Article on UP meltdown

[MP173]

Saxman:

Interesting comments about the GTW and IC. Both are past favorites of mine. What kind of problems are there with the changeover?

I live near the GTW mainline and it seems there is an increase in traffic.

I had posted a thread asking for a reference for CN train symbols...any idea where I might turn?

thanks

ed

[BaltACD]

Before anyone starts to gloat.

All the Class I's today are only a bad decision or two away from a melt down. The 'Plant Rationalization' programs that the Wall Street types and the bean counters have foisted upon the rail industry have left all the carriers with precious little if any 'extra' capacity to be able to handle any increased share of a prosperous economy. Traffic flows, physical plant and operating plan have to me***o keep all the Class I's fluid. A single natural disater that disrupts a significant traffic corridor can bring any carrier to its knees. A operating plan that does not accept the realities of the physical plant can tie a carrier in knot's that will take months to unravel. The rail freight network in the US a surprisingly fragile and can be brought to a grinding snarl by the simplest of errors. Pray that you carrier knows how to manage it's property, correctly!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF9838

Oh how the table has turned.
Its pretty bad the UP can't even keep it's own head above the water.
I think we have seen the last of the UPRR.
BNSFfan.

YAY!

[Anonymous]

Oh how the table has turned.
Its pretty bad the UP can't even keep it's own head above the water.
I think we have seen the last of the UPRR.
BNSFfan.

[Anonymous]

If a meltdown does happen, BNSF would love to get ahold of the ex-Rio Grande and WP trackage, and I'm sure KCS and NS would be ready to take the spoils too.

But I doubt the government would let the remaining class 1's take over all of the trackage, so we could even see new companies in the business. That is if the UP would fall, but I think it will still be around for a while as long as it doesn't keep this type of stuff up for too much longer.

But if it DID happen, things could get interesting.

Just my $0.02.

[Anonymous]

HEEE HEEE HEEE ahh now thats too funny.
BNSFfan.

[BaltACD]

We are a great big rollin' railroad

We're a gret big rollin' railroad
One that everyone can see
'Cause we're Usually Parked on sidings
That's why we're catlled U.P.

We're a million tonss of cargo
Just a rottin' in the sun
We're the Union Pacific
And our metldown's just begun

[Anonymous]

I know this is a fact of another color but was reading a book called Railroads of
North America which mentioned the mega railroad be called Pacific Rail.Union Pacific
made the big mistake of taking over the spread and cuting the cream.they too quickly
cut there personnel as resources as many railroads have in the recent years and paided.

Think as work safely
David Brown

[coalminer3]

Re Saxman's thoughtful comment.

Things get real interesting when you combine loss of institutional knowledge, too much reliance on computer modeling/optimistic forecasting, and arrogance on the part of incoming management. IOW, "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts."

Unfortunately there are ample precedents in the railroad industry: Penn Central, UP-SP as mentioned before, CSX, and the breakup of Conrail. BNSF had its moments, too.

work safe

[Saxman]

A most interesting article. What is more shocking is that every Class 1 has the potential melt down like the Union Pacific. A point made in the article was the loss of "Institutional Knowledge." Every merger has this loss of institutional knowledge as long standing managers are replaced with managers from the controlling railroad or from outside the industry. I have observed this first-hand on the XGTW with the merger of the CN and IC. As former IC managers take over and move GTW managers out, knowledge of how and why things were done on the GTW is lost. The new managers have a preconceived idea that the GTW manangers are inept and therefore need to be replaced. After all, they are why measurements such as dwell time and and crew starts are the way they are. The more enlightened of these new managers will quickly realize that the world thier in IS different than the world they came from and achieve a degree of success. Those that don't are moved somewhere else or worse left where thier at.

[Anonymous]

Hers how to fix the problem. Out law the UP and bring back the old names and all the lines the UP had before 1980, sell to BNSF

[Anonymous]

Wow, what a great article, thanks for pointing it out...

I was always curious about how UP melted down originally after buying SP. It's interesting to see the similarities between then and now.

It's scary to think that this could all happen again, everything needs to keep moving on the railroad or the next thing you know, nothing is moving -- the classic "Snowball Effect."

I hope everything works out for UP.

[Anonymous]

This is terrible news to the transportation that we love.

[daveklepper]

I hate reading bad news like this, but you are to be congretulated for bringing it to our attention. It seems like a thoughtful and factual commentary, and i'll be interested in reading the comments that people close to the scene put on the thread. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

There's a great article explaining how the SP self destructed, how the UP brought itself to its knees after the takeover of the SP and how close the UP is to meltdown again.
www.baycrossings.com/Archives/2004/05_June/the_great_union_pacific_railroad_meltdown.htm

BayCrossings is a strange place to find an article like this, it's a free paper for SF Bay ferry riders although the Ferry building is just accross the street from the old SP headquarters.