CMStPnPTellier was a former government employee that was appointed by the Canadian Government to run CN Rail he was not hired. Of course the change to CN Rail was also controversial because it removed the name "Canadian" from the business and many in Canada thought that was done to appease the U.S. because of Canadian opposition to the Iraq war in 2003. The allegations of a "culture of fear" at CN started from the Canadian governement after Hunter Harrison took over. It was a classic elevator whisper campaign, started for political reasons. Really, IMO this story is more about Nationalism and Protectionism more then it is about Hunter Harrisons ability to manage. This is all very political. The VIA Rail Crew was French Canadian as well. Normally, not very pro-American. Not really a proponent of Hunter Harrison but I think more perspective is needed here.
Really, IMO this story is more about Nationalism and Protectionism more then it is about Hunter Harrisons ability to manage. This is all very political. The VIA Rail Crew was French Canadian as well. Normally, not very pro-American.
Not really a proponent of Hunter Harrison but I think more perspective is needed here.
You are correct re: Mr Tellier. He was the Clerk of the Privy Council Initally under Mr Trudeau and letterly under Mr Chretien (in Canada the Clerk is the head of the Civil Service in effect and works in close relationship with the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Privy Council) of the day) and upon retirement from that position was appointed to the CN as its CEO. He has since gone to Bombardier. He may still be there. He had much to do with the initial downsizing of the Canadian Civil Service in the 1990's IIRC and went on to do much the same thing at CN. He was hired by Bombardier for the same reasons. He has a track record in this area.
Regarding your 'Culture of Fear' comments. As a Canadian, I was not aware of this particular assessment of CN until the Transport Canada report issued two years ago under the aegis of Lawrence Cannon, federal Minister of Transport. At that point this particular description of CN corporate culture surfaced. To the best of my knowledge this occasion was the first substantive use of the term in public discourse. About the 'elevator whisper campaign' of which you speak, I cannot comment. That happens everywhere as I'm sure you are aware.
Regarding the politicization of the name change. That had been evolving over a period of years IIRC. The final change was not political, that was made from a business point of view, I believe. At the time you cite, 2003, there was little appeasement of the US and its policy in Iraq coming from the Government of Canada. Jean Chrietien, Prime Minister of the day, refused to send troops to Iraq (preferring to concentrate Canadian Armed Forces strength in Afghanistan, which had been, and continues to be, Canadian Government policy) and in fact followed anything but an appeasement policy vis a vis this particular request of Mr Bush. His Chief of Staff, Francine Ducros, was heard to describe Mr Bush as an 'idiot' and Mr Chrietien did little to dispel the effect of her comments. His relationship with Mr Bush was 'correct' as we say here and little else. To suggest the name change was appeasement is egregious in my view.
Also....nationalism and protectionism is not the province of the Canadian federal government alone. US history is full of such activity beginning with the Monroe Doctrine and followed through by various US presidents of whom Theodore Roosevelt was one of the more notable. I again suggest it is egregious to state that this thread and many of the comments made here are being made for political and nationalistic reasons. As I have understood this thread, much of the comment has had to do precisely with Mr Harrison's managerial abilities pro and con. To divert it in this way is inaccurate and unnecessary in my view. More like a red herring....
I also need to say that your assessment of the VIA crew in question is a bit questionable. Labelling Quebecois as antiAmerican is somewhat inaccurate. In the history (recent or otherwise) of Quebec sovereignty, more than once Quebec, as a province, has considered some form of relationship with the US. Personal views were being expressed by the crew as I read the original reference. To label them as a broad based Quebecois attitude is little much and I believe does the crew's nationality a disservice. I was not there to assess what went on of course but this kind of remark has a way of fanning flames of the wrong kind. Individual views yes. To categorize them in the way you did is unfair and perhaps quite unjustified. Perhaps trying to 'tar everyone with the same brush'....
I agree, perspective is needed here...just not this kind.
Charlie
Chilliwack BC
General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler made decisions at various times in their history that have completely gutted and changed the course of the domestic auto makers.
