Do You think CSX can surrivie with bad mangement

[Anonymous]

as far as i can see, being an engineer for csx, the whole kit an kaboodle is going down the crapper really fast. insistently the management sends out 140 car cn trains when our passing tracks can only hold 80 cars. and to top it off our yard is plugged and another cn train shows up. then the fun begins as the 3 oclock local comes on and low and behold a road job is called at the same time. now we have 4 trains with no place to go and now they have to empty the extraboard just to recrew all those trains. kinda funny because we never had this problem when we still had conrail around.

[AntonioFP45]

I realize that the mega-mergers started in the late 80s were intended to maximize efficiency, transfer times, etc. Seems like this has backfired, as the upper and middle management teams of CSX continuosly drop the ball. Bigger is not better! The bueracratic layers are thick and even efficient common sense decisions that are made by the professionals that really do care get lost in the tidal wave of egos, poor planning and prioritizing.

(Remember the Union Pacific "Meltdown" after the merger with SP. EX-Southern Pacific managers tried to help the UP management with the conflicting train operation styles. They were curtly slammed by UP management).

Seems like CSX , while a viable transportation company is in serious need of a house cleaning in the management ranks.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jgiblin

May not have long for answer here. Keep hearing persistent rumors about CN buying CSXT. Would be a great fit/coup for CN and probably have much better chance of getting past STB than a UP-CSXT combo.

I think it would be great but Wouldn't CP RAIL oppose it then would they buy NS?

[Anonymous]

Doggy-

NS is bigger than CP and financially stronger. Don't hold your breath.

LC

[Anonymous]

CSXT NAMES RAIL VETERAN TONY INGRAM AS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 15,2004 - Michael J. Ward, CSX Corporation (NYSE:
CSX) chairman, president, and chief executive officer and CSX Transportation
(CSXT) president announced today that Tony L. Ingram has joined the company
as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Ingram, who will
report to Ward, joins CSXT from Norfolk Southern Corporation where he was
senior vice president-transportation network and mechanical. Ingram will be
responsible for all rail operations including transportation, safety,
engineering and mechanical, and service design.

"Tony is a terrific person with proven transportation expertise, coming from
Norfolk Southern's excellent team of industry experts and leaders," Ward
said. "He is committed to the continued implementation of CSXT's vision and
core values, especially our focus on improved safety, consistent and
reliable customer service, efficient network design and continued employee
development."

Ward added, "Tony will bring an intense focus to our operations, which are
neither as effective nor efficient as they need to be. For example, in the
first quarter our expense levels remain too high and are largely offsetting
revenue gains. I have every confidence that Tony will be a key contributor
in transforming our operations and helping realize our productivity and
revenue growth goals."

Ingram, 57, a native of Dothan, Ala., and a 33-year railroad veteran, joined
the NS predecessor Southern Railway in Atlanta as a management trainee.
During his tenure there, he held positions in engineering and labor
relations before moving to train operations. Ingram holds a bachelor's
degree in business administration from Jacksonville State University,
Jacksonville, Ala., and attended Northwestern University's Advanced
Transportation Management Program and Duke University's Management
Development Program.

CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., owns one of the largest rail
networks in the United States. CSX Transportation Inc. and its 34,000
employees provide rail transportation services over a 23,000 route-mile
network in 23 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces.
CSX Corporation also provides intermodal and global container terminal
operations through other subsidiaries.

Contacts:
Gary Sease or Dan Murphy
[phone]
www.csx.com

[Anonymous]

You think it's bad now, just wait 'til Tony Ingram gets started. When he came to Conrail on tour to Conrail before NS took over it was like a visit from Darth Vader. Get that job insurance paid up boys!!

LC

[jgiblin]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Doggy

QUOTE: Originally posted by jgiblin

May not have long for answer here. Keep hearing persistent rumors about CN buying CSXT. Would be a great fit/coup for CN and probably have much better chance of getting past STB than a UP-CSXT combo.

I think it would be great but Wouldn't CP RAIL oppose it then would they buy NS?

CN-CSXT would definitely be the beginning of the end for CP Rail but best guess is that UP would end up with CP. These two have been doing lots of joint stuff since CN-BNSF was first announced. NS would probably end up with BNSF under this scenario.

[ValleyX]

Tony is hardcore, coldblooded. Whoever said to up their job insurance had better do just that. If his attitude and management methods filter down through the ranks, look for a bloodbath in management and/or transportation. Terrific person? Yeah, if you're Attila the Hun, you and Tony might do just fine.

[wallyworld]

The rest of them do just fine by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. And so it goes...

