Burlington Rock Island Freights?

[blabride]

Hello,

I have been trying in vain to find info on the freight operations of the joint Burlington-Rock Island that ran from Dallas to Houston. I have found out about the routes and trackage right usage but the question I can't seem to find an answer to is did they pool power in the fifties or did they run their own freights?

I know the passenger operations where run with there own power and cars but did they run seperate freights? There could not have been a lot of traffic over this line due to the intense competition between the SP, MKT and Santa Fe.

Anyone have any more info.

Thanks

SB

[adkdivfan]

There was a Trains article (1980's I think) that covered different types of joint-track operation, & the B-RI was one of the examples used. If I remember correctly, B-RI dispatched & crewed freights independently of the owner roads, but the crews received paychecks from both CB&Q and CRI&P. I don't recall if engine power was discussed.

[rrboomer]

I made a couple of student trips down there in May, 1970.  The Rock Island road freight crews ran from Peach St Yard in Ft Worth to division point of Teague, TX.  The RI had aprox 25% of the road freight trains and FWD had 75%.  I was told they ran a combined pool on a first in, first out basis and manned the trains as they showed up regardless of which road's they were. 

At Dallas the RI had aprox 75% of yard jobs and FWD had the rest.  This applied to train and enginemen.  IIRC there were (1970) 10 jobs. Only one had an all RI crew and one an all FWD crew.  The rest were mixed. The job I was on  (aprox 0930) had a RI engineer and all FWD train crew and we had RI (GP7-SW1200) power.  If there was an odd number of jobs due to the percentages each road manned it per the percent allowed by the agreement.  I may be off on the percentages, it could be 80%/20%, or something else, but the 25/75 sticks in my mind.

I believe each road had control of the entire operation for alternating five year periods.

Was thinking of transferring to Ft Worth.  When I made student trip in Dallas it was sunny, hot (96 degrees)and humid.  The FWD train crew showed up wearing coats with the complaint it was cold, wanted the cab windows shut too. 

Added 2/9/11:

 I should have said the home terminal for the Rock Island crews was Peach St Yard, they may have actually got on the freight train at another location in the DFW area and then operated to Teague..

 

  

[blabride]

Thanks,

This information is very useful. I do think this was one of the more unique railroad operations out there. Imagine the paperwork nightmare for payroll.

SB