I've been a member of this forum for 11 years and read lots of railroading books and Trains magazines over the last 30 or so years. I've learned a lot about how the industry works, but there's one aspect of the business I still can't quite get my brain wrapped around- choosing who will be on what train tomorrow. Can someone give me a primer on how the system works? If a train needs to leave the terminal at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, how is it decided who will be on the train and what job they will perform, if they both have the same qualifications?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew, the assigned crew will be called if the train is being called within the Assigned Crew's time window. If the call figure is outside of the assigned time window, a pool or extra crew will be called in accordance with prevailing local agreements.
If the train is to be called from the Pool that operates between the Origin and Destination - the head out Pool Turn that is rested will be called. Note - it is possible for the head out turn to not be rested. If there are vacancies on the head out pool turn (engineer conductor or both) those vacancies will be filled from the head out rested individual on whichever craft needs the vacancy filled.
In the simplest cases, crews are placed on the boards at the time the mark off their time cards at the destination terminal of a individual run (home or away). Their rest time begins to run from that time. There are a number of local conditions that are specific to individual locations that can slightly modify how these general principles are applied. In some cases, there may be a local agreement that crews will be ordered at the away from home terminal in the order they were called from the home terminal, without regard to the times they actually registed off.
On my carrier there are two standards for crew notification. 2 hours is the standard notification period - Crew is notified at 1500 they are to report for and go on duty at 1700. On designated InterDivisional runs (ID runs) the notification period is 3 hours. The crew would be notified at 1500 that they are to report for and go on duty at 1800. At the Away from Home terminal the notification is 2 hours for all crews.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Murphy SidingCan someone give me a primer on how the system works?
At times, I'm pretty sure it involves this:
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
zugmann Murphy Siding Can someone give me a primer on how the system works? At times, I'm pretty sure it involves this:
Murphy Siding Can someone give me a primer on how the system works?
Other times
Many years ago, they had a PDQ call. Is this all just history, now?
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
zugmannAt times, I'm pretty sure it involves this:
Only if you were figuring on not getting called out for a while and planned to spend time with the family....
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
tree68Only if you were figuring on not getting called out for a while and planned to spend time with the family....
I met them once. Seemed like nice people.
More likely:
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
I like the term "PDQ" for a call. We used to get some "SAP" calls, which would be the same as "ASAP".I took one very early in my career to work days on top of the hump. I got the call, dropped everything, and went out there the fastest way I knew how to. When I got to the hump, I was darn near sent back home. The trainmaster couldn't believe that I was responding to the call, and had beaten out the guy he was going to send home for not showing up on time. (This TM later became one of my better friends in high places.)Norris, I much preferred the life inside the yard...a regular call time, and usually a regular tie-up time eight hours later (on my job...other jobs would often get a "quit" of an hour or more).
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
My shortest call was 20 minutes. Normal call is 90 minutes at my terminal. Terminals in larger cities get longer calls, 2 to 3 hours, because of longer travel time due to highway traffic.
Normally, short calls are due to unexpected things happening like someone having an accident on their way to work. My 20 minute call was just because they forgot to call the train. Human error. Now they have replaced some of that with computerized calls. The "robot" calls you. (Now if it's a human caller something's up. Like they need to beg you to work a job off your assignment because they are short of people.) When the robot first started, it had a bad habit of just placing the crews on duty without bothering to call them on the phone. It took a while to completely squash that bug.
