When a customer has a box car that has been unloaded and another customer nearby needs such an empty, is it the norm to route that car to the new customer or must a different empty be sent to them. For example, a warehouse along the route has unloaded a car and a manufacturer needs such an empty. Can that car be spotted for the customer?
It depends.
1. The car is in dedicated service with a return to agent in some city so no
2. The railroad pays demurage ($$$) to the owner so no unless one can't be had elsewhere.
3. The car is owned by the railroad on which it is operating so yes
trnj When a customer has a box car that has been unloaded and another customer nearby needs such an empty, is it the norm to route that car to the new customer or must a different empty be sent to them. For example, a warehouse along the route has unloaded a car and a manufacturer needs such an empty. Can that car be spotted for the customer?
Ok..Let's say we have a Santa Fe empty boxcar at industry A and industry B needs a empty. Ok..The freight agent sees the load is going to Dogpatch Industries Phoenix, Az on the Santa Fe..He can load that car since its returning to home rails.
However,
Industry B needs a empty and the agent sees the load is going to Tampa Fla. He wouldn't use the Santa Fe empty because the load is not bound for home rails. Ah,there is no empties heading toward Tampa so,he will use one of his home road empties.
But..
A lot of freight agents was loyal company men and they would load their home car first and send that Santa Fe box back home empty.
As a side note that is one of the things that help bring PC down.. NYC agents wouldn't route a load over the PRR even if that route was shorter and P company agents refused to route cars over the NYC. I guess they was to proud to realize their beloved railroad was one under PC. A lot of old head P company conductors wanted a PRR cabin car not a NYC caboose. As for me I like NYC's side bay caboose because they rode better then PRR's cabin cars.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
I believe the order of preference is:
1. Home road empty
2. Foreign road empty heading toward home rails
3. Foreign road empty not heading toward home rails
Now, if you are asking if a local could head out to do it's switching and along the way pick up an empty from one business and spot it at another business on that same run, I'm guessing No as I think they would take it back to the nearest yard to verify it's cleaned out and otherwise ready. Not sure though. Need one of our experts to chime in.
Larry? (Brakie)
Mike
Water Level RouteNow, if you are asking if a local could head out to do it's switching and along the way pick up an empty from one business and spot it at another business on that same run, I'm guessing No as I think they would take it back to the nearest yard to verify it's cleaned out and otherwise ready. Not sure though. Need one of our experts to chime in.
Mike, A conductor could write a empty car waybill but,the ones I worked with would only do so after talking to the freight agent for that area..He was mostly covering his self to ensure the load was heading the right direction.
Now,if he had a empty home road car then he would use that since there was no rules involved regardless where the load was headed. A safe bet.
OTOH I've seen conductors that would not write that waybill and would make the customer wait on his empty until the next day even though he had several home road empties in our train.. I never understood that and as far as I know nothing was ever said about such actions.