Mistakes in business history are often as interesting as successes. Iridium was a satellite phone service which Motorola launched (66 satellites, hence the name after the 66th on the chemical chart). Rapid advancements in cellular service rendered it a complete failure.
Recently the rapid investment in energy, first ethanol and now possibly wind power, is following a similar course. T. Boone Pickens has pulled the plug on his giant wind farm in Texas....wanna purchase a wind turbine cheap? Meanwhile Exxon Mobile has discovered a HUGE natural gas field in BC.
You better be correct when you bet the farm, particularly if you have skin in the game.
Is it prudent that CP seems to be pulling back on expanding into PRB coal fields? Or will we in 10 years ago be questioning their lack of aggressiveness in that project? So many factors can go into the outcome.
No doubt the heavy investment in the Transcon by BNSF and the Sunset Route by UP will be rewarded....but it might take a bit longer than projected.
It has been said that any manager in baseball will win 60 games and lose 60 games, it is those 42 other games which determine greatness from average and mediocracy. Isnt that the same with railroad managers these days? A certain level of success is guaranteed, but a few correct (or incorrect) decisions affects results for many years.
ed
EJE818 On the EJ&E, CN overcharged USS to the point where USS had enough with CN. USS now relies on IHB for switching instead of CN. They also stalled on the hill out of Joliet twice in a week because of underpowering trains and started brush fires in Crest Hill and Plainfield.
On the EJ&E, CN overcharged USS to the point where USS had enough with CN. USS now relies on IHB for switching instead of CN. They also stalled on the hill out of Joliet twice in a week because of underpowering trains and started brush fires in Crest Hill and Plainfield.
NS is running a new train nightly to Van Loon, the 324. I took a look at the train last week and it consisted of 60 EJE coil cars, plus a few misc cars. Has there been a new traffic pattern established with the CN takeover of the EJE? The 323 appears to run daily (picking up EJE coil cars at Van Loon). This appears to be a second type dedicated train.
Ulrich Please do... I welcome (and don't take offence to) alternative views.
Please do... I welcome (and don't take offence to) alternative views.
And so forth.
RWM
Ulrich Business owners and/or manage very seldom create anything of lasting value that transcends the businesses we run. You may be a great leader and a great manager...but none of that will matter to anyone once the business is gone. Look at some of the great business leaders of the 50s and 60s...Langdon of B&O is a great example. He was a apparently a great leader at B&O...a great innovator at B&O..and did great things...for B&O shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders. However B&O has been gone for years and I really doubt if anything that Langdon did 40 years ago can be recognized and identifed as uniquely his at CSX today. Same with Hunter..and all the rest of us who are employed as managers today... if we're good we create value TODAY for the businesses we run and hopefully hand off the business to the next generation in better shape than we found it.. but that's it... Want to create lasting value? Then write a great book that people will still want to read in hundreds of years from now..or invent something.
Business owners and/or manage very seldom create anything of lasting value that transcends the businesses we run. You may be a great leader and a great manager...but none of that will matter to anyone once the business is gone. Look at some of the great business leaders of the 50s and 60s...Langdon of B&O is a great example. He was a apparently a great leader at B&O...a great innovator at B&O..and did great things...for B&O shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders. However B&O has been gone for years and I really doubt if anything that Langdon did 40 years ago can be recognized and identifed as uniquely his at CSX today. Same with Hunter..and all the rest of us who are employed as managers today... if we're good we create value TODAY for the businesses we run and hopefully hand off the business to the next generation in better shape than we found it.. but that's it... Want to create lasting value? Then write a great book that people will still want to read in hundreds of years from now..or invent something.
You seem very certain of this. I have no interest in disputing you. If you'd like to know why I feel comfortable that every senior officer at a railway today would disagree with you, I'd be happy to explain.
Oh there's no doubt that legacy goes a long way. Especially if you did everything totally right or totally wrong! If it is right, then the next leader can just manage and build on and off of what you did. If it is wrong, then what you did has to be eliminated or drastically change. OR maybe you were a good operations person and now the joint needs some acquisitions or be merged or sold off and so one expert in that field is brought in. In this case, meeting the age limit, it is a forced change and depending upon the disposition of the selection of the new leader, there might be a caretaker of the status quo, a fighter to continue the legacy, or a fighter that goes in a completely different direction with our without the board and stockholders wonts. Then there are factors such as the market place, the economy, the competition or competitors, and politics, to name a few things that can change things anyway!
