Saturday afternoon they were gone. Most likely picked up Friday night.
Jeff
jeffhergert That thought occurred to me yesterday when we went past them. The set out track they are on is accessible from either direction. It was a purposely built track when they put back in the 2nd main track the CNW removed in western Iowa. It wasn't the first choice to set out them when first bad-ordered. The first was a stub remnant of a siding only accessible by westbounds. It was full of track machinery. The second was also a purposely built set out track, accessible either way, but also contained track machinery. It had some room, but the track guy who came to take the MOW lock of the switch said he had to go back to his HQ (about 40 miles one way) to get a portable derail to protect the MOW equipment. Plus, it only looked like they could get one autorack in there. The conductor was concerned about the two car rule, plus it would also require leaving the last car tied down on the main to do it. That's (leaving only one car on the main while switching) another no-no. The third time's the charm as they say, and the third spot was open. Jeff
That thought occurred to me yesterday when we went past them.
The set out track they are on is accessible from either direction. It was a purposely built track when they put back in the 2nd main track the CNW removed in western Iowa. It wasn't the first choice to set out them when first bad-ordered. The first was a stub remnant of a siding only accessible by westbounds. It was full of track machinery. The second was also a purposely built set out track, accessible either way, but also contained track machinery. It had some room, but the track guy who came to take the MOW lock of the switch said he had to go back to his HQ (about 40 miles one way) to get a portable derail to protect the MOW equipment. Plus, it only looked like they could get one autorack in there. The conductor was concerned about the two car rule, plus it would also require leaving the last car tied down on the main to do it. That's (leaving only one car on the main while switching) another no-no. The third time's the charm as they say, and the third spot was open.
And people wonder why it can take multiple hours in handling bad orders - both setting them out and picking them up. While cars may not have been set out for air brake defects, many times they won't pass a brake test when it comes time to pick them up.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
dehusman I guess nobody else has tumbled to the fact that had the cars been picked up on the "bad" plan they would be getting close to being on plan by now. Instead by waiting for a "better" off-plan train, they are being badly delayed.
I guess nobody else has tumbled to the fact that had the cars been picked up on the "bad" plan they would be getting close to being on plan by now. Instead by waiting for a "better" off-plan train, they are being badly delayed.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Paul_D_North_JrHere's a suggestion to resolve it in this lifetime: Grab any spare locomotive on the east end, and any crew that would otherwise be dead-headed west to the away-from-home-terminal. (Can't imagine who that might be ! ) Have them run west as a "one-of" local freight, with a single mission only: pick up the 2 cars, and take them to the next terminal that will get them back into the flow of auto rack trains.
Those terminals would be Cheyenne, WY or Kansas City.
Jeff, what are the rules regarding articulated well or spine cars?
Once a car becomes a repaired bad order - all bets are off on getting it moving again.
The tendency for management is to just keep kicking the can down the road and saying we will get it tomorrow. Trains have importance - individual cars rarely do.
Just imagine if the car(s) had to be repositioned so that the Car Dept. could work on them. Not all bad orders get set off where the Car Dept. can work.
Quoting Paul North: "John Kneiling - were he still alive today - would be either rolling on the floor laughing, roaring at the folly of it all, or crying in a beer about how nothing about loose-car railroading has changed in 45+ years."
Paul, I am glad to that someone else knows the use of the subjunctive.
Johnny
jeffhergert [snipped - PDN] . . . They were still sitting in the same place today. Evidently yesterday's train also passed them by and they were pushed back again. I will check tomorrow if they are still there when we go by. Jeff
Here's a suggestion to resolve it in this lifetime: Grab any spare locomotive on the east end, and any crew that would otherwise be dead-headed west to the away-from-home-terminal. (Can't imagine who that might be ! ) Have them run west as a "one-of" local freight, with a single mission only: pick up the 2 cars, and take them to the next terminal that will get them back into the flow of auto rack trains. Then crew and locomotive can return to their regularly scheduled duties. The Gross Ton-Miles per Train-Hour (GTMTH) will be exceedingly poor, but at least then it's done and out of everyone's hair.
John Kneiling - were he still alive today - would be either rolling on the floor laughing, roaring at the folly of it all, or crying in a beer about how nothing about loose-car railroading has changed in 45+ years.
- Paul North.
jeffhergertour rules prohibit single car setouts
Very interesting.
Just yesterday I was watching the Rochelle webcam when an EB UP mixed consist train pulled through with two, count them, two loaded coal cars. I guess one went bad and they set out a second one as per the rules. With coal cars I can definately see where the handbrake issue would come into play.
