Opinions on local Corperate decisions wanted!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE:
Had this gotten to the point that school admin.s had reached into a working yard to pull in cars in interchange service out of the yard, the ramifications would be truly frightening. Perhaps some of the instructors need to go to school themselves? The spur into your school is now an island and can't reach the operating yard?

The school doesn't own any railroading equipment, the idea was to have CN deliver a few cars into our siding so we could study them and practice on the hand breaks and what not. Now that the switch is gone and CN doesn't want to pay to replace it (and the school can't afford the $50k), like I said before, CN is going to drop some cars off on the rails in their yard closest to our school. Only difference is we have to walk a little farther, and we will only get to have them around for a few days at a time, rather than a few months if they were on our own siding.

Perhaps the way I explained it, it sounded like a bigger deal than it really was... the point I was trying to get across earlier was that Railroads aren't going to spend money they don't have too, simple as that.

The steering committee at our school is comprised of people from CN, CP, BNSF, SRY and VIA, and our tests are administered from the RAC.

In light of our missing siding, next wednesday we get to go on a field trip out the the Southern Railway of BCs yard in New Westminister to check out some switching and yard work.... it's gonna be fun.

[mudchicken]

The part that is so disconcerting to me is the fact that school administration, charged with teaching fundementals to a new bunch of future railroaders, just made a blunder that any railroad manager worth his salt would not commit (US or Canada)...

Had this gotten to the point that school admin.s had reached into a working yard to pull in cars in interchange service out of the yard, the ramifications would be truly frightening. Perhaps some of the instructors need to go to school themselves? The spur into your school is now an island and can't reach the operating yard?

I really hope that I'm not being presented with all the facts as they are and that something missing here alleviates my concern(s)...You and some of your classmates will probably be line supervisors someday as you come up through the ranks. When you get to that point, I hope that the trainining on the BASICs has sunk in so you can tackle the next level.

It wasn't that long ago here in Colorado where we had a shortline switching operation take a boxcar and deliver it to a nearby industry NOT on their railroad. Trouble was BN, UP & DRGW/SP all had track lights go off on dispatcher consoles where this shortline travelled through interlockings without authority to do so. (scary) ....The railroad finally got caught by FRA after the shortline tried to collect switching and demurage fees from the industry who then complained to the railroad that had the authority under contract to switch the industry legally in the first place about double billing. The shortline got hammered with FRA operating violations and a large fine for violating Elkins Act rules....The Class I got a grilling over car accounting..(the rules and governing bodies have different names and similar rules, TCA/FRA etc., but the point is
the rules that everybody is to abide by are there to protect us all) .... Had there been a collision at one of those interlockings in Colorado with the stealth/ "under cover of darkness" mercenary shortline operation, we'd still be talking about it today.

[Anonymous]

As far as I know there was no prior agreement to use the siding, the school is new, and I think they were just under the impression that they were going to get use of the siding.

CN has stated that they will make available the next closest track to us in the yard, but we won't get to use our own siding.

This school is run by the Railway Association of Canada. It's their first go at it in BC, so it seems they are still working out the particulars. The program has been running in Calgary, AB now for 2 years and have graduated 3 classes, with a hiring rate of 100% from the CP. So it's not a scam at any rate. All testing is done by the RAC, BCIT just provides the instruction and venue.


RAC website
http://www.railcan.ca/en/welcome/default.htm

[mudchicken]

mac:

At face value, as you have stated:

(1) Your school had a written agreement to use that track that said who owns, operates and maintains what? They had permission to interchange with a class 1? If yes to either, you have a breach of contract issue.

(2) If the answers to both of the above is no, get the heck out of there! The "expertise" running that school is clueless. With apologies to LimitedClear, those folks are operating clowns that have no right to be called railroaders. I'm surprised Transport Canada has not stepped-in and shut them down. CN's reaction is quite proper unless there are other issues not stated here.

[Anonymous]

Let me give you a little insight on what happened to me, similar situation on a much smaller scale.

I'm going to RR school up here in Vancouver at BCIT. Are campus is right on a major Vancouver yard shared by CN and BNSF. We had a siding that we were going to use to bring in some rolling stock so we could study it and learn all the parts, etc.

One morning we went out and CN had removed the switch! (apparently they needed it somewhere else)
One of the instructors called CN and asked if they could put another one in, and they said no problem, all we had to do is foot the bill at $50,000.

Fat chance.

So now we have this long siding going into our school property and no switch to connect us to the yard... [:(]

RR are pretty much keeping track of everydollar nowadays with profit margins being so small, charity isn't high on the list.

[mudchicken]

Money & revenue carloadings talk.....

sorry, It's all about cash flow....

[Anonymous]

In 1987, CSX removed the B&O Eastbound yard from Brunswick. The yard was about 2 1/2 to 3 miles long, was about 26 tracks wide, and included the B&O's eastern caryard used until (I think) the cumberland yards were built (Put into use before 1910, main operations left westward in 1927).
Now that the Estbound Yard, B&O YMCA, Roundhouse, and the B&O railroad itself are gone, and the westbound yard & its structures are mostly gone, there is very little left from the B&O on Railroad Property.
Now as the local Museum would love to actually have rolling stock other than that in 1:87, but can't because of a lack of property, CSX has seemed to have agreed to allow 84 Lumber to construct a Contractor Only warehouse, wich would give a need for flat-bed trucks to go through the over 500 space MARC parking lot, and most likely dig up the remains of the yard & shop buildings.

What are your feelings. I am of course biased because I am a Museum Staff Member, so I would rather see the property go to the Museum. That of course is a major dream when you consider its....well.....CSX.