tree68A 700 axle train
A 700 axle train today is a whole lot longer than one in 1950. 700 axles x ~40' average car length then was long, but only 7000 feet. Now it would be ~75' average car = 13125 feet, almost twice as long.
Surprising is how operating rail employees seem to always defend most of management schemes other than PSR. Long train lengths cut labor costs and reduce the numbers of needed employees.
Pretty sure NKP's teachers Union, whether AFT or NEA took a dim view of increasing maximum class sizes by almost 100%.
charlie hebdoA 700 axle train today is a whole lot longer than one in 1950. 700 axles x ~40' average car length then was long, but only 7000 feet. Now it would be ~75' average car = 13125 feet, almost twice as long.
Most assuredly! I didn't time the trains I mentioned. Suffice to say they took a while. And while they were manifest freights, they did include some autoracks.
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...
charlie hebdoSurprising is how operating rail employees seem to always defend most of management schemes other than PSR. Long train lengths cut labor costs and reduce the numbers of needed employees. Pretty sure NKP's teachers Union, whether AFT or NEA took a dim view of increasing maximum class sizes by almost 100%.
I think public opinion is shifting in this area against railroads. Look what happened with airlines and the sitting on the tamarac for ungodly periods of time because the airline did not want to return the plane to the gate. New Federal regulations there and soon to be new Federal regulations with the various airline fee rip off schemes. Likewise I think a railroad executive is challenged to say to the least on their ability to explain how they can hold their hand out for Federal and State money for their properties while at the same time giving the traveling public the shaft when the public is on an Amtrak or any other passenger train for that matter.
I could understand a railroad position if they even made a business case to the Federal or State government of money for infrastruture to support Amtrak trains and Amtrak train timeliness but none of them have to my knowledge outside of Amtrak expanding frequencies. Instead a calculated decision was reached some time ago they can screw over the traveling public on long distance trains because little or no heat or pushback will happen.
charlie hebdo tree68 A 700 axle train A 700 axle train today is a whole lot longer than one in 1950. 700 axles x ~40' average car length then was long, but only 7000 feet. Now it would be ~75' average car = 13125 feet, almost twice as long.
tree68 A 700 axle train A 700 axle train today is a whole lot longer than one in 1950. 700 axles x ~40' average car length then was long, but only 7000 feet. Now it would be ~75' average car = 13125 feet, almost twice as long.
My Dad and I worked the same yard in Baltimore - roughly 40 years apart. He viewed the yard as having all kinds of room, I viewed it as a nighmarish band box that was too small to do its job with the size of the cars that were being used.
In my Dad's day the 'BIG' car was a 50 foot box car, with most other cars being 40 foot or 36 footers. In my day the normal cars were 89 foot High Cube box cars and 89 foot open auto racks. Additionally most of the auto parts that weren't in the High Cube boxes were in 60 foot boxes. The 36 foot gondolas of my fathers era were 52 and 65 footers in my era.
Dad worked it in the late 30's; I worked it in the late 70's. Today the two biggest business concerns that both of us had to deal with no longer exist. Bethlehem Steel and the mill at Sparrows Point and the General Motors Assembly Plant at Holabird no longer exist. The footprint of the GM plant has morphed into any number of business buildings - including a UPS terminal. The former Beth Steel property has been renamed into TradePoint Atlantic, with a number of business undertaking being house there. It was recently announced that a container terminal for ocean going vessels is to be developed at TradePoint Atlantic.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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