A photo of railroaders next to a locomotive about 1900 indicates a "trainmaster." What exactly were the duties of a trainmaster, and how did his position differ from that of a yardmaster? To what extent do those jobs exist today?
And for that matter, what's the job of a Road Foreman of Engines?
NKP guyA photo of railroaders next to a locomotive about 1900 indicates a "trainmaster." What exactly were the duties of a trainmaster, and how did his position differ from that of a yardmaster? To what extent do those jobs exist today? And for that matter, what's the job of a Road Foreman of Engines?
In the normal hierarchy a Yardmaster reports to the Trainmaster, as do the crews that are working in that yard. The Yardmaster will assign specific work tasks to his yard crews. Road Foreman of Engines is the supervisor for Engineers and Firemen on the territory to which he is assigned - normally several sub-divisions or in many cases an entire operating division. In the 21st Century on Class 1's the operating divisions are geographically large enough that there may be several Road Foreman of Engine assigned to specific territories on the division and they all will report to a Senior Road Foreman of Engines. Road Foremen are responsible for qualifing new engineers and performing operating follow up on Engineers and doing check rides to validate the requirements for their Federal Engineers Certificate.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Thanks, Balt. That's very helpful.
I used to think a Yardmaster was in charge of the yard. If I understand you correctly, a Trainmaster is actually in charge of the yard; the Yardmaster is more like a Foreman of yard crews.
I always thought Trainmaster was in charge of all trains, including those in the yard and over the road. If there was, say, not enough crews to cover all trains, the Trainmaster would make the call on how to allocate what resources were available. I'm sure it can vary from RR to RR as well.
adkrr64I always thought Trainmaster was in charge of all trains, including those in the yard and over the road. If there was, say, not enough crews to cover all trains, the Trainmaster would make the call on how to allocate what resources were available. I'm sure it can vary from RR to RR as well.
There are two forms of Trainmaster. One has responsibilities for Terminals is known as a Terminal Trainmaster. In large terminals, the Terminal Trainmaster may have Assistant Termainal Trainmaster's who have specific yard responsibilites reporting to him. The other who has responsibilities for line of road is known as Trainmaster. some Trainmaster territories are large enough for the Trainmaster to have one or more Assistant Trainmasters reporting to him.
Terminal Trainmasters and Trainmasters have input with Crew Management in deciding what level of staffing the various T&E boards will have to meet the ever changing level of business. They will also conduct disciplinary investigations as necessary for the rules violations of employees in their area of responsibility.
Most employee timetables on one of the first pages in the document will have a listing of the various officers on the Division listed by location, title and name.
All field level officials are responsible for specific geographical territories.
BaltACDMost employee timetables on one of the first pages in the document will have a listing of the various officers on the Division listed by location, title and name.
They'd have to update that thing twice a day if they did that today.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
Our trainmasters are now called manager of train operations (MTO). Road Foremen, CNW and some others called them traveling engineers, were manager of operating practices (MOP) but now seem to have changed to manager of road operations (MRO).
They cut back on MOPs. Using inward facing cameras in real time and being able to remotely downloading locomotive event recorders, they established the Operating Practices Command Center (OPCC). If someone has problems or a question we can access them via radio. Our annual check ride is done by the OPCC remotely. They send a message after it's done, telling us to sign the back of the license AME and the date it was done. AME is annual monitored event. Our recertification rides are done on a simulator, but on a generic territory. At least the simulated train is more of a (former) normal size.
In the yards, they have a manager of yard operations (MYO). It's kind of like an assistant to the MTO. Yardmasters, I've recently heard, have been retitled yard controllers. (We also have footboard yardmasters. I don't know if that's been changed to controller, too.) A yardmaster, in most cases, are an agreement position. A footboard YM is at small yards and is the yard engine foreman with added duties.
While yard controller is recent, the other management positions were changed years ago, way before I hired out. Probably about the time the railroad didn't want to be known as a railroad any more. Too archaic for modern companies.
Jeff
The old terms used traditionally were of military origin. (best available management model in the second half of the 19th century).
The newer "yuppie trash" terms came from the new managerial cultures that started equating pay grades and responsibilities. The general public lost touch with the railroads after WW2 when technologies changed and the railroad industry shrank in visibility.
The OP is just talking about the operating side of the equation. The Engineering/Track and Mechanical sides have also evolved into the alphabet soup.
From my side of the fence, it appears that the track supervisor on different railroads means different things and implies different levels of supervision.
Also annoying is the confusion to many about roadmaster (RDM) vs. road foreman of engines (RFE) ....
The newer "yuppie trash" 90's terms came from the new managerial cultures* that started equating pay grades and responsibilities. The general public lost touch with the railroads after WW2 when technologies changed and the railroad industry shrank in visibility.
(*) The New England woolen mills mechanical engineer that gave birth to the business administration discipline is somewhere spinning in his grave.
jeffhergertOur trainmasters are now called manager of train operations (MTO). Road Foremen, CNW and some others called them traveling engineers, were manager of operating practices (MOP) but now seem to have changed to manager of road operations (MRO). They cut back on MOPs. Using inward facing cameras in real time and being able to remotely downloading locomotive event recorders, they established the Operating Practices Command Center (OPCC). If someone has problems or a question we can access them via radio. Our annual check ride is done by the OPCC remotely. They send a message after it's done, telling us to sign the back of the license AME and the date it was done. AME is annual monitored event. Our recertification rides are done on a simulator, but on a generic territory. At least the simulated train is more of a (former) normal size. In the yards, they have a manager of yard operations (MYO). It's kind of like an assistant to the MTO. Yardmasters, I've recently heard, have been retitled yard controllers. (We also have footboard yardmasters. I don't know if that's been changed to controller, too.) A yardmaster, in most cases, are an agreement position. A footboard YM is at small yards and is the yard engine foreman with added duties. While yard controller is recent, the other management positions were changed years ago, way before I hired out. Probably about the time the railroad didn't want to be known as a railroad any more. Too archaic for modern companies. Jeff
Just renaming the deck chairs on the Titanic
mudchicken(*) The New England woolen mills mechanical engineer that gave birth to the business administration discipline is somewhere spinning in his grave.
Who? Henri Fayol in France and Frederick Winslow in America are considered the fathers of modern business management, Neither worked in a N.E. woolen mill.
Are you referring to Frederick Winslow Taylor?
I think he may be referring to Francis Cabot Lowell, he who set up the Lowell Experiment. (Which was undone by the influx of cheap immigrant labor in the time after the Potato Famine...)
Overmodre you referring to Frederick Winslow Taylor?
YES
Expanding further on the Business Mangement degrees, "September 8, 1899, Edward Tuck donated an initial grant of $300,000 — in the form of 1,700 shares of preferred stock in the Great Northern Railway Company of Minnesota — to found and endow the Amos Tuck School of Administration and Finance, which was named in memory of Tuck's father and Dartmouth alumnus, Amos Tuck. In January 1900, the Dartmouth Board of Trustees passed a vote to formally establish the school" [Wiki], first in US.
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