Jeff
BaltACD If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew, the assigned crew will be called if the train is being called within the Assigned Crew's time window. If the call figure is outside of the assigned time window, a pool or extra crew will be called in accordance with prevailing local agreements. Using my terminal as an example, local and yard jobs are assigned. Those people know when they are going to work, unless notified different. Through trains go to the road pools. Spotting or pulling grain or ethanol trains at intermediate points and dog catching goes to the extra board. They are still called boards because at one time they were big chalk boards. There are also procedures to fill vacancies on assigned jobs and short turns with pool guys when the extra board is used up. If the train is to be called from the Pool that operates between the Origin and Destination - the head out Pool Turn that is rested will be called. Note - it is possible for the head out turn to not be rested. If there are vacancies on the head out pool turn (engineer conductor or both) those vacancies will be filled from the head out rested individual on whichever craft needs the vacancy filled. The extra board for each craft protects any pool vacancy for that craft. If there is no one available on the extra board, they can legally run-around that turn with the next available turn in OK status. At certain times, major holidays, someone might go around 10 or more vacant turns. In the simplest cases, crews are placed on the boards at the time the mark off their time cards at the destination terminal of a individual run (home or away). Their rest time begins to run from that time. There are a number of local conditions that are specific to individual locations that can slightly modify how these general principles are applied. In some cases, there may be a local agreement that crews will be ordered at the away from home terminal in the order they were called from the home terminal, without regard to the times they actually registed off. Our board position depends on our arrival time at the terminal. That's usually when you reach the first switch that allows access to the yard. If you reach the switching limits of the terminal but are otherwise held out (stopped) you can arrive at that point. I arrive at B at 2am but have to yard my train and don't tie up until 4am, my board arrival is 2am but the HOS rest begins at 4am. You arrive at B at 210am behind me but tie up at 230am. You are behind me on the board, but rested (all things being equal, no extra rest required) ahead of me. If we're turning on our rest, you will go out ahead of me. The extra board works the same way upon arrival at home. The only time the tie up time governs is when being released from a yard job vacancy. There is no arrival time for those jobs. Being called in the same turn out of the away terminal as out of the home terminal is what we call being "blueprinted". Arrival time doesn't matter for board purposes in those cases. Our east/west road pools are blueprinted at the AFHT. Our north pool isn't. Some pools, I think the Long Pool might be one, are blueprinted on each end. You never lose your place on the board. On my carrier there are two standards for crew notification. 2 hours is the standard notification period - Crew is notified at 1500 they are to report for and go on duty at 1700. On designated InterDivisional runs (ID runs) the notification period is 3 hours. The crew would be notified at 1500 that they are to report for and go on duty at 1800. At the Away from Home terminal the notification is 2 hours for all crews. Jeff, piggy-backing onto Balt's post in black if it works right.
Using my terminal as an example, local and yard jobs are assigned. Those people know when they are going to work, unless notified different. Through trains go to the road pools. Spotting or pulling grain or ethanol trains at intermediate points and dog catching goes to the extra board. They are still called boards because at one time they were big chalk boards. There are also procedures to fill vacancies on assigned jobs and short turns with pool guys when the extra board is used up.
The extra board for each craft protects any pool vacancy for that craft. If there is no one available on the extra board, they can legally run-around that turn with the next available turn in OK status. At certain times, major holidays, someone might go around 10 or more vacant turns.
Our board position depends on our arrival time at the terminal. That's usually when you reach the first switch that allows access to the yard. If you reach the switching limits of the terminal but are otherwise held out (stopped) you can arrive at that point. I arrive at B at 2am but have to yard my train and don't tie up until 4am, my board arrival is 2am but the HOS rest begins at 4am. You arrive at B at 210am behind me but tie up at 230am. You are behind me on the board, but rested (all things being equal, no extra rest required) ahead of me. If we're turning on our rest, you will go out ahead of me.
The extra board works the same way upon arrival at home. The only time the tie up time governs is when being released from a yard job vacancy. There is no arrival time for those jobs.
Being called in the same turn out of the away terminal as out of the home terminal is what we call being "blueprinted". Arrival time doesn't matter for board purposes in those cases. Our east/west road pools are blueprinted at the AFHT. Our north pool isn't. Some pools, I think the Long Pool might be one, are blueprinted on each end. You never lose your place on the board.
I figured it out--good job, Jeff.
Johnny
Deggesty I figured it out--good job, Jeff.
Agree, with what Johnny said !
That explanation by Jeff H. made prettty good sense; and his overlaying it with BaltACD's explanation was a good example of how the systems of TWO Different organizations seem to have some common ground...
Thanks, Guys!
Easy to see how someone new or unfamiliar with that kind of 'Dispatch' could have their head explode during the explanation...
samfp1943 Easy to see how someone new or unfamiliar with that kind of 'Dispatch' could have their head explode during the explanation...
My head is still spinning.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
BaltACD If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew.....
If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew.....
Trouble is, a lot of it went over my head fairly quickly. ( / ). If it's OK, I'll break my curiosity into smaller segments. Who assigns the crews? What criteria is used to assign particular crews to particular trains? How do you get on (in?) the pool?
Seniority rules. I'll have to let somebody else explain about bidding on jobs, because all I had to do was give Crew Management a 24-hour notice of my intention to "exercise my seniorty". If I placed myself on a job that was occupied by a junior man, he got a "bump" and could place himself on a different job with 3 1/2 hours' notice. And so it goes...generally the people with the least seniority wind up on the extra board, though there were a couple of grueling days in my last year of work that I (Numero Uno in my craft) protected the extra board.
