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How close are we to unmanned mainline freights?

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Don't make me laugh The railroads have alot of work to do if the were to go this route. For one VANDELs would be there big problem. Being a ex railroad employee I worked for a regional railroad here in Chicago for about two years. I, along with my crews in the two years have been derailed on purpose 9 times, 1 major derailment. Kids do anything from putting money on the tracks, scrap steel, Bricks, wood in the grooves of railroad crossings, pushing whole cars into the front of moving freight trains, anything that could be possibly used to try to derail a train a kid is going to stick it on the track (why I say kid is because half the time they stick around to watch). I have been shot at, had rocks trown at me, and all sorts of stuff slung at me threw a sling shot. I have had vandels unbolt a rail on a siding and in a little town of wayne or what CC&P and EJ&E calls munger (hawthorne) we had vandels take all the copper wire and other electrical stuff out of a signal (basically gutted the signal). IF THE RAILROADS ARE GOING TO UNMANNED TRAINS THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND CRIMINALS ARE GONNA HAVE FIELD DAYS!!!!! THEY ARE GOING TO EITHER HAVE TO HIRE A TON OF SECURITY AGENTS FOR EVERY 100 FEET OR GO TO MENARDS AND BUY A BIG FENCE, A COUPLE THOUSAND MILES WORTH.... The second the towns people are really not going to be very happy to go to sleep at night wondering what is going through their town. My father had spent many years on C&NW and his last five were with BN. he always told me never ask about what is behind your locomotives. If people like U.P. think there going to send these threw my town there wrong, I already belong to a commitee to keep RCLs out of my neck of the woods (already loosing a cousin to RCL operations) my cousin was a safe employee and always practiced his safety and even gave up his time off to teach a safety class to the new hires. The Railroad investigation states it was RCL failure and says my cousin gave it one command and the box did the reverse. Being a Ex.Railroad employee I have different views of the rail industry than the typical railfan. People like U.P. should put some of those office people in the cab of a locomotive and see what a operator has to put up with day to day. The people in the office dont understand that a train moving from A to B has alot of complications from those two points. whether its vandels, couplers breaking, air problems, or even having your end of the train device being beat up by a baseball bat and having the battery stollen (had that happen a lot) also had people by the dozen jump on to a TOFC train to break the seals on the truck trailers so the can open the doors and load their house up with free goods. AND IF THATS NOT GOOD ENOUGH we were operating a local job down in Chicago and are 8 h.r.s. expired so in railroad terms we were dead. A taxi came and got us and took us back to the yard so we could get are cars and go home, about three hours past and the next crew came out to pick up were we left. To there suprise there wasnt a door left on the locomotive (engine room, battery boxes the whole 9 yards). On top of that it was also practiced on for some art lessons. U.P. employees should no what im taking about Ive seen many engines come threw Wheaton IL. with spray painted slangs written on them. A unnamed person that I suspect works for U.P. states that "I'd be shot for saying this by traditionalists at my company" says one Class 1 vice-president, so you can't use my name. We have no choice but to move toward unmanned freaght trains if we expect to be competitive-particulary for intermodal- in the not -too-distant future." Well this must come to a end, so in closing I would like to say.... My Dad passed away in 1998 at the young age of 54, from 1996 on he had seen what great stride I took on getting hired back on the Railroad, since mine was bought out and I was ferlowed. People like U.P. interviewing me a total of 12 times (thats 12 missed days off of my regular job I was working at that time), (driving a semi dump), so thats atotal of 1,200 dollars of lost pay. All 12 times being denied. They couldnt tell me on the first or second interview, the just had to keep my hopes up. atleast some railroads have told me what I was missing so I could fix it, but by the time they were either merged or bought out. Well anyway my dad asked me before he passed what I would like to do and I told him I would like to do over the road trucking. that next morning we went down to Peterbuilt of Wisconsin and that night I had a complete set of paid for 1997 Pete and a brand new refer trailer. My dad helped me with getting acounts for produce and other freight. Starting with me only as a driver and my parents doing me book work. A year later I added my sister and my brother-in-law as a driver. 5 years later I now operate 17 tractor trailers and 33 drivers, me being 34. I can haul any produce out of California and since we operate two drivers per truck I can beat any U.P. or BNSF trains to Chicago. My wheels dont stop rollin for a rested crew (mine keep rollin 24-7. So in my point of view I kinda hope they GO THIS ROUTE but im just concered about the publics safety. Thats more buisiness for me. Half my customers say they once shipped U.P. or S.F. but say there load was anywere from 36hrs to a week late, sometimes never showing up either being lost or damaged. All of my shipments average 4 hours ahead of time. In the 6 years I have only 3 major damage goods reports. People like U.P. cant ship in time to begin with, UPS is U.P.S. only concern . The accountents at the U.P. well more than half are just there. Very few understand what there work day is about. Instead of trying to get ride of train crews they should restaff their corparate office. A good road freight should take two guys and coal trains three. I have worked coal trains there slow and have a lot of drawbar/ coupler breaks.
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