It got my attention as soon as I saw it.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
jeffhergert We used to only set out one car, unless the defect was brake related. Something must have happened some place where a single car got loose onto the main. The thing is, even in set out tracks with derails two are required. They were still sitting in the same place today. Evidently yesterday's train also passed them by and they were pushed back again. I will check tomorrow if they are still there when we go by. Jeff
We used to only set out one car, unless the defect was brake related. Something must have happened some place where a single car got loose onto the main. The thing is, even in set out tracks with derails two are required.
They were still sitting in the same place today. Evidently yesterday's train also passed them by and they were pushed back again. I will check tomorrow if they are still there when we go by.
I am guessing the track the cars are on can be accessed from either end?
Requirements to set out more than the single defective car is for the additional hand braking power of the additional car(s) set out.
Just a guess as to the logic of two-car set-outs: brakes. Out on the plains, the winds can howl enough to push a car with the brakes (poorly) set. Two sets of handbrakes offers additional resistance. I base this guess on the reason North Platte only humps cars in one direction.
First, I'll second Murphy's question. I was wondering why, too.
Second, (bear in mind that I don't know much about RR operations), I was wondering if the the reason for taking the cars east was because the defective coupler was at the head end on the problem car, and the cars would be towed back using the good one on the other end. Or was the coupler repaired out in the field before the cars were picked up? The reason for the rest of the routing you mentioned, I can't even guess at.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
jeffhergert (In case you're wondering why two, our rules prohibit single car setouts except at yards protected by derails or at customer facilities. The setout track is protected by derails, but I guess that isn't good enough. So instead of delaying one load, they delay two.)
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Handling of repaired bad orders is a difficult situation on a heavy traffic railroad.
On my line the preaching is, 'Scheduled trains only do Scheduled work'; picking up bad orders is not scheduable work. The only exception to this is when a priority intermodal shipment gets set out - then the next days train that set it out will pick it up - with the Car Dept. in attendence to assist if necessary.
For all other cars, Local Freights that work the area of the set off, get the job of picking up the repaired cars and lining them up with the cars that they either take to their destination terminal, or line up for scheduled pick up at their intermediate terminal location.
In areas that are not worked by Local Freights, all bets are off on being able to get the car(s) picked up - especially if the car(s) are HAZMAT, which require having proper paperwork in the possession of the crew making the pick up. Depending on the physical characteristics of the area of the set off, picking the repaired cars up can be a real challenge for a through train - hand brakes, road crossings, etc. etc. etc. Each situation presents it's own challenges.
Dave,
Management is the source of the idiocy!
Mac
I wonder how often this kind of ideocy is reported to management and an investigation follows? Anyone know?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... Wait, that's been used.
The other day I was deadheading by van to the away from home terminal. A westbound autorack train had to set out the second car from the rear because of a coupler defect. It had come apart multiple times, even after the mechanical department had did some simple repairs to it. Our van happened to be in the area and gave the conductor a ride back to the head end after he set out the last two cars. (In case you're wondering why two, our rules prohibit single car setouts except at yards protected by derails or at customer facilities. The setout track is protected by derails, but I guess that isn't good enough. So instead of delaying one load, they delay two.)
A couple of days later, I was called for an eastward junk manifest and our paperwork showed us picking up those two autoracks. Now, you would think that these cars would be picked up by a westbound train, seeing how their ultimate destination is out west. The autorack symbol train runs about daily. You would think maybe that symbol train would pick up the car because both the train and the two cars in question are going to the same place.
If the auto train is too important to stop at an intermediate setout track, then maybe one of the two or three Chicago area to North Platte manifests could pick them up. Then at North Platte, the auto train could pick them up there.
OK, evidently they can't do that either. Last westbound resort, the Proviso to Council Bluffs manifest. It could pick them up, Council Bluffs could then forward them to North Platte on the manifest that comes out of there. Then the auto train could pick them up.
What they planned instead of the above options was this. The eastbound CB to Proviso train, what I was called for, was scheduled to pick up the cars. They were to be set out at Cedar Rapids (Beverly). OK, so there some westbound that works that yard would pick them up to move to North Platte right? Wrong. The plan was for a manifest going to Des Moines to pick them up and take them there. Then they would go to Boone on a manifest. There a North Platte bound manifest will pick them up. At North Platte, still another manifest will take them to Cheyenne where finally, an auto train will pick them up and forward them to the destination yard.
I always thought the goal of the railroad was to handle cars as few times as possible. I asked the dispatcher if we were going to pick up the west cars to take them east? He checked and we were told to highball the pickup. Meaning, pass them by. I'd like to say it was because they decided to have a westbound pick them up. I can't though. We highballed because we were getting short on time and a following Z train was closing in on us. Since we didn't pick them up, I checked upon tie up to see if the plan had changed. The trip plan for the cars was the same, just pushed back a day. If anyone is waiting for a new vehicle coming by rail, sorry.
Meanwhile, tonight at our union meeting it was revealed that we have lost a $14 million customer on our "service" unit. The reason given was poor service.
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