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I think Hunter's success is living off of Telier's, the CEO prior to H. And Thornton from as long ago as the 1920's still has a strong effect on CN today. Just look at the connecting line from Longlac to Nakina. This conection makes the CN physicaly a cost effective railroad to run over a long time.
Ulrich [Business owners and/or manage very seldom create anything of lasting value that transcends the businesses we run. You may be a great leader and a great manager...but none of that will matter to anyone once the business is gone....
[Business owners and/or manage very seldom create anything of lasting value that transcends the businesses we run. You may be a great leader and a great manager...but none of that will matter to anyone once the business is gone....
Long before the business itself is gone, as soon as there is a leadership change everything changes. Many businesses or thier products rarely last a generation if that long. At least not in the same form as when first started.
diningcar Railway Man I have a few comments to this thread: Responsibility can't be parsed. The man at the top owns the successes and the failures equally. I have a lot more respect for the man who takes $1 and builds it into $1.1 million than the man who takes $1 million and builds it into $1.1 million. Before we giddily celebrate success of a man, I think we would want to carefully analyze what the man was given for bank when he started. Railways are a long-term business. The measure of a railway man may not be known even during his lifetime. Some leaders have seemed pretty good during their time but when we look back a decade or two later, we can see their success was impermanent and their policies petty. I can look back into my career and see lasting value created by men such as Kenefick, Holtman, Krebs, Jenks, Walsh, Crane, Claytor, and see value destroyed by some others. Some of our leaders we have good regard for today will still be remembered positively a quarter-century from now, some will have been forgotten, and some will be deeply regretted. Positive press during a railway man's career is a poor guide to true value. The example is Stuart Saunders, Railroader of the Year twice, whose irresponsibility and failure to make the tough choices nearly destroyed the industry. Contemporaneously, Downing Jenks, never a darling of the press, never a Railroader of the Year, did more to regenerate railroading than any man of his era through his insistence on management training and an iron-clad insistence that everyone was personally responsible for everything they touched. The Jenks culture was the framework on which the rebirth of railroading occurred after 1980. RWM Thanks RWM, we needed to hear (see) that. I have been associated with railroading as an employee and a still interested and involved retiree for 54 years. It was my privelege and duty to work closely with upper middle managers and two CEO's. My associates with whom I still visit and communicate can recite both the good and bad. We take pride about the significant things we participated in, and also talk about the boondogles. You, RWM, are RIGHT ON with your submission.
Railway Man I have a few comments to this thread: Responsibility can't be parsed. The man at the top owns the successes and the failures equally. I have a lot more respect for the man who takes $1 and builds it into $1.1 million than the man who takes $1 million and builds it into $1.1 million. Before we giddily celebrate success of a man, I think we would want to carefully analyze what the man was given for bank when he started. Railways are a long-term business. The measure of a railway man may not be known even during his lifetime. Some leaders have seemed pretty good during their time but when we look back a decade or two later, we can see their success was impermanent and their policies petty. I can look back into my career and see lasting value created by men such as Kenefick, Holtman, Krebs, Jenks, Walsh, Crane, Claytor, and see value destroyed by some others. Some of our leaders we have good regard for today will still be remembered positively a quarter-century from now, some will have been forgotten, and some will be deeply regretted. Positive press during a railway man's career is a poor guide to true value. The example is Stuart Saunders, Railroader of the Year twice, whose irresponsibility and failure to make the tough choices nearly destroyed the industry. Contemporaneously, Downing Jenks, never a darling of the press, never a Railroader of the Year, did more to regenerate railroading than any man of his era through his insistence on management training and an iron-clad insistence that everyone was personally responsible for everything they touched. The Jenks culture was the framework on which the rebirth of railroading occurred after 1980. RWM
I have a few comments to this thread:
I have been associated with railroading as an employee and a still interested and involved retiree for 54 years. It was my privelege and duty to work closely with upper middle managers and two CEO's. My associates with whom I still visit and communicate can recite both the good and bad. We take pride about the significant things we participated in, and also talk about the boondogles. You, RWM, are RIGHT ON with your submission.
