Trains.com

BNSF "R" (Road Switcher Service)

4407 views
14 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 2,505 posts
BNSF "R" (Road Switcher Service)
Posted by caldreamer on Friday, July 7, 2017 9:39 AM

What are the BNSF "R" (Road Switcher Service) symbol trains?  This are the only symbol that I do not understand.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Denver / La Junta
  • 10,820 posts
Posted by mudchicken on Friday, July 7, 2017 11:12 AM

Peddler freight/ general merchandise freight/ junk train

Goes from A to B, switch industries/ sets out/ picks up as it goes. Low priority train.

Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
  • Member since
    September 2013
  • 2,505 posts
Posted by caldreamer on Friday, July 7, 2017 11:54 AM

Is'nt that what a local train does???

  • Member since
    March 2002
  • 9,265 posts
Posted by edblysard on Friday, July 7, 2017 12:43 PM

Yup....

23 17 46 11

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Monday, July 10, 2017 10:17 AM

Many, but not all, locals will return to their origin yard within a crew's work day.  (in a perfect world, not the real world)  The difference with the 'R' trains is they do not return 'home', at least under the same symbol or job name. 

Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,021 posts
Posted by tree68 on Monday, July 10, 2017 2:13 PM

Sounds like the CSX "B" symbols - locals.  Those here will occasionally leave their power "away," especially if they will have work to do in the same location the next day and are otherwise done for the day.  Taxis take 'em home.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, July 10, 2017 2:58 PM

tree68
Sounds like the CSX "B" symbols - locals.  Those here will occasionally leave their power "away," especially if they will have work to do in the same location the next day and are otherwise done for the day.  Taxis take 'em home.

CSX Road Switcher/Locals use a variety of prefix letter depending upon the operating division on which the originally were identified on - these have become blurred over the years.

A = Atlanta Division
B = Baltimore Division
C = C&O Business Unit
D = Detroit Division
F = Florence Division
H = Huntington Division
J = Louisville Division
M = Mobile Division
O = Tampa/Jacksonville Division

Over the years, with new personnel on both the Divisions and in Service Design the original aims of the CSX Train Naming conventions have become lost and the system that was originally devised with the formation of CSXT in the late 1980's has become a relative mish mash of letters and numbers.

Service Design, who has the final say on train naming, is now populated by many individuals who have never worked with trains in the field and don't understand that to field personnel a train's designation is a short hand for what commodities and what kind of blocking and what work locations the train has.

A short story - Q216 has been a Automobile carrier that orignated at Saginaw, picked up at Willard and Connellsville and took all cars to the Twin Oaks distribution facility outside Philadelphia.  Service Design, without 'advertising' the change to ALL personnel involved in the handling of the train - decided to have the train pick up a Jessup block from Connellsville.  Dispatchers Office was not notified of the change - train was operated over the Old Main Line, bypassing Jessup because it was thought to be all Twin Oaks, as normal.  Change was caught at Baltimore, when the crew got their 'Train Documentation' which told them the train contained 20'2" auto racks that would not clear the Howard Street Tunnel.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: At the Crossroads of the West
  • 11,013 posts
Posted by Deggesty on Monday, July 10, 2017 3:07 PM

And, to streamline operations, Mr. Hunter will appoint someone the task of making all employees who need to know aware of the matter ?

I have the impression that the cars were taken out of the train before the train reached Howard Street? I am sure that unkind remarks were made.

Johnny

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, July 10, 2017 5:01 PM

Deggesty
And, to streamline operations, Mr. Hunter will appoint someone the task of making all employees who need to know aware of the matter ?

I have the impression that the cars were taken out of the train before the train reached Howard Street? I am sure that unkind remarks were made.

