JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Distributed power will become an even more common sight on CSX Transportation tracks in 2019. The railroad, which has introduced distributed power in intermodal service over the past four months, aims to double its use of ...
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2018/12/17-csx-transportation-to-further-increase-use-of-distributed-power
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
In case anyone has forgotten, Jamie Boychuk once set the Fraser River on fire while working for CN in Prince George, British Columbia. He is listed as the area superintendent in the TSB's investigation report:
http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.asp
He was later fired from CN for embezzlement, the story is that among other things he paved his girlfriend's driveway with CN's money, and then his wife found out and informed the company.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Sounds like a nice guy, cheating on his wife, embezzling company funds, exceeding the hours of service regulations, operating a belt pack with only very limited experience. What's there for CSX to worry about? :)
I forgot to mention that Boychuk was also a very good friend of Hunter's, and according to the stories his wife was Harrison's niece. With a connection like that all the other stuff doesn't matter quite so much.
SD70DudeI forgot to mention that Boychuk was also a very good friend of Hunter's, and according to the stories his wife was Harrison's niece. With a connection like that all the other stuff doesn't matter quite so much.
Thats true as well. I had a little of that in the later years of high school. Father was a VP but he got me a job at one of the plants he presided over.....I was a mandatory member of the Teamsters that for some strange reason had to oppose his rule. I have to say that whole experience taught me a lot about unions. I would have stewards come up to me and say.....hey this union campaign is nothing personal, just how we do business. Then I would read about how my Father had a hidden Rolls Royce at home (I wish) from all the money he was saving on the last labor agreement. It was rather humorous at times.
Then my Father would get mad and post something on the Union board about how the employees and management worked together to find a solution to a problem without the Union being involved........just to move their nose out of joint.
Back and forth like that it went. In the end they hired an HR department finally and relations smoothed out significantly where the BS stories from the union disappeared and the management tweak your nose if your pro-union episodes stopped. They had a cooperative arrangement by the time my Father retired but more due to HR than my Father.
SD70Dude In case anyone has forgotten, Jamie Boychuk once set the Fraser River on fire while working for CN in Prince George, British Columbia. He is listed as the area superintendent in the TSB's investigation report: http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.asp He was later fired from CN for embezzlement, the story is that among other things he paved his girlfriend's driveway with CN's money, and then his wife found out and informed the company.
zardoz SD70Dude In case anyone has forgotten, Jamie Boychuk once set the Fraser River on fire while working for CN in Prince George, British Columbia. He is listed as the area superintendent in the TSB's investigation report: http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.asp He was later fired from CN for embezzlement, the story is that among other things he paved his girlfriend's driveway with CN's money, and then his wife found out and informed the company. He received no reprimand from either the railroad or the city for being so stupid as to switch 7K tons using only locomotive brakes, especially when hazmat was involved?!?!?
He received no reprimand from either the railroad or the city for being so stupid as to switch 7K tons using only locomotive brakes, especially when hazmat was involved?!?!?
I fully expect that the crew took the rap and discipline!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
SD70Dude I forgot to mention that Boychuk was also a very good friend of Hunter's, and according to the stories his wife was Harrison's niece. With a connection like that all the other stuff doesn't matter quite so much.
So he got caught cheating on Hunter's niece, stealing from Hunter's company, and Hunter still hired him at CSX? Sounds belivable and not a case of railroader's BS at all.....
An "expensive model collector"
n012944 SD70Dude I forgot to mention that Boychuk was also a very good friend of Hunter's, and according to the stories his wife was Harrison's niece. With a connection like that all the other stuff doesn't matter quite so much. So he got caught cheating on Hunter's niece, stealing from Hunter's company, and Hunter still hired him at CSX? Sounds belivable and not a case of railroader's BS at all.....
The identity of Boychuk's wife is the only part of the story that I cannot confirm to be true. On the property it is also widely believed that Keith Creel married one of Harrison's daughters, which was proven false by Wanswheel when I repeated it on here. Perhaps Creel married Harrison's niece, and somewhere along the line the two were confused.
The facts are:
1. Jamie caused the derailment in Prince George. And was then quite insulting to a crew who happened to encounter him shortly afterwards and honestly extended their sympathies.
2. He was then moved to a position in Chicago, at least in part to hide him from the RCMP and Transport Canada, both of whom were quite eager to speak with him at the time.
3. He was later promoted to General Manager, first of the Alberta Region (based in Edmonton, where I had the "pleasure" of meeting him) and later of the Prairie Region in Winnipeg, his final CN position.
4. He was fired for cause, and walked out of the building by the CN Police.
5. The driveway story is widely known and popular enough that someone has created stickers reading 'Boychuk Asphalt Paving Co. "It's on the house!"'. They are now found in numerous locomotive cabs. I'll have to obtain a photo of one.
6. Shortly after his employment with CN ended Boychuk appeared at CSX, initially as Vice President-Implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading.
I can confirm those 6 points either through first-hand observation or discussion with someone else who observed them first-hand.