The brush fires have nothing to do with the CN taking over the J. They were started with ex J SD38s, and the J was know for doing the same thing along that strech. Also as an employee for a class one in Chicago, I can tell you that all of our traffic for USS gets handed off to the CN, and not the Harbor.
An "expensive model collector"
Well having served in the military. It is not unusual that 30-40% of the people under a strong leader will dislike the leader in one way or another. It's very rare that you have broad popular support across the board. Popularity is NOT how you measure Leadership in the military or the civilian business world. You measure effective leadership by how many subordinates follow you and help you meet your goals. You never measure it on public complaining. subordinates will complain BUT they will still follow you if your a good leader and they respect you. So the complaining is really not a measure of anything. Thats probably why Hunter Harrison, if he is smart, disregards the complaining. If the complaining is serious then a good leader will spot it via the Organization starting to miss some goals and/or a legitimate morale problem developing.
On the complaining topic:
I rode the VIA Rail Skeena about 5 years ago and the entire crew was ripping on Hunter Harrison. They alleged.....He was ripping up their good rail so that it could be shipped South and used in the United States, he was making work rule changes that imperiled safety, he wasn't listening to long-time "Canadian" employees, etc. Most of the crew was from points in Eastern Canada. Not sure why they were so far West.
Anyhow, I pointed out to them that the CN was a basket case financially before Hunter Harrison took over. Also, said that if Canadians were so great at running any business why were there Americans in or very near the top spot of most of their transportation companies, Airlines and Otherwise (silence). CN had the opportunity to hire a Canadian for the top spot but choose an American South of the Border for a reason. The reason had to do with a particular skill or leadership quality they could not find anywhere North of the border. Let's face it, it's easier to hire domestically if you can.
Anyhow the train crew had no rebuttal but then switched the subject to how President Bush was running the Iraq war at the time, which apparently they have not been in contact with a lot of Americans and they wanted an opinion. They didn't like my opinion on that subject either. Despite their political discussions the VIA Rail Crew was professional and treated us respectfully and friendly regardless of the discussions. One could argue they never should have breached either subject BUT Canadians are friendly people and like to talk exploratively about a whole range of issues, it's part of their culture. None of it bothered me and I told them when they asked permission to breech the subjects it was OK by me.
Los Angeles Rams Guy For the most part, I like what CN has been able to do with the former IC/ICG Iowa Division and making it look like something again although I am disappointed that they haven't pushed for a paired track arrangement with UP between Denison and Council Bluffs AND pushed the Council Bluffs/Omaha gateway harder; particularly for auto and auto parts traffic.
For the most part, I like what CN has been able to do with the former IC/ICG Iowa Division and making it look like something again although I am disappointed that they haven't pushed for a paired track arrangement with UP between Denison and Council Bluffs AND pushed the Council Bluffs/Omaha gateway harder; particularly for auto and auto parts traffic.
I agree with you LA Rams Guy. Two reasons I can only speculate on why auto traffic is not seen on the Iowa line is:
A. Long haul revenues may not be sufficient to make it worth shipping from Michigan to Council Bluffs or
B. There may be tunnel clearance issues at East Dubuque, IL that won't allow Auto racks and stacks to pass through.
However, I am no expert on railroading, just a fan.
Jeff
I think we have the TRAINS magazine, and many other journals, to thank for the lack of respect for the period. Lots of white space around the border, and sometimes borders within borders, but no space after a period.
Being an amateur type setter, I always used an em quad at the end of a sentence and an en quard after a comma. Nowadays, with my eyesight on the wane, I have to read every other sentence twice as they seem to be run-ons, like many of the posts here. I think the paragraph should be re-instated.
But lack of respect is the essence of this epoch. Crossing gates, customers, you name it are in Rodney Dangerfield's camp: "I don't get no respect."
Art
cnwfan2 Its interesting.........one single individual.