[rrnut282]

Understand also, that economic theorists continue to hammer on the "big three" concept. i.e. every industry can only support three big players in the marketplace. Look at automotive and steel and TV in the U.S. You have three big companies with a few others scrambling to break into that group. The airline industry is in the final throws of consolidation that started with deregulation and 30 big carriers and now is down to 6. Prospects aren't good for all 6 right now. Does anyone see the parallel to the railroad industry here?

[Anonymous]

It's a pretty scary day when CSX management may be harder than NS...whew... From what I have seen I have to agree. Set job insurance to maximum....

LC

QUOTE: Originally posted by ValleyX

Tony is hardcore, coldblooded. Whoever said to up their job insurance had better do just that. If his attitude and management methods filter down through the ranks, look for a bloodbath in management and/or transportation. Terrific person? Yeah, if you're Attila the Hun, you and Tony might do just fine.

[oltmannd]

CSX seems to change their operating philosophy every couple of years, never sticking with one long enough to do any good. They've been thru Conway, Snow, Carpenter and Ward as the head operating guy just since 6/1/99! I guess they're going to try the old-time Southern Railway style now.

[BaltACD]

The coninuing problem that CSX has had since it's creation is that it has been run by bean counters and not Railroaders.

Hays Watkins, John Snow, Michael Ward have all mastered the art of counting beans. Railroads need to haul beans, not count them. When every switch, crosstie and rail, every locomotive, car and drawhead and every man an woman on the payroll are 'bottom lined' individually rather than as a part a whole the entire operation is wothless.

The bean counting mentality has destroyed CSX as an operating property.

[bowlerp]

In short, my opinion is no. Meaning no Class 1 can survive long with poor managment. Its inherent strengths may carry it along for a good long time, but eventually it would be forced to merge again or perform some other ind of major asset change to survive as a separate entity. I don't think this means the railroad will go away. It means that the legal entity known as CSX might not survive a period of incompetent leadership.

Railroading has always been a brutal business in the sense that only the strong survive. Whether it be 1904 or 2004, the same is true. Look to the Canadian example for strength of leadership if you want to see the best today. It looks to me that BNSF anad UP are very strong, I don't know about others.

The railroad itself will survive based on national or regional traffic needs, but the company who owns it can change from one year to the next if it is not sufficiently well run.

As an observer, it appears to me that railroaders the continent over grouse about their own management, and locally or regionally, they may be telling a true picture. The financial results, and the reasons behind the numbers tell the real tale over time. Even if you have a good year or two, but buy the fiscal results with deferred maintenance or safety diligence, it will catch up to you. The story about any CEO's "track" record often cannot be judged until years later.

[Anonymous]

So Micheal Ward gets rite of COO didn't he say he going to keep it now they need a new Chairmen like Rob Kerbs to fix that darn company

DOGGY

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

Doggy-

NS is bigger than CP and financially stronger. Don't hold your breath.

LC

I think if CSX were to merge it would UP then CN would buy BNSF+NS+KCS+TFM = North American Rail Company. Wouldn't that be a colorful Railroad?
OH yes didn't NS borrow a million dollars from BNSF and didn't pay it back?
DOGGY

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BaltACD

The coninuing problem that CSX has had since it's creation is that it has been run by bean counters and not Railroaders.

Hays Watkins, John Snow, Michael Ward have all mastered the art of counting beans. Railroads need to haul beans, not count them. When every switch, crosstie and rail, every locomotive, car and drawhead and every man an woman on the payroll are 'bottom lined' individually rather than as a part a whole the entire operation is wothless.

The bean counting mentality has destroyed CSX as an operating property.

That's fursure maybe if we have real railroaders come in like Me as the Chairmen of Board/President Limited Clear Chairmen Antiono FP45 as CEO and BaltACD as CFO we'd give other jobs all the others[:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Doggy

QUOTE: Originally posted by BaltACD

The coninuing problem that CSX has had since it's creation is that it has been run by bean counters and not Railroaders.

Hays Watkins, John Snow, Michael Ward have all mastered the art of counting beans. Railroads need to haul beans, not count them. When every switch, crosstie and rail, every locomotive, car and drawhead and every man an woman on the payroll are 'bottom lined' individually rather than as a part a whole the entire operation is wothless.

The bean counting mentality has destroyed CSX as an operating property.

That's fursure maybe if we have real railroaders come in like Me as the Chairmen of Board/President Limited Clear Chairmen Antiono FP45 as CEO and BaltACD as CFO we'd give other jobs all the others[:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)][:o)]

CFO is not up my alley....Operations all the way.

[Anonymous]

OK we'd give you the VP of OPERATIONS