Baltimore Crew change took place in back of the Dispatch Center.  The Jessup cars were taken to Mt. Clare Yard and then out to Jessup.  The Supt. of Operations that did not communicate the changes to the 'mere dispatchers' got dressed down by the Division Manager.  Convertibles were averted.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: KS
  • 999 posts
Posted by SFbrkmn on Monday, July 10, 2017 5:48 PM

Road switchers are just that--a switcher job. They are restricted to 25 miles from he on duty location. They can be asked to perform just about any type of work.Some of the work events may generate a timeslip, other events may not. Locals are not switchers. On some trips, a local may wind up performing work that the crew will claim and should receive road switcher rate of pay.

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: At the Crossroads of the West
  • 11,013 posts
Posted by Deggesty on Monday, July 10, 2017 7:37 PM

BaltACD

 

 
Deggesty
And, to streamline operations, Mr. Hunter will appoint someone the task of making all employees who need to know aware of the matter ?

I have the impression that the cars were taken out of the train before the train reached Howard Street? I am sure that unkind remarks were made.

 

Baltimore Crew change took place in back of the Dispatch Center.  The Jessup cars were taken to Mt. Clare Yard and then out to Jessup.  The Supt. of Operations that did not communicate the changes to the 'mere dispatchers' got dressed down by the Division Manager.  Convertibles were averted.

 

I like the last sentence. Laugh

Johnny

  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Monday, July 10, 2017 7:58 PM

SFbrkmn
Road switchers are just that--a switcher job. They are restricted to 25 miles from he on duty location. They can be asked to perform just about any type of work.Some of the work events may generate a timeslip, other events may not. Locals are not switchers. On some trips, a local may wind up performing work that the crew will claim and should receive road switcher rate of pay.

Depends upon individual properties contracts.  On the part of my carrier, 130 mile constituted a basic Road Day, on the territory I worked.  Road Switcher rate was a little higher on the basis of a day.  Road Switchers were limited to opeating 65 miles in one direction.

In many cases the 'Road Switcher Rules' would be violated and crews used on runs of more than 65 miles in one direction.  I don't know how these rules violations were monetarily settled - our crews did not work for free!

Even on our property, there were multiple Contracts because of the multiple Class 1 carriers that were merged into the property as it exists today.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: MP CF161.6 NS's New Castle District in NE Indiana
  • 2,148 posts
Posted by rrnut282 on Saturday, July 15, 2017 10:04 PM

BaltACD
 
Even on our property, there were multiple Contracts because of the multiple Class 1 carriers that were merged into the property as it exists today.
 

After all these years, you have work groups still not operating under one agreement??? Dunce

Mike (2-8-2)
  • Member since
    May 2003
  • From: US
  • 25,292 posts
Posted by BaltACD on Saturday, July 15, 2017 10:49 PM

rrnut282
 
BaltACD
 
Even on our property, there were multiple Contracts because of the multiple Class 1 carriers that were merged into the property as it exists today. 

After all these years, you have work groups still not operating under one agreement??? Dunce

There is NO CSX T&E agreement - Labor Relations did not push the issue in the late 1980's and early 1990's when they were negotiating the 2 man crew agreements with each covered group - which to my mind was the perfect opportunity to do it.  

At present there is a B&O Agreement, C&O Agreement, Seaboard Agreement, L&N Agreement, Georgia RR Agreement, WSSB Agreement and maybe some others - at one time there were separate ACL and SAL agreements, however I believe all personnel that were covered by those agreements have retired and those agreements are no longer in effect. 

Additionally there are two Dispatcher Agreements, one for the 'native CSX' Dispatchers and one for the former ConRail Dispatchers.  There are signifigant pay differences between the two.

Never too old to have a happy childhood!

              

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Central Iowa
  • 6,901 posts
Posted by jeffhergert on Saturday, July 15, 2017 10:49 PM

rrnut282

 

 
BaltACD
 
Even on our property, there were multiple Contracts because of the multiple Class 1 carriers that were merged into the property as it exists today.
 

 

 

After all these years, you have work groups still not operating under one agreement??? Dunce

 

 

I would guess almost all of the major carriers have more than one agreement in force.  Some of these agreements are going to date back, and possibly be referred to by name for, companies that have long been absorbed into the current class one.  

Jeff

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy