See:https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/union-pacific-engineer-laments-high-level-of-misrouted-freight-cars/
Just curiousThis article describes a conductor's description of a train trip he made with a train he ran to Nampa, Idaho, over the weekend as an example. Lindsey was at the throttle of North Platte, Neb.-Hinkle, Ore., merchandise train MNPHK15, which had 146 cars — 22 of which were apparently on the wrong train.---------------Lindsey’s MNPHK was over the limit by 334 tons, and was ordered to set out the train’s first five cars before departing Pocatello. But since those cars were bound for Portland, the crew asked they could instead set out the train’s last dozen cars, some of which should have stayed in Pocatello.“It would make the train compliant, save time since we would not have to recharge the air on our entire train, and many of these cars were destined for Pocatello anyway … Instead, the yard insisted that they had already entered it in the computer the other way around and that we just needed to get it out of town,” Lindsey wrote.---------------What kind of "excuse" is "already entered it in the computer"?
My yard clerk era ended in the late '70s. But I know that on the SP, then, the reporting of the consist to "the computer" produced the Conductors Wheel Report. This was the conductor's list of what was on the train. Even with Terminal Supt., Trainmaster, or Yardmaster staring over my shoulder, it should be done within minutes. How much time does it take to re-consist a train? Granted back "in my days" the computer consists would have to be removed from the train, in the computer. i.e. put back on the yard tracks. The consist pgm didn't "allow" switching". Then rebuild the consist. i.e. specify which cars, on which tracks, were now to be on the train. and the cars to be left behind on whatever tracks they were left. Now, prior to the mid-1970s, a messenger or yard clerk would first need to go pick up the consist deck and waybills from the conductor in the caboose. Return to the yard office. Remove the cards to be left behind and re-PICL those. Re-enter the correct yard cards into the computer consist. Then collect the revised wheel report, train cards, and appropriate waybills and drive the wheel packet back to the conductor.
abdkl... What kind of "excuse" is "already entered it in the computer"?
What kind of "excuse" is "already entered it in the computer"?
A lame one! The clerk or yardmaster doesn't want to take the necessary steps to correct the computer records. Any record entered and be removed or corrected. It does take some knowledge and skills that those kinds of employees have been taught ever since the computer systems were installed.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It's not an ability problem, it's an attitude problem.
Law of the Hog strikes again.
Misrouted cars are nothing new. It happened before PSR. His example is a bit extreme, I usually only see a handful and not always together, strung out through a manifest. I expect part of what he calls "misroutes" are actually part of the "get it out of the yard in the general direction they're going" to reduce dwell time. Others were kicked down the wrong track and never corrected. I suppose they have some study that shows it's cheaper to haul a car a few hundred miles out of the way than have a yard crew dig out the wrong car(s).
It is unusual however, that the yard didn't just have them cut off the rear cars and move up the EOT. If indeed the train had an EOT and not a rear end DP unit. Cut and run is quicker than setting over cars off the head end. Especially if they're in a hurry to get you on the move. Either way you have to reset the train list and that's done on the computer. Heck, with the new Zebra devices, the conductor could do it from the cab. (Well, most could. Not all have mastered that animal.)
This engineer has posted some items on another forum about conditions on the class ones, etc. While most others agree with him 100%, I agree with about 80% of some of his posts and have issues with some of the other 20%. It's a matter of perspective, and mine's different. So maybe I might wonder if something's missing.
Although there are managers who insist on doing things their way.
Jeff
jeffhergertI expect part of what he calls "misroutes" are actually part of the "get it out of the yard in the general direction they're going" to reduce dwell time.
Two anecdotal items come to mind.
I think it was Carl who related sending a car out to the next yard because they wanted it out of "this" yard for now. On arrival at the next yard, the misroute would, of course, be discovered and the car routed back. Apparently it was (is?) common for such a car to make several round trips.
The second kind of plays on the first, and relates to uncommonly long manifest freights being characterized as "the yardmaster cleaning out the yard."
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tree68 jeffhergert I expect part of what he calls "misroutes" are actually part of the "get it out of the yard in the general direction they're going" to reduce dwell time. Two anecdotal items come to mind. I think it was Carl who related sending a car out to the next yard because they wanted it out of "this" yard for now. On arrival at the next yard, the misroute would, of course, be discovered and the car routed back. Apparently it was (is?) common for such a car to make several round trips. The second kind of plays on the first, and relates to uncommonly long manifest freights being characterized as "the yardmaster cleaning out the yard."
jeffhergert I expect part of what he calls "misroutes" are actually part of the "get it out of the yard in the general direction they're going" to reduce dwell time.
Actually I think is is BNSF bouncing Murphy's lumber cars back and forth before they finally relent and have a local spot the cars.
Yardmasters will strategize their operations to benefit whatever metric their supervisors happen to be pushing at any particular point in time - terminal dwell or right car right train.
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