Murphy Siding BaltACD If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew..... I think I'm kid of with Paul of Covington on this one- head still spinning. I understand ....some... of the explanations from BaltACD from Jeff and I do thank you guys for sharing. Trouble is, a lot of it went over my head fairly quickly. ( / ). If it's OK, I'll break my curiosity into smaller segments. Who assigns the crews? What criteria is used to assign particular crews to particular trains? How do you get on (in?) the pool?
BaltACD If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew..... I think I'm kid of with Paul of Covington on this one- head still spinning. I understand ....some... of the explanations from BaltACD from Jeff and I do thank you guys for sharing.
I think I'm kid of with Paul of Covington on this one- head still spinning. I understand ....some... of the explanations from BaltACD from Jeff and I do thank you guys for sharing.
On my territory, one of our high priority intermodal trains has an Assigned Crew. The Company desires that this train is NEVER waiting on the availability of a crew. Needless to say, the positions on this crew are assigned to the bidder with the oldest seniority date (and the 3 sides of this assignment ARE the old heads). The earliest that the crew can be called from their home terminal is 0700, the latest is 1000. If the train is running early, it will either be held for the assigned crews 0700 start or filled with a regular ID crew that runs between the origin and destination of this run. If the train is running later than the 1000 starting time, the assigned crew gets deadheaded to the destination terminal, and the train will be called on it's late figure with and ID crew. From experience, if the crew members don't receive a call from Crew Managemnt by 0700 - they are calling the Chief Dispatcher for information on THEIR train! These crews take pride in the operation of the trains that this assignment protects.
At the away terminal, the Assigned Crew is expected to show up at 0630 for their return train to their home terminal. If they arrived at the away from home terminal and marked off too late to be rested and available for 0630 - alternate arrangements must be made to have a crew available to protect the 0630 on duty time. Depending on just how much after 0630 the Assigned Crew is rested, the call may be held for their rest. If the rest time is a hour or more after 0630, several options may be available. A rested ID crew may get the call for 0630 - if there are enough ID crews in town to protect their regular traffic + the Assigned call. 2nd option is use what is termed as a 'Short Pool' crew that is at the same AFHT and whose HT is intermediate to the Origin & Destination of the Assigned run. The Short Pool crew will get called for 0630, they will operate the train to their destination terminal. At that intermediate terminal there are two potential options. 1. Call the train with a crew out of the Intermediate Terminal to it's destination. 2. Call the Assigned crew, on their rest to DH to the Intermediate Terminal and the take the train the rest of the way to the crew's home terminal.
Contracturally, the Assigned Crew can only operate it's designated Assigned Train Identification.
That should put your head in a 360 degree continuious spin.
On other segments of the property there are Assigned Crews, wherein the crews are only Assigned from their home terminal. Upon arrival the the AFHT they operate as FIFO pool crews.
Another segment of the property has crews operating from their Home Terminal under a Starting Time hours agreement. Crew bids a 0001 start time - from their home terminal they must be called on a train between 0001 and 0600, or they must be deadheaded to the AFHT and then operate as a FIFO pool for their return trip.
There are virtually as many different forms of Assigned Crews in road service as the various Local Chairmen can sell to the Union membership and the Company. It can get wild trying to accomidate all the various agreements.
Assignments work when the trains they protect run On Time (or at least close to OT). When the railroad gets totally screwed up for more than a day or two, Assigned crews are throwing good money out with the bad, as the trains aren't operating within the windows tha the assignments protect.