Another rumour is that he had multiple affairs while at CN, and considering my interactions with one of his former secretaries I certainly believe it.
PS: His nickname on the property is "Boom-Boom".
BaltACD zardoz SD70Dude In case anyone has forgotten, Jamie Boychuk once set the Fraser River on fire while working for CN in Prince George, British Columbia. He is listed as the area superintendent in the TSB's investigation report: http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.asp He was later fired from CN for embezzlement, the story is that among other things he paved his girlfriend's driveway with CN's money, and then his wife found out and informed the company. He received no reprimand from either the railroad or the city for being so stupid as to switch 7K tons using only locomotive brakes, especially when hazmat was involved?!?!? I fully expect that the crew took the rap and discipline!
Boychuk and another manager were the crew!
SD70Dude BaltACD zardoz SD70Dude In case anyone has forgotten, Jamie Boychuk once set the Fraser River on fire while working for CN in Prince George, British Columbia. He is listed as the area superintendent in the TSB's investigation report: http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.asp He was later fired from CN for embezzlement, the story is that among other things he paved his girlfriend's driveway with CN's money, and then his wife found out and informed the company. He received no reprimand from either the railroad or the city for being so stupid as to switch 7K tons using only locomotive brakes, especially when hazmat was involved?!?!? I fully expect that the crew took the rap and discipline! Boychuk and another manager were the crew!
He has flunked Management 101! YOU never do the work! You browbeat employees to do jobs that are against Safety and/or Operating Rules - and when the result goes bad, you hold a 'investigation' and fire them, while maintaining 'plausable deniability'.
He should have been fired for not threatening a crew with insubordination for refusing to make the move. If you don't do that YOU ARE NOT MANAGEMENT MATERIAL!
BaltACD SD70Dude BaltACD zardoz SD70Dude In case anyone has forgotten, Jamie Boychuk once set the Fraser River on fire while working for CN in Prince George, British Columbia. He is listed as the area superintendent in the TSB's investigation report: http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/rail/2007/r07v0213/r07v0213.asp He was later fired from CN for embezzlement, the story is that among other things he paved his girlfriend's driveway with CN's money, and then his wife found out and informed the company. He received no reprimand from either the railroad or the city for being so stupid as to switch 7K tons using only locomotive brakes, especially when hazmat was involved?!?!? I fully expect that the crew took the rap and discipline! Boychuk and another manager were the crew! He has flunked Management 101! YOU never do the work! You browbeat employees to do jobs that are against Safety and/or Operating Rules - and when the result goes bad, you hold a 'investigation' and fire them, while maintaining 'plausable deniability'. He should have been fired for not threatening a crew with insubordination for refusing to make the move. If you don't do that YOU ARE NOT MANAGEMENT MATERIAL!
Dr. Peter further argued that employees tend to remain in positions for which they are incompetent because mere incompetence is rarely sufficient to cause the employee to be fired from the position. Ordinarily, only extreme incompetence causes dismissal..."
BaltACD He has flunked Management 101! YOU never do the work!
He has flunked Management 101! YOU never do the work!
Yes you do, at least when Hunter has created a drastic shortage of employees through a combination of cuts and a failure to hire new Conductors.
BaltACD You browbeat employees to do jobs that are against Safety and/or Operating Rules - and when the result goes bad, you hold a 'investigation' and fire them, while maintaining 'plausable deniability'. He should have been fired for not threatening a crew with insubordination for refusing to make the move. If you don't do that YOU ARE NOT MANAGEMENT MATERIAL!
You browbeat employees to do jobs that are against Safety and/or Operating Rules - and when the result goes bad, you hold a 'investigation' and fire them, while maintaining 'plausable deniability'.
Ahh, that robber baron railroad mentality we all know and love!
"Boychuk Paving" sticker:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/161162704@N06/44571680760/in/dateposted-public/
And before anyone asks, I did not take that photo (don't use personal electronics at work). Someone else posted it to another forum. Judging by the colour, weld, lighting and dirt it appears to be between the windshields of a SD70M-2.
samfp1943 Mr. Jamie Boychuk certainly seems to have been 'gifted' as a recipient of the famous Dr. Peter's Principle... [in part] "... However, once an employee reaches a position in which they are incompetent, they are no longer evaluated based on their output, but instead are evaluated on input factors, such as arriving at work on time and having a good attitude. Dr. Peter further argued that employees tend to remain in positions for which they are incompetent because mere incompetence is rarely sufficient to cause the employee to be fired from the position. Ordinarily, only extreme incompetence causes dismissal..."
Mr. Jamie Boychuk certainly seems to have been 'gifted' as a recipient of the famous Dr. Peter's Principle... [in part] "... However, once an employee reaches a position in which they are incompetent, they are no longer evaluated based on their output, but instead are evaluated on input factors, such as arriving at work on time and having a good attitude.
As someone who actually works for Mr Boychuck, I will say he is far from incompentent. The man knows how to railroad. But continue with the third hand accounts of the man, they tell more about the people spewing them than the person that is being talked about.