Its interesting.........one single individual.
cnwfan2 [snip] Have anyone of you ever read Mr.Harrison's book on the CN? Its called "How We Work and Why",the other is, "The Pig that Flew", by Harry Bruce. I recommend you read them both. [snipped]
Minor correction - The Pig That Flew has nothing to do with Mr. Harrison, as it pre-dates IC's and hence his appearance on CN by several years. Instead, it is mainly about CN CEO Paul Tellier and the mid-1990s privatization of CN.
I do believe that Mr. Harrison has written a 2nd book, with a similar title, but I'm having trouble finding that title or other reference quickly. It's probably in this month's Trains article, but that issue is at home today . . .
- Paul North.
Its interesting to see and read the different views in the way some people think of CN and Mr.Harrison.Have anyone of you ever read Mr.Harrison's book on the CN? Its called "How We Work and Why",the other is, "The Pig that Flew", by Harry Bruce. I recommend you read them both.Then you might just realize and understand what is going on.I respect Mr.Harrison,and I wouldnt mind shaking his hand, and asking for his autograph,to be put in my book he wrote.What Mr.Harrison has done to CN and the other railroads merged into it,was for many reasons.Any of you feel that you could run CN any better,even in todays economic status?I sure would like to see you try.Granted I have heard ALOT of complaining from both sides of the fence on CN ....more than anyone will ever know.The biggest problem with CN and the other railroads is lack of people,and in some cases, its sad,but some people that just dont really care.Some, if not most of us work 8 -10 hour shifts.These CN workers put in 12 very long, and tiring hours..then are suppose to have the remaining time off, till they are called for their next job assignment.It doesnt work that way at times.I've seen CN people work 7 days straight with out a break,due to some other worker,not showing up for their shift,lack of a worker(s),or someone not qualified to do the job at hand.Yet what is ironic is that,yes they complain about the work they do,or cars that should be sent elsewhere,that are being returned back to the originating yard due to no capacity at the other yard.In some cases these rail cars sit in a siding for days on end.Then there are trains "Dead On the Law ",and in sidings due to NO qualified engineers,or conductors,to operate them,or in other cases,air lines frozen in long trains in winter,yard masters that have a hard time, where to put freight cars, in a congested yard,a locomotive running out of fuel,or a mechanical problem that was unavoidable.Then theres the locomotives that are generally not working properly themselves,or customers that cant or dont have room for the cars they need / or ordered to their plant, due to problems with their workforce, or other factors.It makes me sick when I hear people berating Mr.Harrison,CN,and everything that this railroad has tried to accomplished.If you dont like CN,then railfan at another railroad.If you work for CN and dont like what your doing....then quit.There is at least someone else out there, that wouldn't mind doing your job and get satisfaction from doing what they do best.....run a railroad....and thats what it should be after all.Yes there is going to be problems with a railroad.....always has been..always will.No railroad is perfect.You want to complain how this or any other railroad is running,then blame the government,blame everyone,not just one single individual.
Jay,
I would put forth all the extra effort needed to make sure I found every single item that could be considered a defect...from lose joint bars or a sloppy switch to a frog with a chipped nose to debris in the toe path...and I would try my best to see if we could arrange it so that is the very last plant we work on our shift...
And then work the plant as slow as possible.
On the other hand, if the plant manager or transportation manager met me at the gate, and explained he has a serious need to receive his inbounds by 8 am because of a new shift rotation in his workforce, or some tooling set up that has to be done early...or he simply points out that we are a little later than expected, and he would like to know why so he can cover his fanny to his boss, then odds are I would go out of my way to see if there is a way to work his plant first or second, and I would make sure that information was forwarded along to the trainmaster or yardmaster in a manner that wouldn't ruffle any feathers.
For most local and switch crews, being on time or working a plant in the most efficient manner is actually a source of pride, and we do take pride in our work, because for us, this is the grass roots of railroading, this is where it all begins, spotting and pulling cars out the industries.
If it is one of those plants where you make a call as your running around your spot cars, and by the time you get shoved down to the plant gates, the gates are open and someone is there with the outbound list and your all lined up for the inbound track...well, when guys like that ask for a favor, say they need a car moved from a back track to a loadout rack because their in house switcher is broken or their track mobile is buried, then we normally take care of it for them without a fuss.
