.”

So what sets CG apart to guarantee paint jobs for 10 years? “I teach my employees while they’re young. I teach them my way,” he said. 

Guzman hires workers in their late teens and early 20s to paint the Trolleys. “I teach them from scratch. I teach each one how to do the work,” said Guzman. “My painters start by sweeping the floors. It’s a two-month process to make them good painters. We take pride in our work.”  

CG’s pride in excellent paint and body work extends from the shop to trains running on all 53 miles of MTS track. Guzman’s hands-on training program and attention to every detail keep our trains looking sharp and leave a polished impression on our customers.