Yet More CSX 'Buffoonery'!

[Anonymous]

Hello Again LordGear...you're response was welcomed. We have too much in common. The one rule change that we have that I really hate the most is not being able to get on and off moving equippment! I believe that this rule has single-handedly slowed down more job's than anything else, and made the work more difficult. Sometimes I just have to get off on the 'fly' just for fun when no one's around. As you probably know, the U.P. crew's stuck together and successfully fought this rediculous rule. Where I work, we use 'Utilities' to help the 'short-crew's' with their 'move's' etc. But even though they 'attach' themselves to a crew, the 'road-crew's' still can get penalty slip's for going over their maximum amount of said move's etc. I know all to well about the difficulty of getting rest etc, and getting caught-short out of town etc., that's why I gave up the 'road', and went to 'Hostler-Pilot' job's. We shuttle road-power around the Seattle Terminal so the Pool-crew's do'nt 'fornicate the canine' and wind up on 'I.T.' or overtime. Funny how it really does'nt help though. Like you said, there are a million way's that the rule's enable a crew to achieve those end's. The money is'nt as good, but the quit's are great...take care...Hommie

[Anonymous]

What is all the inane, hostile babbling about hoyle. We do the best job we can and with very little supervision. If you don't work for the rr then much of "complaining" you might not understand. Things at the rr have changed drastically in the last ten years, most for the worst.

The professional railroaders for the most part take great pride in what they do and in doing a good job for the customer. The companies however could care less about many customers and treat them that way. Just ask some of the pros here you'll see.

[Anonymous]

phantom72 I know a professional railroader when he was younger and railfaning.I did not thank he would change.HE was crazy over railroads wonted to do nothing but be an engineer for guess who CSX and guess what my favoret to.He was running out of Charlotte NC and saw a woman taking pitchers of the train.He said if that happens again somehow the train would go into emergency.I ask him what about all these TOFC and COFC loads. Guess what he said THE HELL WITH ALL THESE PIGS..Now is that professional or what.Now trucking will allways carry most of the WORLD'S GOODS.I dont like that also but what can you do.I like railroads just as much as the rest do.So lets all do our best to make railroading great.

[Anonymous]

In every profession there are 10% that aren't any good. Just because your friend is like that doesn't mean we're all like that. Just because someone is taking pictures I wouldn't soak the train. As far as trucks always carring most of the world's goods, that's not true. Everyday the railways take back more and more business from trucks with intermodal trains, which move cargo cheaper and faster than trucks. With the way traffic is getting in most urban centres trucks will loose more and more business because they can't meet the commitments on the frieght. Majority of railroaders do their best everyday to do a good job.

[Anonymous]

Please prove trains carry more goods than trucks.I can name a lot of companys that dont ship by rail look around you.I go to the grocery store and dont see tracks running to it.How does it get there you tell me.All the funiture plants in North Carolina took the tracks out years agao and dont use intermodal also.A chansaw company in my hometown gave up on there trucks to use cheaper JB HUNT.The shipping Dept wanted to know why its taking so long JB HUNT said your load is on the rail.They said dont ship our loads that way again or we will go back to indenpendent trucks.I can tell more of this.How does all these intermodal trains recieve these trailers BY TRUCK.How do they get to where they are going BY TRUCK.They are a lot of communitys without rail service how do they survive.You will like this i was driving a concrete truck and saw a big huge truck carring a large transformer swerving left to right everybody was trying to get around it i pulled up to the excourt driver and said that thing needs to be on the rails.The driver look at me did not know what to say.

[Anonymous]

Hello 'according to Hoyle'...your rehetoric regarding the dynamic's of freight movement is erroneous. Do you remember the last time a R.R. in this country was allowed to strike? Never in the last 30 plus yrs. Every time a short wild-cat strike happened, is was droned out by a Presidential Emergency Board. The only reason I'm droneing on myself about this is that in just 3 day's after our last walk-out and every time previous, the largest industry's in this country close, lay off, and threaten to shut down because their volume cannot move. Eg...Kelloge of Battle Creek, G.M., Ford Mtrs., Crysler, on and on 'ad-nausium'. Freight in this country moves on rail. The short and unfortunatly more precise deliveries are largely done with what you alluded to...Truck's that clog up , and destroy our high-way's. When 1 stack-train carries well over 200 truck trailer's, what do you think is the most efficent mode for our commidities in long haul?...Take Care...Hommie

[Anonymous]

Ok Hommie I give up my wife called and said UPS was delevering a special package I got to sign for.Iam going outside to wait for the DASH-9 to pull up and the long string of flat cars.You thank he can turn around without hitting my ford ranger and the house.I got a lot of money tied up in my HO SCALE Trains.