The flip side of this is if it is one of those plants where you shove down there, and no one is ever out there on time to open the gates, and you have wait around half an hour and call back several times just to get a person to come unlock the gates...well, when they need a favor like the one described above, trust me, I write down every move we have to make to get that car out, and call it all into the chief clerk, who will promptly bill them for every in plant move we make for them beyond their entitled spot move.
Just like Vegas, what happens in the field stays in the field...
Unless the problem is an obvious safety issue that is ignored, or a major disruption to service and operations, the need or desire to call in the brass is usually the last resort chosen...simply because most industries that ship by rail have been doing so for decades, and almost every issue on service and such has been worked out long ago...both the shipper and the railroad have long since worked out a routine that works best for both of us...it really is a "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours" world out in the field.
Something that, in the outside world seems like a minor issue, like an anglecock left open on the rear of a 60 car outbound pull...becomes a major issue when you're the guy that has to walk the 60 cars in 100 degree heat to close it...then figure out a way to get back to the locomotive .
On the other hand, knowing the guys in the plant have laced up all the hoses and closed the rear up...well, you are a lot more inclined to work a little harder for them or make that one off the books move they might need to make their day go easier.
jeaton Ed You describe exactly the kind of extra effort that keeps things flowing. It is good business, but it is extra work and it deserves appreciation. So how inclined would you be to make the extra effort if the plant traffic manager had a hissy fit and called the superintendent every time something delayed the switch job and the engine showed up a little late?
Ed
You describe exactly the kind of extra effort that keeps things flowing. It is good business, but it is extra work and it deserves appreciation. So how inclined would you be to make the extra effort if the plant traffic manager had a hissy fit and called the superintendent every time something delayed the switch job and the engine showed up a little late?
23 17 46 11
zardoz ...Too often, the ends do not justify the means.
...Too often, the ends do not justify the means.
Agreed. In fact, they never do in my way of thinking...not when dealing with humans. I am a proponent of Kantian ethics and morality, so utilitarian reasoning is fraught with defects in my view. Utilitarianism is what allows us to default to "majority rules" at the expense of one or more, as long as they are in a minority.
But to supplant moral courage and reasoning with the politics of envy is not effective. That was my point in your quote of me earlier.
-Crandell
Paul_D_North_Jr<snipped>As a result, a full-size main-line locomotive could not successfully hold back a single loaded lumber car on a 2.2 per cent grade. Doesn't that seem odd to you [Q] Even back in the day of the steam locomotives and hand brakes, they did better than that. Sure, the dynamic brakes would have prevented this, but that misses the key question of, 'What else went wrong here [Q]' <snipped>
As a result, a full-size main-line locomotive could not successfully hold back a single loaded lumber car on a 2.2 per cent grade. Doesn't that seem odd to you [Q] Even back in the day of the steam locomotives and hand brakes, they did better than that. Sure, the dynamic brakes would have prevented this, but that misses the key question of, 'What else went wrong here [Q]'
<snipped>
Paul, that train is a dangerous combination due to the fact that there was only one freight car to one locomotive, and worse that one freight car exceeded 100 tons per operative brake system. Look at BNSF or UP's ETT covering operation of such a train on a similar grade like Cima Hill on the UP or Cajon on BNSF. There is no margin for error in the train handling, the safe course would have been to bring along 4 or 5 empty freight cars for extra braking effort. As for being safely done in the Steam Era, no trains in that era had freight cars approaching that weight on four axles, retainers would have been used without question, and the rules would have specifed that the train had to have added empty freight cars for additional braking effort.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." Pogo Possum "We have met the anemone... and he is Russ." Bucky Katt "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." Niels Bohr, Nobel laureate in physics
Maybe what jeaton is saying is the "good ole' boy" network often works with more effect and more in favor to the shipper than a complaint up the offical chain of command.
Quite offten, if it is a "one day fix" type of defect, a call or word to assistant roadmaster or to his assistant, maybe over lunch, often results in the problem being handled promptly.
