Never mind. I'm done with this thread.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
zugmann dakotafred There are those rails who, the big issues having been resolved generations ago, will micturate and moan about some of the pettiest stuff. I don't know if railroading made them that way, or if they were born with a sour stomach. But they sure were a pain to work with. Your political leanings (which you never kept a secret on this board) also influence your opinion to a degree, I'm sure.
dakotafred There are those rails who, the big issues having been resolved generations ago, will micturate and moan about some of the pettiest stuff. I don't know if railroading made them that way, or if they were born with a sour stomach. But they sure were a pain to work with.
Your political leanings (which you never kept a secret on this board) also influence your opinion to a degree, I'm sure.
I don't see anything particularly political about my observation about human nature at work on the railroad. But, if you do, doesn't that mean your opposed opinion is political also? (Or do you claim revealed truth?)
dakotafredThere are those rails who, the big issues having been resolved generations ago, will micturate and moan about some of the pettiest stuff. I don't know if railroading made them that way, or if they were born with a sour stomach. But they sure were a pain to work with.
"Thank goodness you found that spike, Mr. Hill ! I've had 3 men searching for it for a week."
(From A Treasury of Railroad Folklore, ed. by Bodkin and Harlow)
- Paul North.
Murphy Siding dakotafred zugmann I'd be a little careful of an argument that can easily be stood on its head. Railroads provide one of the few good blue-collar livings still out there. I realize there are crybabies in every line of work. But if I were a railroader -- an occupation I had chosen (nobody holding a gun to my head); working steady; and bringing home a paycheck in the 75K neighborhood -- I'd try not to be one of them. In a free market economy, don't you believe that railroaders are paid what they are because they are worth it? Would you feel better about the trains running through your town if the railroad industry was run like the packing plant industry?
dakotafred zugmann I'd be a little careful of an argument that can easily be stood on its head. Railroads provide one of the few good blue-collar livings still out there. I realize there are crybabies in every line of work. But if I were a railroader -- an occupation I had chosen (nobody holding a gun to my head); working steady; and bringing home a paycheck in the 75K neighborhood -- I'd try not to be one of them.
zugmann
I'd be a little careful of an argument that can easily be stood on its head.
Railroads provide one of the few good blue-collar livings still out there. I realize there are crybabies in every line of work. But if I were a railroader -- an occupation I had chosen (nobody holding a gun to my head); working steady; and bringing home a paycheck in the 75K neighborhood -- I'd try not to be one of them.
In a free market economy, don't you believe that railroaders are paid what they are because they are worth it? Would you feel better about the trains running through your town if the railroad industry was run like the packing plant industry?
Yes to the first question, no to the second. Railroading on the cheap is what gave us Lac Megantic.
You will review my posts in vain, on this and other threads, for a hint that I think railroaders are overpaid. What I will say, as a former railroader myself:
There are those rails who, the big issues having been resolved generations ago, will micturate and moan about some of the pettiest stuff. I don't know if railroading made them that way, or if they were born with a sour stomach. But they sure were a pain to work with.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
CSSHEGEWISCH Why are the accountants always made out to be the villains in any situation like this? They may analyze the data and provide the required breakdown of how much is spent and on where it is spent but they don't make the decisions.
Why are the accountants always made out to be the villains in any situation like this? They may analyze the data and provide the required breakdown of how much is spent and on where it is spent but they don't make the decisions.
We went through the whole battery thing where I worked years ago.
Hard to take the managers seriously when they are wearing company-provided Under Armour polo shirts with the company logos stitched on them. That money could have bought several batteries.
All about prioirites.
zugmann dakotafred Railroads provide one of the few good blue-collar livings still out there. I realize there are crybabies in every line of work. But if I were a railroader -- an occupation I had chosen (nobody holding a gun to my head); working steady; and bringing home a paycheck in the 75K neighborhood -- I'd try not to be one of them. You think someone working under a contract is a crybaby because they want to hold the company to that contract? Unreal.
dakotafred Railroads provide one of the few good blue-collar livings still out there. I realize there are crybabies in every line of work. But if I were a railroader -- an occupation I had chosen (nobody holding a gun to my head); working steady; and bringing home a paycheck in the 75K neighborhood -- I'd try not to be one of them.
You think someone working under a contract is a crybaby because they want to hold the company to that contract?
Unreal.
The meme about 'not being forced to work somewhere' is a stock rationale from those of a certain ideology. Perhaps a no-contract work arrangement is what their real agenda is?
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Not villains, just limited in what they can do concerning the revenue sde.
dakotafredRailroads provide one of the few good blue-collar livings still out there. I realize there are crybabies in every line of work. But if I were a railroader -- an occupation I had chosen (nobody holding a gun to my head); working steady; and bringing home a paycheck in the 75K neighborhood -- I'd try not to be one of them.
Would you go to a hospital that requires the physicians and nurses to purchase equipment and supplies they need?