[Anonymous]

hoyle, we at CN move many UPS trailers from one end of the continent to the other. That transformer you talked about most likely was at the end of it's journey, we also move many of those. All the lumber that the furniture co. in your home town uses at one time I can asure was on a flat car. Come on and be serious by the volume alone one train replaces hundreds and hundreds of trucks. Why do you think JB Hunt uses intermodal? Maybe because transit times are shorter and the costs are less, yeah I thuink so.

Get a grip hoyle if trucks move everything more efficently and faster, why do railways still exist and turn a profit? Stumped, probably!

[thirdrail1]

Yeah, and I suppose UPS delivered the coal to the power plant that generates the electricity to run the computer you use to type such drivel. Look out, you'll get these union boys calling you names like they did me.

[Anonymous]

Greg you are right Hommie and Jim are union employes and they are good railroaders also.CN is a good Railroad and BNSF also.Keep up the good work.

[Anonymous]

A good sign is that the rail intermodel business is only growing. More and more railroads are making it their top priorities. BNSF and UP already have it as their most profitable load, both with PRB coal comming up second. Take that trucks!!

[jsanchez]

As long as the class ones stay away from mergers they seem to gain in market share, this was true until the U.P/ SP debacle and the CSX/NS Conrail mergers. Now that things are quiet the railroads are indeed capturing market share again. The person that mentioned trucks being more important is partially right( I hate to admit this) Railroads may haul more in tonnage, I believe it is around 40% rail to 30% trucks( U.S. DOT figures), but the truckers get 7 times the revenue and seem to haul a much larger share of finished goods.(higher value)
I see this as a growth potential for railroads, they really need to get in to the finished goods hauling business more to make the big bucks. Intermodal is only part of the picture, but is growing, a lot of growth is happening in the boxcar and refrigerated reefer business. The frozen food business was the fastest growing sector in the rail indusrty, this is a great example of a nearly dead rail freight business coming back from the dead and 100% of this new traffic has come from the trucking industry. Why is the refrigerated boxcar business coming back because the railroads can offer good competive service again now that they aren't stuck with focusing on merger problems. A boxcar can handle 3-5 truckloads, and requires far less labor to move the tonage. Trucks and intermodal are more labor intensive, the drayage costs between terminals can be almost as expensive as the long haul. Labor costs and driver shotages, have made many of the trucking companies marginal operations profit wise., there is a major shake out of trucking companies going on right now, many are money losers.
Shortline railroads are actually responsible for a large per centage of rail traffic growth and 85% of this is with traditional car load business. Once a shortline takes over a branch or secondary traffic often doubles in a few years, due them actually practicing customer service and being pro-active towards getting new business, yes its called marketing.

[wabash1]

let me see if i get this right. i not sure what you mean. to start with you call me a clown. i have went from conductor to engineer to clown. i myself didnt know i was a trainmaster. i was still getting paid as a engineer. i need to check into this. the 3 ring binder is a book on how to get fired. if you go by the rules you wont get fired. and believe me i have moved many tons of goods by the rules. and make it in my 12 hour aloted time. just remember when they call they have you for 12 hours or more. im not sure what a cohorts is. i myself know how the break system works thats where you take off for about 30 min doing nothing and cant be found. most yard crews do this.now as far as the brake system on trains i know how this works to. its not worth bottling air to lose your job. your arguement would be good if someone was to walk the train in the cold/heat but where is the conductor at after he couples the train back up. on the engine and if he is a new guy he wont walk the train when the air isnt comming up on the rear. after 50 min of pumping on the train i wasnt moving no air on the rear and a high flow on the meter. what should have been a 30 min set off was 2hr 25min couse the conductor didnt want to do his job. the rule books works both ways . as far as rest goes that can be a problem. not all trains can run between 9am and 5pm over all districts. so dont go out screwing off and get your rest at away from home terminal and you be ready for work. ive layed over for 30 hrs and still rested for work. the problem is these kids they hire today think its party time and not rested when the railroads call and cant work they haft to understand that you are on call 24hrs a day unless you have a regular job ( yard local etc). as far as switching goes you dont need to protect your shove as long as you can see the rear. in closing if you dont want to work by thier rules quit.... or do it by thier rules and open your pockets wide and take the money.

[Anonymous]

Bruce - I couldn't agree with you more on the issue that these trucks are tearing up our roads so whenever possible these freights should be transported by the railways. Having lived in the Detroit area all my life I wish we would see less of the trucks around here. They drive like maniacs through these towns trying to beat traffic problems. We're seeing less and less short lines around here but I can't understand why. I know the mafia here from Detroit to New Jersey has strengthened the truckers in past years but who is helping truckers now? Can this change direction around here like I hear in other parts of the country? I suppose if the new Michigan gas taxes go up on disel fuel like they're threatening it will influence more rail frieghting.?.