Keep in mind that no matter what the road, or class of road it is, MOW resources are often thin, because major capital projects are planned 2 or 3 years in advance...it is the "emergency" repairs that throw a wrench into the works.
Not to say most roads don't have a contengincy plan for such things, but personal experience has shown me that if you start with the guys who actually swing the spike maul so to speak, you can get a lot of defects fixed quite quickly.
If it is a major problem, say a frog or switch need to be replaced, a call to your assistant roadmaster buddy will most likely get the problem on the A sheet faster than a call to superintendent...and a demanding call or letter to the super will almost always get the switch leading into your plant spiked for a good while, because offically the MOW guys always, always have a long long list of higher priority things that "have" to get done, or should have been done yesterday.
And the reverse works too...if I am working a plant, and come across a defect that merits attention right now, I normaly don't call our trainmaster or roadmaster...I usualy go find the guy in the plant responsible for the track...they may have a private contractor that does their repair or they may do their own work...when I find him, I take him out, show him the problem, and hopefully we find a way to work around it for that day.
If we have to highball the plant, I am now in a position to report to my trainmaster that A: there is a problem, B: the problem has already been brought to the plants attention, and C: this is what I was told by the plant manager the fix will be.
If we are the ones who maintain the track inside the plant, (rare to find this now) then we already have a heads up, and both the guys who needs to address the problem are now aware if it.
While the good ole boy network may seem out moded in todays business world, it is alive and well in the T&E department and the MOW department of every railroad out there...because it ulitizes assets in a fast manner...trust me, the roadmaster may not be aware he has a crew sitting around for a day or two waiting on a delivery of ties or spikes, but the assistant RM does know, and he can see the sense in sending these guys who would have spent the rest of the day drinking coffee and sitting in their trucks out on a one day fix to keep a mid level shipper happy.
No wasted time, one happy shipper, the cars keep moving and the problem solved, most of the time without a complaint of any kind needed.
CN is still dealing with the changes made in the 1920'a when it was converted to government from several private bankrupt lines like GTR, GTP, CNoR, National Continantal, Inter Colonial. CN was rationalized out of these companys. If I remember right CNR was already a very efficient operating tatio by the 1980's if you discounted a few lines like, Newfoundland narrow gage, PEI, Montreal comuter lines and prairy branch lines, wich they don;t have to account for now anyways. CNR had the lowest grades for a transcontinental railway in North America, this matters if the transcontinental trains are the most profitable. This takes away from Hunter's credit but....
Maybe Hunter is just in the right place at the right time and his efforts just improve the bottum line . What about Teleir ? CN worked well for him too. Thornton's consolidations at that time are still the base on CN across canada.
Dan
From what I'm seeing all the Class 1s should take a close look at what the regionals and shortlines are doing. Why is that some of these lines...once spun off to a small operator...become successful? Look at Montreal, Maine & Atlantic for example.. In the last days of CP traffic on the Shortline was pretty much dead..in the final days of ownership under CP.trains were often nothing more than a tired RS-18u..followed by boxcar and a gondola. Now there's real traffic..even some double stack on that line because MM&A is a smaller more entrpreneurial operator who is responsive to the needs of the local shippers. Same can be said for CN's old Sherbrooke and Berlin subdivisions.. Emmons (and then Gennessee and Wyoming) brought that line back to life and now it is prospering like it hasn't in at least 50 years. Marquette Rail in upstate MI is another great example of a line that floundered under CSX but is now once again prospering. Maybe huge systems with tens of thousands of employees just don't work so well.
Re: Service complaints. It's not if you do it, it's how you do it. I don't know that it is all that different dealing with any vendor of goods or service.
On railroads, much of what happens is based on decisions made by the front line managers. Unless there have been dramatic changes in the last two decades, they daily have to make tough choices between who gets and who doesn't. The shipper with the biggest freight bill is always going to get a lot of attention. But if you are a shipper that is back in the pack, you probably want to keep a good working relationship with the local trainmaster. You may have contacts further up the management chain, but a very good way to find yourself at the bottom of th list is to make your first call to his boss, or better yet, the president of the company.
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