Freight trains can go to San Diego again. Looking at the pictures have to wonder if the wall goes up between tracks and hillside can machinery get behind wall to remove more debri and dirt when it comes tunbling down?
Workers remove soil, debris from railroad right-of-way allowing San Diego freight trains to resume runs through San Clemente (msn.com)
Another landslide closes PDX <> SEA until Sunday Feb 18th.
Amtrak Advisory | Rail Service Temporarily Suspended Between Seattle and Portland
Steven OtteIt was. As I said, I deleted the offending posts.
Hey with the PM not working still. Just have a quick suggestion, take it or leave. I was a moderator on Military dot com back during GWOT. Can we start potentially a new Forum for interacting with the Moderator? This way you don't have to comb through the threads for stuff. May or may not work. Would be on a trail basis. Might save you some work because we could post requests to end threads and move topics between threads in one Forum (central location).
BaltACD Steven Otte A friendly reminder: Immigration, "cancel culture," the pandemic, and similar inherently political topics are prohibited on this Forum. Posts have been deleted. If we resist the temptation to veer into contentious, off-topic subjects like these, then I don't have to step in and lock threads. A friendly reminder Steve - comment on the correct threads. This is not such a thread.
Steven Otte A friendly reminder: Immigration, "cancel culture," the pandemic, and similar inherently political topics are prohibited on this Forum. Posts have been deleted. If we resist the temptation to veer into contentious, off-topic subjects like these, then I don't have to step in and lock threads.
A friendly reminder Steve - comment on the correct threads. This is not such a thread.
It was. As I said, I deleted the offending posts.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven OtteA friendly reminder: Immigration, "cancel culture," the pandemic, and similar inherently political topics are prohibited on this Forum. Posts have been deleted. If we resist the temptation to veer into contentious, off-topic subjects like these, then I don't have to step in and lock threads.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
A friendly reminder: Immigration, "cancel culture," the pandemic, and similar inherently political topics are prohibited on this Forum. Posts have been deleted. If we resist the temptation to veer into contentious, off-topic subjects like these, then I don't have to step in and lock threads.
MidlandMikeMy observation about Railroads manpower shortage during storms has to do with automation of many routine duties. Track maintenance not only needs fewer personnel, but they are centralized, rather than spread out over the whole line. Also in storms, roads are shut down. What is the point of running a train, only to have the passenger getting off at a snowbound station, or maybe just a open platform?
21st Century world is built upon unimpeded transportation - by land, sea, air and pipeline - the steady flow of people and materials - from one side of town to the other, from one side of the state to the other, from one side of the counrty to the other, from one side of the World to the other. The functioning of this transportation network is known as the Supply Chain. With Covid and its direct and after effects - people and materials weren't where they were needed, when they were needed. It took the 75 years from the end of WW II to put the Supply Chain in place as it existed at the time Covid hit in 2020. Covid SHUT DOWN whole countries for varying times that had no coordination with how those countries and their industrial/manpower output fit into World Supply Chain equation, thus for the past three years the Just In Time nature of the World's economic engine has been sputtering as it encounters spot shortages of various things that are required to facilitate the output of economic products for World consumption.
In the 21st Century we get our noses out of joint because a element of transportation is affected by a snow storm, by floods, by droughts, by high winds by anythng Mother Nature wants to throw at us.
Logistics - it is what keeps the World and its inhabitant's having a 21st Century life style and not a 18th Century life style and all the intervening centuries.
My observation about Railroads manpower shortage during storms has to do with automation of many routine duties. Track maintenance not only needs fewer personnel, but they are centralized, rather than spread out over the whole line. Also in storms, roads are shut down. What is the point of running a train, only to have the passenger getting off at a snowbound station, or maybe just a open platform?
rdamonWasn't it standard practice to have critical employees report early and stay in onsite dorms? I remember Balt talking about that in JAX on a prior thread.
I think you may be referring to a post I made about hurricane preperations for the centralized version of the Dufford Dispatch Center - volunteers were requested to go to a back-up Dispatching site that was being maintained in Indianapolis. I suspect the volunteers would be housed in local motel/hotels at Indy. Hurricanes and Winter storms are mutually exclusive by season. I have no idea what CSX is doing during hurricane season since I have retired and the dispatching function was recentralized by EHH and his PSR management.
Wasn't it standard practice to have critical employees report early and stay in onsite dorms? I remember Balt talking about that in JAX on a prior thread.
York1Balt brings up a great point about the railroads ability with labor back then to keep the trains moving. I also wonder about modern lawsuits. In my line of work, years ago school was kept open and those who could make it in came in, others were excused. Now, if the weather even hinted something was coming, we called school off. Most of that was a fear that someone would get stuck on a county road, a school bus would slide into a ditch, or a kid would be injured on ice getting to school. The lawsuit people are always waiting in the wings.
I also wonder about modern lawsuits. In my line of work, years ago school was kept open and those who could make it in came in, others were excused.
Now, if the weather even hinted something was coming, we called school off. Most of that was a fear that someone would get stuck on a county road, a school bus would slide into a ditch, or a kid would be injured on ice getting to school. The lawsuit people are always waiting in the wings.
Another thing that comes to the fore in Winter weather - half a century ago, employees lived much closer to their on duty reporting points, in many cases within walking distance. In the 21st Century it is very rare for anyone to be within walking distance of their jobs reporting points. When you have to drive 10 miles, 20 miles or more through Winter affected roadways to get to your on duty point - Many just can't make it.
When I was working in Baltimore, my house was 25 miles from my on duty point. In the Winter of 2009-2010 the Mid-Atlantic had three well over double digit snow events. After the first one, I had to manually dig out 150 feet of driveway to get my vehicle from the garage to the street - I was not able to do that - it took me three days to dig my way to the street. Lesson learned. Next storm I parked the vehicle at the end of the driveway so I could drive right on to the street. My street was not a Snow Emergency Street and thus did not get the plowing that the Snow Emergency Streets would get. I tried to go to work - made it three houses up a hill and could go no further - took another two hours to retrace my route and get the vehicle back in the driveway. The third storm I again parked at the end of the driveway, watched a road grader plow the street about 1 PM - and that was the last plowing until began to try to go to work a 9 PM - it had snowed continuously between 1 and 9 - and I could see any attempt to depart would be a failure and I called in.
Balt brings up a great point about the railroads ability with labor back then to keep the trains moving.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Fred M CainI can well remember an incident when I was a little boy. It was around 1962 or '63 when we were living on Long Island. One of my father's co-workers who was also a friend of his was sent on a business trip to Washington D.C. He flew down but after he got down there a powerful nor' easter hit. A regular "Snowmageddon". It looked like he'd be stuck there for a long time. All the airports were completely shut down with no estimate as to when they'd reopen. NOTHING on the ground moved. Nothing, that is EXCEPT the Pennsy's celebrated GG1s. They got the guy home in the storm. Late, for sure, but home nevertheless. But nowadays? HA~! It seems like they cancel trains based on a prediction. They don't even make any attempt to fight the weather. The loss of "The Standard Railroad of the World" is indeed a major loss.
One of my father's co-workers who was also a friend of his was sent on a business trip to Washington D.C. He flew down but after he got down there a powerful nor' easter hit. A regular "Snowmageddon". It looked like he'd be stuck there for a long time.
All the airports were completely shut down with no estimate as to when they'd reopen. NOTHING on the ground moved. Nothing, that is EXCEPT the Pennsy's celebrated GG1s.
They got the guy home in the storm. Late, for sure, but home nevertheless. But nowadays? HA~! It seems like they cancel trains based on a prediction. They don't even make any attempt to fight the weather.
The loss of "The Standard Railroad of the World" is indeed a major loss.
In the early 60's the railroads still possessed the resource necessary to overcome the results of Winter weather - MANPOWER in mass quantities. They no longer have that in the PSR world of the 21st Century.
Go back a little further to a blizzard that hit the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast in March of 1958 and the GG-1's were defeated by their own 'breathing' the cooling air blowers sucked in the fine crystal 'light' snow and it shorted out and messed up their electrical systems and they couldn't move. Diesels had to be brought in to get things moving.
I was working the night Agent's position at Salem, IL and there was a B&O MofW employee that would ride #12 The Metropolitan Special from Salem on weekend nights to catch up with System Gang he was working with. I didn't see him for several weekends and when I did see him I asked where he had been - he had been with the rest of his Gang in Chicago digging the railroad out from a blizzard that had paralaized the city. He said he go paid 24 hours a day for the two weeks he was being used 'off assignment' in digging out Chicago Terminal.
I can well remember an incident when I was a little boy. It was around 1962 or '63 when we were living on Long Island.
Nor'easter cancelling couple Acela roundtrips NYP <> BOS and Vermonter New Haven north.
Amtrak Advisory | Modified Service Due to Impending Nor'easter
WB Chief in Flagstaff at 10:30 tonight, about an hour behind schedule. Storm ended yesterday.
Edit: EB Chief at about 7:30 this AM (Saturday) about 3 (?) hours late. Looks like all AZ major highways operating normalally .
Train #4 / 07 Feb. Southwest chief is struggling to get out of the weather. Running in range of 9 hours late. Took a 50 minute stop in Albuqurque probably to allow maintenance to remove piled up snow around passenger cars. That would protect HEP cables from ice buildup.
I happen to be on a ski trip to Flagstaff, and staying at a hotel with a view of the tracks. Noticed the EB Chief was 6 hours late today. Haven't noticed a reduction in freights, but hard to tell with so many. There are closures on parallel I-40. We had 16" snow yesterday, and about 10" today.
Will BNSF be prepared to clear the snow on the RR around Flagstaff? This is not an area that usually gets an inch of snow an hour. Snow quantities now expected to exceed predictions. Will be interesting to see if 3 and 4 takes any delays. DOT talking about closing I-40. Lake Mead watchers will be happy.
Heavy snow closed Arizona Interstates | Watch (msn.com)
Well Amtrak got about 5 hours of PDX <> SEA operation. Then another slide closing it for another 48 hours. Guess state of Washington will have to pony up more money for slide mitigation as the state did for north of SEA. Do not remember when last slide happened north of SEA.
https://www.amtrak.com/alert/service-temporarily-disrupted-between-portland-and-seattle-.htm
Another landslide closes SEA <> PDX for another 48 hours. That is no passengers traveling in the trains if they can get to SEA for maintenance. It appears that the slide mitigation north of SEA is working as no problems there but now there may be more work needed between SEA <> PDX? Especially Kelso <> Vancouver
Amtrak Advisory | Service Temporarily Disrupted Between Kelso and Vancouver
CMStPnPThats really a stretch with a cut and paste mishap on a social media forum in my view and I don't even know the guy that well. I think the benefit of a doubt is in order here or at least a thicker skin. ...
...
You have some doubt that he referenced covid as frivolous? How thick does somebody's skin have to be to shrug-off a million deaths?
CMStPnP Backshop Actually, he did. In his haste to make his "political" point, he did a bad quote so that it looks like I'm the one that wrote it. I'm deeply offended. Like MidlandMike said, a million plus deaths is not frivolous. Thats really a stretch with a cut and paste mishap on a social media forum in my view and I don't even know the guy that well. I think the benefit of a doubt is in order here or at least a thicker skin. I have an eye issue which sometimes cause a typo or spelling mishap and I used to have a guy on here trolling me around making public corrections. He gave up in frustration because I ignored it. Really did not bother me because it is social media. Everyone is different though. Nothing wrong with asking him publicly and politely to fix it or informing a Moderator you would like it removed.
Backshop Actually, he did. In his haste to make his "political" point, he did a bad quote so that it looks like I'm the one that wrote it. I'm deeply offended. Like MidlandMike said, a million plus deaths is not frivolous.
Thats really a stretch with a cut and paste mishap on a social media forum in my view and I don't even know the guy that well. I think the benefit of a doubt is in order here or at least a thicker skin.
I have an eye issue which sometimes cause a typo or spelling mishap and I used to have a guy on here trolling me around making public corrections. He gave up in frustration because I ignored it. Really did not bother me because it is social media.
Everyone is different though. Nothing wrong with asking him publicly and politely to fix it or informing a Moderator you would like it removed.
GrampWith all the Amtrak cancellations of the Hiawatha and Lincoln service trains, it makes one wonder what business Amtrak is in?
You have to remember as well, this is extreme weather. Granted in the past it might not have been an issue but employer to employee attitudes have changed since the private railroads ran passenger trains in addition to staffing levels as mentioned in other threads.
I remember when I was younger some employers would never close their office regardless of the weather in the Midwest. Some managers used to make a note of who came in during periods of dangerous driving conditions and would put them into the "dedicated employee" mental category if they still arrived on time to work if the public schools were closed. When I was younger and more willing to impress, I really put my life at risk sometimes driving into work during inclement weather. Always wanted to be in the "dedicated employee" mental category back then for promotion or pay. I am a remote worker and work at home now. So have no clue if there are still managers like that.
I think those days are in the past......I hope.
BackshopActually, he did. In his haste to make his "political" point, he did a bad quote so that it looks like I'm the one that wrote it. I'm deeply offended. Like MidlandMike said, a million plus deaths is not frivolous.
CMStPnP MidlandMike Are you saying that a pandemic that caused over a million deaths in the US is frivolous? Nobody in this thread made that point. Your arguing with a badly edited cut and paste of a point nobody made.
MidlandMike Are you saying that a pandemic that caused over a million deaths in the US is frivolous?
Nobody in this thread made that point. Your arguing with a badly edited cut and paste of a point nobody made.
CMStPnP This might be recorded in history as a tough winter all around. I know being originally born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I am naturally curious and always look at media photos and news items to see how our neighbors just South of the Wisconsin border are faring in the heavy snow.
This might be recorded in history as a tough winter all around. I know being originally born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. I am naturally curious and always look at media photos and news items to see how our neighbors just South of the Wisconsin border are faring in the heavy snow.
"Keeping Up Appearances", lol. With all the Amtrak cancellations of the Hiawatha and Lincoln service trains, it makes one wonder what business Amtrak is in?
MidlandMikeAre you saying that a pandemic that caused over a million deaths in the US is frivolous?
PennsyBoomer You mean something frivolous and politically self-inflicted? You mean something like Covid? How soon we forget...
You mean something frivolous and politically self-inflicted? You mean something like Covid? How soon we forget...
You mean something frivolous and politically self-inflicted?
You mean something like Covid? How soon we forget...
Are you saying that a pandemic that caused over a million deaths in the US is frivolous?
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