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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by Colin [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by u6729csx [quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by arbfbe While the system in the Soviet Union may have imploded of it's own ineffeciencies they had a few things that were far advanced to what capitalist managers accept as good management techniques. Note that the WC was mostly a 7 and 3 railroad for train crews but CN has been working hard to change that to a 6 and 1 operation. Let's see, crews that were getting 9 days a month off duty will now be getting 4 days off. Some of those days may be eatten up by trips from the previous day that work into the day off. This is progress? [/quote] You can afford to do things such as the Soviets did, when you get to spend from the public money trough and don't have to answer to stockholders that have invested in your venture. The building of the Trans-Sieberian Railway bankrupt the Csars and Russia that built it, and such techniques would also bankrupt the 'for profit' railroad model. [/quote] When does defending a 44 hour work week evidence of a vast Communist plot and a clear sign of "Creeping Socialism" . Seems such name calling is designed to schelch debate and not deal with the problem. Human are not Diesel-Electric locomotives where you just turn them on the ready track (in warm weather ) and be ready to go in a matter of minutes. It seems to me that the RR's were more scheduled in the steam era than now even for freights , when it took hours to get road power ready and the freights had to be scheduled to stay out the way of the passenger traffic. That is how O. Winston Link got those fantastic photograghs because even the coal drag hauling N&W scheduled their freights and Mr. had a copy of the timetable. Human beings are not machines unfortunately capitalist forces do not recognize and/or ignore this but again unfortunately government forces should. The aviation industry has long recognized tis but the railroad industry seems determined not to. Do we need another "collision at Gunpow" or a Bopol, India type incident involving a haz-mat for the RR industry to change?? [/quote] In the steam era we had about 2 Million people employed by Class 1 railroads versus around 180,000 people today. We could never afford to pay a living wage to that many people today. Sorry Colin, you can't force socialism on a capitalist model. It doesn't work. "Bhopal" was an incident at a Union Carbide Chemical Plant in India and had nothing whatever to do with railroads. The collision at Gunpow interlocking had nothing to do with adequacy of personel and its relation to proper rest issues is questionable at best. There are many better examples of sleep deprivation incidents and calamities. Gunpow had more to do with a culture in the railroad industry that permitted use of alcohol and drugs than it did with rest issues. Employees are tools of the trade in many industries and are among the most expensive tools going. Smart businesses including railroads realize that and take care of their tools properly.... LC
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