So about CSX using more DP power....
n012944 As someone who actually works for Mr Boychuck, I will say he is far from incompentent. The man knows how to railroad. But continue with the third hand accounts of the man, they tell more about the people spewing them than the person that is being talked about.
What does he say about how his employment at CN ended? Or about the Prince George derailment and fire?
I know how the CN employees who worked under him felt, since I am one of them.
n012944 So about CSX using more DP power....
He is correct that using DP helps greatly with train handling and operations. But this is nothing that CP, UP, BNSF, CN, KCS, NS and even CSX have not known for years. Jamie could have been reading out of a book written by some REAL railroaders.
On the cold weather switching point, an even better way to save time and air is to allow the DP remote to keep air on the train. Makes bottling the air legal and safe. Not sure about other railroads but CN has been doing this for the past year, and it works quite well.
SD70Dude n012944 As someone who actually works for Mr Boychuck, I will say he is far from incompentent. The man knows how to railroad. But continue with the third hand accounts of the man, they tell more about the people spewing them than the person that is being talked about. What does he say about how his employment at CN ended? Or about the Prince George derailment and fire?
I don't know, I have never asked him. I don't feel it is my business why someone left a company, just as it is no one's business why I left somewhere. I have on the railroad long enough that I have seem plenty of people come and go, sometimes for cause, sometimes because people think they have a better chance somewhere else, some just want a change in scenery.
I do find it interesting that on a Newswire article about CSX using DP power, not one of the responses even mentioned it, just went after the person being interviewed for something that allegedly happened, and had nothing to do with the subject of the article. It says more about the poster than the person being interviewed. Especially since the person posting the allegations is doing so anonymously.
Certain people are trying to make this site more and more like YardLimits every day.....
n012944 SD70Dude n012944 As someone who actually works for Mr Boychuck, I will say he is far from incompentent. The man knows how to railroad. But continue with the third hand accounts of the man, they tell more about the people spewing them than the person that is being talked about. What does he say about how his employment at CN ended? Or about the Prince George derailment and fire? I don't know, I have never asked him. I don't feel it is my business why someone left a company, just as it is no one's business why I left somewhere. I have on the railroad long enough that I have seem plenty of people come and go, sometimes for cause, sometimes because people think they have a better chance somewhere else, some just want a change in scenery.
Fair enough. I wouldn't want to dredge up past stuff like that with any of my bosses either.
But if one is a CSX shareholder they should know the full story behind executives their company hires.
n012944 I do find it interesting that on a Newswire article about CSX using DP power, not one of the responses even mentioned it, just went after the person being interviewed for something that allegedly happened, and had nothing to do with the subject of the article. It says more about the poster than the person being interviewed. Especially since the person posting the allegations is doing so anonymously.
I wrote that post on the newswire article, and I expect you wrote the other reply. Not sure why it didn't post our usernames.
If you really work for a Class I then you should know why workers stay anonymous online. And I see you are using a pseudonym as well, unless that is your CSX employee number.
I think the TSB report I linked is pretty good evidence of what happened in Prince George. The stuff in Winnipeg came from more than one source who witnessed it first-hand, they shall remain anonymous for their own protection.
n012944 Some people are trying to make this site more and more like YardLimits every day.....
Some people are trying to make this site more and more like YardLimits every day.....
I prefer Runningtrades. More Canada-focused. Yes there's plenty of complaining and griping over there but also a lot of useful information and updates.
When Boychuk was GM in Edmonton I found him to be arrogant, egotistical and two-faced, with little knowledge of how a railroad actually works. When you work for people like that who wouldn't complain?
DP is only being used around here at present on loaded coal trains. That may be because the length of the Lineville sub sidings ( do not know present length since CSX did work on lenghtening some ) and the 3 new sidings on A&WP sub LaGrange - Fairburn as the aded sidings were just 10,000 + feet for the BNSF haulage trains. + one siding is only 7000 feet that was originally scheduled to get longer but was not.
The Fairburn siding south of the IM terminal is longer probably 15,000 feet +
I've seen some DP's come through Richmond. The last one was on a consist of returning Tropicana cars, around 50 of them, plus mixed freight.
Several days earlier I saw one on a coal train coming down the old C&O James River line. Interesting.
SD70Dude He is correct that using DP helps greatly with train handling and operations. But this is nothing that CP, UP, BNSF, CN, KCS, NS and even CSX have not known for years. Jamie could have been reading out of a book written by some REAL railroaders. On the cold weather switching point, an even better way to save time and air is to allow the DP remote to keep air on the train. Makes bottling the air legal and safe. Not sure about other railroads but CN has been doing this for the past year, and it works quite well.
Uncle Pete started using that feature a while back, but most conductors still let the portion of the train with the DP to dynamite when cutting away. I don't know if it's because of the ingrained "don't bottle the air" or just because they don't know. I suspect the latter.
Jeff
Saw a fair number of DPUs at Utica, NY (Chicago Line) this past weekend - chiefly on IM trains. Kind of startling to hear another locomotive going by.
Larry 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...
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