I knew an engineer who worked for Canadian Pacific out of Kamloops, BC. This is going back over 30 years now, so my information may be a bit outdated. But back then crew assignments were seniority based. The last hired had the fewest options and generally had to take the assignment nobody else wanted. On the other end of the spectrum, an engineer or conductor with the most seniority had first dibs on any runs that came up. Of course, CP had (and still has) a fairly simple network, and all assignments out of Kamloops were either west to North Bend or east to Revelstoke. At that time all motive power was of the SD40/SD40-2 variety, so one job was pretty much the same as the next. Other railroads with more complex route structures likely had more complex crew assignment matrices
BaltACD Murphy Siding BaltACD If it is a train that has an Assigned Crew..... I think I'm kid of with Paul of Covington on this one- head still spinning. I understand ....some... of the explanations from BaltACD from Jeff and I do thank you guys for sharing. Trouble is, a lot of it went over my head fairly quickly. ( / ). If it's OK, I'll break my curiosity into smaller segments. Who assigns the crews? What criteria is used to assign particular crews to particular trains? How do you get on (in?) the pool? On my territory, one of our high priority intermodal trains has an Assigned Crew. The Company desires that this train is NEVER waiting on the availability of a crew. Needless to say, the positions on this crew are assigned to the bidder with the oldest seniority date (and the 3 sides of this assignment ARE the old heads). The earliest that the crew can be called from their home terminal is 0700, the latest is 1000. If the train is running early, it will either be held for the assigned crews 0700 start or filled with a regular ID crew that runs between the origin and destination of this run. If the train is running later than the 1000 starting time, the assigned crew gets deadheaded to the destination terminal, and the train will be called on it's late figure with and ID crew. From experience, if the crew members don't receive a call from Crew Managemnt by 0700 - they are calling the Chief Dispatcher for information on THEIR train! These crews take pride in the operation of the trains that this assignment protects. At the away terminal, the Assigned Crew is expected to show up at 0630 for their return train to their home terminal. If they arrived at the away from home terminal and marked off too late to be rested and available for 0630 - alternate arrangements must be made to have a crew available to protect the 0630 on duty time. Depending on just how much after 0630 the Assigned Crew is rested, the call may be held for their rest. If the rest time is a hour or more after 0630, several options may be available. A rested ID crew may get the call for 0630 - if there are enough ID crews in town to protect their regular traffic + the Assigned call. 2nd option is use what is termed as a 'Short Pool' crew that is at the same AFHT and whose HT is intermediate to the Origin & Destination of the Assigned run. The Short Pool crew will get called for 0630, they will operate the train to their destination terminal. At that intermediate terminal there are two potential options. 1. Call the train with a crew out of the Intermediate Terminal to it's destination. 2. Call the Assigned crew, on their rest to DH to the Intermediate Terminal and the take the train the rest of the way to the crew's home terminal. Contracturally, the Assigned Crew can only operate it's designated Assigned Train Identification. That should put your head in a 360 degree continuious spin. On other segments of the property there are Assigned Crews, wherein the crews are only Assigned from their home terminal. Upon arrival the the AFHT they operate as FIFO pool crews. Another segment of the property has crews operating from their Home Terminal under a Starting Time hours agreement. Crew bids a 0001 start time - from their home terminal they must be called on a train between 0001 and 0600, or they must be deadheaded to the AFHT and then operate as a FIFO pool for their return trip. There are virtually as many different forms of Assigned Crews in road service as the various Local Chairmen can sell to the Union membership and the Company. It can get wild trying to accomidate all the various agreements. Assignments work when the trains they protect run On Time (or at least close to OT). When the railroad gets totally screwed up for more than a day or two, Assigned crews are throwing good money out with the bad, as the trains aren't operating within the windows tha the assignments protect.
Just one question Balt;
Who's on first?
Norm
Norm48327 Just one question Balt; Who's on first?
Back in the sixties, when the IC had four passenger trains a day between Chicago and New Orleans, and three freights in the ETT into and out of New Orleans, McComb, Mississippi, was the base for the main line of the Louisiana Division. All engine and freight train crews changed in McComb, and were subject to call after their eight hours rest--first in, first out. Passenger trainmen were assigned to particular trains (1&2, 5&6, 3&8, 25&4)--and ran through McComb in one direction--going south for the City of New Orleans and going north for the other trains; thus, a particular crew was away from home 24 hours, runnning four humdred miles with two rests along the way (New Orleans and Canton; McComb was in the middle), and home for 24 hours. I am not really sure how the passenger enginemen's roster was worked; whether they were assigned to particular trains and train crew or if they were in the chain gang. Freight crews preferred being called to go north, as it was, as I remember, about 180 miles to Gwin (above Yazoo City) instead of the 100 miles to New Orleans.
The conductors for the Panama were brothers--so they could catch up with each other every morning.
Murphy Siding What criteria is used to assign particular crews to particular trains? How do you get on (in?) the pool?
BaltACD Norm48327 Just one question Balt; Who's on first? And people wonder why is is so difficult to get crew calling computer applications to work properly under all circumstances.
And people wonder why is is so difficult to get crew calling computer applications to work properly under all circumstances.
"...Contracturally, the Assigned Crew can only operate it's designated Assigned Train Identification.