CN makes a chunk of their profit in a declining business by having a suspiciously low operating ratio which they achieve by cutting costs like these. It's short-term because executive compensation is based on current results, not looking to the future. Bean-counters can always find line items to cut. Having executives to grow a revenue stream requires creative vision. Guys with that talent don't work for railroads because it is not welcomed.
Mechanics, at least for trucking companies which are my customers, often have a built in "tool allowance" which is added to their hourly rate. Mechanics will often have well over $100,000 of tools in their kit. These are their tools and they are responsible.
I cannot see how a conductor should be purchasing their own batteries. This is a safety issue.
Regarding the layoffs...another issue with the Saudis flooding the oil market. Suddenly there is not nearly as much oil flowing and it trickles down.
Ed
dakotafredAs for supplies: Heaven forbid that a craft have to fork out for at least some of its own, if there's such pressing need. Is a union carpenter not responsible for his own tools? Penalty and bonus claims being subject to investigation and verification by the paying party? What next?!
So, we're supposed to feel sorry for the multi-billion dollar corporation that doesn't want to buy batteries for the lanterns? Really? So I guess the crews should have to buy their own $700 portables? C'mon... you can't really compare a carpenter that needs a whole chest of tools to a RRer that only needs a few things every day (and are probably spelled out in the contracts).
Yeah, they can investigate the penalties, but most of them are so obvisouly valid, yet the company drags their feet on them. Both parties agreed to the contracts in place.
traisessive1 CN trained a lot of conductors over the last year and then laid them all off. That's why manpower numbers are down. Also, CN drastically cut back on employee supplies such as batteries, lights, gloves, and earplugs, which lead to a massive shortage in supplies. Pay systems denying penatly and bonus claims until put through the arbitration process allowed for less expenses as well.
CN trained a lot of conductors over the last year and then laid them all off. That's why manpower numbers are down. Also, CN drastically cut back on employee supplies such as batteries, lights, gloves, and earplugs, which lead to a massive shortage in supplies.
Pay systems denying penatly and bonus claims until put through the arbitration process allowed for less expenses as well.
10000 feet and no dynamics? Today is going to be a good day ...
traisessive1 It's out. They once again managed to get an incredible profit while traffic is down. Cooking the books and pinching pennies pays off.
It's out. They once again managed to get an incredible profit while traffic is down. Cooking the books and pinching pennies pays off.
I missed the bulletin that we were now supposed to hate CN as well as CP. Do you have any "good" railroads up Canada way?
My question is why does News Wire cover all the other railroads but not CN?
From what I have seen from all of the Class I's is that this lean and mean drive to improve the OR has served them well in this period of declining carload numbers. But will one or more of them be crushed under the weight of new business when it no doubt comes back.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
I am not sure how they "cooked the books", but I am not an accountant nor a financial forensic expert, but I can review financial statements fairly well for a ordinary guy.
Here is what I am taking out of their report:
1. Carloads are down about 6% 3Q15 vs 3Q14 while revenues were up by 3% over the same period. Thus...
2. Revenue per carload had to increase, which did occur by a whopping 9%. Now, CN could have either raised rates dramatically, increased the length of haul dramatically (which did not occur as ton miles dropped by 4.9%) or handled higher revenue freight in their mix. Overall CN raised rates dramatically on most commodities year over year.
3. I like to look at revenue per car as a barameter of pricing power. Others might look at revenue per ton mile, but I can envision a carload and how many dollars are stuffed into that car more easily than revenue per ton. So, CN exhibited the following increases per carload:
Petroleum/chemical 7% increase per carload revenue
Metal/mineral 30% increase
Forest products 12%
Coal -3%
Grain/Fertilizer 9%
Intermodal 1%
Automotive 11%
Total system increase 9% per carload.
4. Only intermodal (4%) and automotive (2%) showed increased carloads handled while forest products were flat. Petroleum/chemical was down 4%, metal/mineral down a whopping 25%, coal down 10% and grain/fertilizer down 7%.
5. Total employees at the end of the quarter were down about 1100 or 4.4% over the year. My guess, only a guess is that CN didnt replace retiring workers or those who left the company.
CN seems to have been able to read the tea leaves of the slowing economy and not replace employees. Perhaps others can provide info as to whether or not employees have been furloughed. CN seems to be hitting the "sweet spot" of optimizing assets, employees, and available business, hence the 53% OR.
Can they hold on to the pricing increases? At some point in time, it would seem as if customers would push back...unless there are no options (such as forest products). Note that intermodal carload revenue was up 1%, so obviously they understand the pricing issues which exist when there is competition.
All in all a mixed bag. Great operational results but obviously growth is slowing (or negetive if one examines carloads).
I can't seem to find a report for CN's 3rd quarter on Trains News Wire. I saw reports for CSX, KCS, CP, UP and NS but nothing on CN. I would think a 53.8% operating ratio would be big news.
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