Safest Railroad in America

[ValleyX]

n_stephenson, every terminal is usually a wealth of rumor, innuendo, misinformation, speculation, and an occasional gem of truth. Railroaders are notorious for gossip and spreading every rumor, some spread them just to see how they expand and grow and change when the story gets back to them.

[Anonymous]

ValleyX,

You are probably more than right in your assesment of my statement. The railroad itself is a gossip mill and I think my terminal is worst of all when it comes to gossip and just plain old 'B.S.' Once again, that statement I made was from others mouths, i was just seeing what others had to say about it. As you said, I am very new to RR'ing and most of what I learn right now is just by word of mouth. And I am also learning very quickly that about half of what I hear is just not true or is blown way out of proportion.

[ValleyX]

n_stephenson, having worked for N&W and NS probably more years than you've been alive, I would say that story is one of those horror stories that has grown, expanded, been mishaped, refashioned, and turned into my buddie's cousin's uncle told me. I've never heard of a entire crew being fired in such a fashion. I'm not saying that NS is so easy to work for, they demand rule compliance and I do know some horror stories but none like that. You either do it the proper way or it'll catch up with you someday.

CShave, that is pretty funny.

[edblysard]

Thanks, Paul,

Contrary to some opinions, the Harrimans we earned are not a joke, but the result of a lot of hard work on the part of switchmen and engineers here at the Port.
Management played a part, but we police ourselves pretty good.
We take pride in this achivement, and at one time, we did have the title of Americas safest railroad.
Sadly, we dropped the ball in the last few years, due in part to a lot of the old heads leaving, new management with a different style, and a flood of business that caught us with our pants down.
But we are still working towards another gold next year.
Our old management took pride in the Harrimans also, but when someone did get hurt, they viewed it like this, "if its reportable, its reportable, if not, ok"
But they never pressured us to keep from having a reportable, if thats the way it was.


Ed

[heavyd]

I have heard NS is crazy about punishment aswell. Zero tolerance for issues that would get you browny points anywhere else. I have heard the term "Nazi Southern" a few times now.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282
Gossip a few years ago was when UP was shopping around, UP asked how much to buy NS and NS replied, "we have more in the bank than you do, how much to BUY YOU?"

I'd say thats true.

[Anonymous]

To be honest I think the Harriman Awards are a joke. Both NS and Guilford have one quite a few and their the last railroads I'd exect to win one. Then again ya nevr know...

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Ed, congratulations to you and your fellow employees at PTRA for an outstanding safety record. A Harriman Award for a terminal railroad requires a lot of careful work and enforcement of safety rules by both labor and management.
Many years ago at a summer job, I still remember a union steward who bawled out some workers who were fooling around and not paying attention at a safety meeting.

[Anonymous]

Hey CShaveRR, your comment was truly very mean.......hahaha but Ill tell you what,That was to damn funny.
BNSFfan.
P.S. But It's the damn truth too.OUCH!

[CShaveRR]

You know how to really tick off a UP officer?

Point out how many Harriman awards CNW won before they were taken over.

[Randy Stahl]

Firing workers as a result of an injury is not only an NS practice.

[edblysard]

Mike,
Each class has its own series of Harriman awards, a Gold, Silver and Bronze for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place for Class 1s, Class 2s, Class 3s, Shortlines and Regional, and Terminal and Switching Railroads.
The PTRA has Golds for 1983, 86,88, 89, 90, 96, and 97.
Silver for 1982, 84 and 85.
Bronze for 1987, 94 and 95.

Ed

[Anonymous]

Well, from what I have heard, NS has earned its safety record in a poor fashion. NS employees have been bullied and threatened by their employer when it comes to personal injury. The entire crew is put on the street for an injury, reguardless of what happened. This is an example, and a true one at that. A local crew was working and the foreman was at the head end of the train working a switch. the brakeman was further back making a cut, and the engineer of course was doing what he does best. The brakeman slips on the ballast and breaks his ankle. Get this...the entire crew is put on the street for a year because they didn't have a proper job briefing to avoid the broken ankle!!!!!! I guess there is some technicality that NS and I'm sure other RR's use to hide FRA reportable injuries, so NS is not quite the safety railroad they claim they are! I'm a new railroader, so everything I have said is what I have heard from other Railroaders.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF9838

OH GOD I THINK IM GOING TO CRY NOW.............ya what ever.

Happy endings make me choke up too[|)]

[Anonymous]

OH GOD I THINK IM GOING TO CRY NOW.............ya what ever.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282

They're not that bad. Most of the time they run a tight ship and the bottom line shows it. Although I have witnessed some construction operations I would like explained.

Gossip a few years ago was when UP was shopping around, UP asked how much to buy NS and NS replied, "we have more in the bank than you do, how much to BUY YOU?"

Good one!

One better, years back the owner of the largest roofing contractor in California "Bryant Organization" (I think the owners name was Bill Bryant) made the same offer to the owner of the largest roofing contractor in Arizona, Texas, and Nevada, "Universal Roofing" (Name was Wayne Mullis, spelling of the last name may have suffered some)

Not only did Universal make a similar counter offer, but they carried through with the threat, forming the largest roofing company in the entire world, Which Mullis called "Bryant-Universal"

Within a year, the bottom fell out of the west coast roofing market, and the Bank was knocking on the door of the worlds largest roofer, looking for payment on the aquisition loan.

Major assets started to get replaced with old rusty ones, the nice stuff simply vanished.

Several of their crew were lamenting to me(a customer at the time) that they were afraid for their jobs.

I comforted them in saying , a holding as large as Bryant Universal, the bank won't dare just close down, look at the bright side, one day soon you will be able to go home and tell your wives you all got promoted, and are working for a bank now.

Legend has it that Mullis made more on the asset "shifting" than he ever did in the roof business

[rrnut282]

They're not that bad. Most of the time they run a tight ship and the bottom line shows it. Although I have witnessed some construction operations I would like explained.

Gossip a few years ago was when UP was shopping around, UP asked how much to buy NS and NS replied, "we have more in the bank than you do, how much to BUY YOU?"

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282

I saw that yesterday, too, and thought "kinda boastful" when I saw it. But then it wouldn't be NS if it wasn't just slightly arrogant.

Yeah, know what you mean. Following the comment I made in jest in the first post, I'm surprised NS hasn't farmed out their legal dept to every citizen suffering a mishap at the hands of their competitors, suing the shippers who were so unwise to not ship via "the safest railroad in america[dinner][dinner]

[Anonymous]

That's odd I would have thought UP would have been in line for that safety award. [:-^]

[rrnut282]

I saw that yesterday, too, and thought "kinda boastful" when I saw it. But then it wouldn't be NS if it wasn't just slightly arrogant.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282

NS has won the Harriman "Gold" Award for fewest injuries for several years in a row. The gold is for mainline carriers, silver for regionals and bronze for shortlines.

Thanks!!

[rrnut282]

NS has won the Harriman "Gold" Award for fewest injuries for several years in a row. The gold is for mainline carriers, silver for regionals and bronze for shortlines.

[Anonymous]

So says the Marquee outside NS' "Lake Division" yard in New Haven Indiana.

Whats up with that?

Does this mean that shippers electing to use other roads will now be complicit in any injuries sustained due to those shipments? [8]