"That should put your head in a 360 degree continuious spin."
:Dear BaltACD; Thank you for the further explanation of train crew dispatching...Not sure if my head is about to explode, or start spining like that liittle girl's head did in the Poltergist movies.
Your insight in to Train Calling for Dispatch has given me (and maybe, some others here) a new appreciation for those doing the task of making sure there are crews for trains. Not to mention the men and women in T&E Service whose jobs depend on being in the right place at the right times, to take those calls. It is amazing how the system works, but what a hellava way to run a railroad!
rrnut282 Murphy Siding Murph, to get into "the pool" you have to mark up. To mark up you have to pass the physical exam, pass the rules exam, and find a job that your seniority will allow you to get, and get qualified on that run. A pool is a list the railroad creates of crew members who are qualified and able to work a particular run. For example, the railroad may have a pool AC that it uses to crew trains that run from yard A to interchange point C. It could also have a pool AB to crew trains that run from yard A to yard B. This assumes there are enough trains each day to require more than a couple of crews. When you 'mark-up' you can only be in one or the other pools in this example. Once you are in the pool, you get called in turn. If you are in the AB pool, you can be assigned to a hot-shot (if it doesn't have an assigned crew like in Balt's example) , a work train, or the local if it goes in that direction. Whatever train is next, the rested crew at the top of the list in the pool gets that train.
Murphy Siding
Let's back up a couple of steps.
You get hired by a Class 1 - IF you are a qualified Conductor or Engineer by service on another railroad - you get assigned to a Home Terminal by the company based upon its needs for your particular services. You will begin getting called for runs from that terminal in training status so you can learn the physical characteristics of the territory(s) the company will be wanting to use you on when qualified. Those territory(s) may include Yard work at the HT, Local Freight (Road Switchers) from the HT, Road Freight runs between the HT and one or more AFHT's. They may qualify you on one or more territories before you are permitted to mark up on the EXTRA BOARD. Rules vary from carrier to carrier on when you establish your Seniority Date and rank (rank happens when more than a single employee establish seniority on the same day - means of establishing that rank may differ between carriers and specific Union contracts).
While on the Extra Board, you will protect jobs that you have been qualified on, on an as needed basis. Today you might get called to work a Daylight Yard job and mark off 8 hours after your On Duty time. Tomorrow there may not be any need for your services and after your rest period you will be waiting for the phone to ring so you can go to work.
At O'dark 30 the phone rings and you are called for a ID run to your furthest East ID Terminal. You report to you origin location and find out you will have to get power out of the shop, double to two units in the yard and then double together a 12,000 foot train off of 3 yard tracks and will need to occupy a main track to make your last double. 5 Hours after your On Duty Time you finally have the train together, air tested and ready to depart on what is supposed to be a 6 hour run to your destination. 60 miles from your Origin, a Defect Detector identifys a issue with axle 505 of your train of 680 axles. The Conductor must now walk to axle 505 and inspect it for the issue that was identified - carrier rules require inspecting 20 axles on either side of the identified axle. Upon inspection of the required axles, no defects have been found and the Conductor will now return to the head end so the train can proceed onto destination, 2 hours have elapsed so it becomes evident the train will not make destination within the alotted 12 hours HOS period. Train continues without further delays and goes on HOS at a siding 30 miles from the destination terminal. Crew may be instructed to secure the train and wait for a ride to the destination terminal hotel, or the crew may be instructed to stay on the train and wait for the recrew to arrive - done properly the crew will be leaving the train shortly after they went HOS and will have at most 1 hour of LIMBO time by the time they get to the hotel and tie up. If there are extenuating circumstance it can be several hours until they tie up. Having tied up at the hotel, the crew gets 10 hours UNDISTURBED rest + Limbo time gets added to the undisturbed rest period. In tieing up the crew has established its position to be called from the AFHT when rested. Normal notification of a call to 'go home' is two hour prior to the On Duty time. The train home is a through train from another terminal that arrives on the call figure and is moved with no signifigant delays, dodging some passenger trains along the way and tieing up 10 hours after your on duty and and thereby establishing your order back on your home terminal extra board. And so it goes, each day is an adventure - will you be called or not, will you work at home or not, will your work day be 8 hours or maybe even less, will your work day be 12 hours and maybe even more. Life on the Extra Board.
