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CN closes intermodal terminals in Wisconsin

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Hi Muddy Bird, I'll take a piece of that action, but here's a little different spin. I'm actually a bean counter for one of the biggest intermodal companies (and by the way, I take no offense at all to the moniker. That's what I call myself.) That's how I got close to this particular issue. Here's how I think about it. Whilst counting the beans, I serve up lots of data to the operating people. Its incumbent on them to "use the data for good, not evil" (to borrow an old phrase.) There are times where I point out problems that they hadn't seen before. There are other times that they tell me "I'm full of beans" and that I need to look at some other factors in my analysis. The problem as I see it at CN is the operating management maybe can't think for themself and can't challenge the bean counters on the data that they bring forward. In this particular instance, what is the real cost of running 1 more light, quick train on a piece of RR that is not over capacity? It actually helps absorb existing fixed costs and has pretty much only direct variable costs (ie. engine crew, fuel, locomotive ownership/ maint, & car hire. They were moving mostly private trailers (painted in a glorious shade of orange) and so there was no equipment per diem costs to them on the stuff that they were hauling. Obviously a bean counter at their predecessor (WC) had it figured out and they made money doing it, but the folks at CN couldn't figure it out. Maybe it was the "new-math" that tangled them up, or maybe it was something in the US to CN currency conversion. Oh well, wither another good train.
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