Weekly Positions are advertised for employees on the Seniority District to bid on. These can be Yard Jobs, Local Freight Jobs, ID Pool Jobs, Short Pool Jobs, Assigned Runs. Everyone on the Seniority Roster is able to bid on these vacant jobs - the oldest seniority gets the job. All T&E employment gets adjusted on a weekly basis - if the Pools and Boards aren't turning fast enough turns and employees may be cut from the Boards. If business is booming, then additional positions will be added to the Pools and Boards.
The one thing to remember is that not all employees in Train & Engine service desire the same things from their employment relationship. Some want to be home, some don't. Some want all the money they can possibly earn, some don't. Some fall somewhere in between on both scales. T&E Service is not for everyone.
BaltACDSome want all the money they can possibly earn, some don't.
Is it out of bounds to inquire as to how pay is earned, If the trains are running fast and furious and one is called as soon as the rest period is over, can one make over $100K before taxes RRR and other deductions? If the district is in severe decline and the interval between calls is in multiple days, is there a base or standby pay rate? While train service is a special job, is the pay comenserate. Are all train service jobs paid on a milage basis or are there base and overtime rates for some T & E jobs. Also how do short line jobs pay their crews.
Electroliner 1935 BaltACD Some want all the money they can possibly earn, some don't. Is it out of bounds to inquire as to how pay is earned, If the trains are running fast and furious and one is called as soon as the rest period is over, can one make over $100K before taxes RRR and other deductions? If the district is in severe decline and the interval between calls is in multiple days, is there a base or standby pay rate? While train service is a special job, is the pay comenserate. Are all train service jobs paid on a milage basis or are there base and overtime rates for some T & E jobs. Also how do short line jobs pay their crews.
BaltACD Some want all the money they can possibly earn, some don't.
The reality, at least on my carrier, there are about as many ways to define a days pay as there are local agreements in place. I believe the National Agreement defines 128 miles as being the 'basic road day' and that basic day will also apply to runs of less than 128 miles. Yard days are considered to be 8 hours. Where the fun comes in is that some territories operate on 'Trip Rates' and others operate on days as defined in the National Agreement. Depending on the mileage of the run, in some cases a crew cannot go on overtime until they have exceeded the HOS allow work time.
The Pools and Extra Boards (on my carrier) are advertised with a guaranteed $ amount. If members of that pool or board aren't making the amount of the advertisement - the pool is cut so that the remaining members will earn at the guarantee amount or more. If the pool or board is working such that members are basically being called on their rest - both home and away, efforts will be made to add people to those pools or boards.
In road service, staying marked up and responding to calls will give one an earning potential approaching or exceeding six figures (before taxes). It can be done, and is done, but those doing it have virtually no life except the railroad.
Short Lines are a world of their own when it comes to work rules and pay. I have no knowledge about Short Lines.
Basic day is 130 miles. CSX and I believe NS, have gone to a system on parts of their respective railroads where you have to re-bid your assignment/job every week. I hope we don't do that. For us once you've bid/bumped onto an assignment you hold it until you are either: 1. bumped by someone with more seniority, 2. give up (bid an opening/go to the extra board) your assignment for another or 3. have your assignment cut or abolished.
Some railroads have gone to hourly pay, with overtime after a set period, usually around 10 hours. We are still paid by the mile. Runs of 130 miles or less, overtime begins at 8 hours. There is a formula to figure overtime on runs over 130 miles. Just to make it easy (there is a chart in our time books for runs 131 miles and over) my assignment in the West Pool can either have a trip of 161 miles or 144 miles. OT begins on the 161 mile run after 9 hours 55 minutes, on the 144 mile run after 8 hours 52 minutes. Our East Pool, 197 miles OT begins after 12 hours and 7 minutes. You have to be dead on the HOS to get overtime. In some cases, where terminals have been run through, the agreement implementing the run-thru may specify overtime beginning earlier than normal miliage requirements allow.
In my neck of the woods, both engineer and trainmen's extra boards and the trainmen's road pools have guarantees. The road engineer pools don't. The staffing of pools and extra boards are supposed to be governed by miliage. The trouble is, the miliage parameters are still governed by a 1920s agreement when a basic day was 100 miles. Earlier this year pool engineers (without a guarantee) were turning real slow while pool conductors (with a guarantee) were turning fast. It's picked up, but conductors are still turning out faster.
We don't have any assigned jobs for road trains. One reason is if a train falls down on it's schedule and the crew's start time is pushed back over a certain number of hours, the crew can receive a "set-back" penalty payment. They try having assigned jobs every so often, but they always seem to go away.
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