Montreal - Today Canadian National announced the aquisition of ice cream giant Baskin Robbins. CN leadership announced some immediate plans for the chain. They will reduce the number of flavors from 31 to 1, service will be reduced, many employees will be furloughed, stores will be closed, prices will go up, sprinkles will cost extra and visitors are no longer welcome in the vicinity of the store.
Such is the experience of living in a town, now dominated by CN, formerly populated by CNW, GBW, and WC. You get tired of their brand of vanilla after not long.
You left out that, instead of getting two scoops of ice cream each Sunday, they want you to buy 1/4 scoop each day.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Doublestack Montreal - Today Canadian National announced the aquisition of ice cream giant Baskin Robbins. CN leadership announced some immediate plans for the chain. They will reduce the number of flavors from 31 to 1, service will be reduced, many employees will be furloughed, stores will be closed, prices will go up, sprinkles will cost extra and visitors are no longer welcome in the vicinity of the store. Such is the experience of living in a town, now dominated by CN, formerly populated by CNW, GBW, and WC. You get tired of their brand of vanilla after not long.
Dan
Scarry as it may seem there is a precident with in the "FAMILY' at CN....
In the W.A. Johnston Creation of the IC Industries in the late 1970;s/1980's they diversified and among their ascquisitions was Pepsi-Cola, and IIRC IC owned a candy manufacturer --Whitman's (part of Pet,Inc. A food conglomerate. ( It may, have been in part an "urban ledgend', perpetrated by disgruntled employees(?) At one point ICIndustries became Whitman Corp.
I think greyhounds was working for IC around about the time of the emergence of IC Industries under the W.A. Johnston and then Ed Moyers' watches.. It was moyers who brought profitibility back to the ICRR by selling off rail and materials when the 'rationalized' the "MAINLINE OF MID-AMERICA" in the late '70's by removing the double tracked main stem (Chicago to NOLA) and placing 3.5 mile passing sidings every 12 miles.
Here is an interesting link about the ICRR's History:
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Illinois-Central-Corporation-Company-History.html
Please correct me if I'm wrong and any additional info will be appreciated.
oltmannd You left out that, instead of getting two scoops of ice cream each Sunday, they want you to buy 1/4 scoop each day.
And, that you have to buy it after they get it and then when they're scheduled to deliver it to you and actually show up - likely at around 3 AM . . .
- Paul North.
But I'll buy a franchise...say what you want about CN, they can make a dollar.
samfp1943 [snip] I think greyhounds was working for IC around about the time of the emergence of IC Industries under the W.A. Johnston and then Ed Moyers' watches.. It was moyers who brought profitibility back to the ICRR by selling off rail and materials when the 'rationalized' the "MAINLINE OF MID-AMERICA" in the late '70's by removing the double tracked main stem (Chicago to NOLA) and placing 3.5 mile passing sidings every 12 miles. [snip]
The other night I was re-reading a couple of Trains articles from about 5 years ago about Tennessee Pass mainly in the D&RGW / pre-SP and UP eras by Mark W. Hemphill, and about the UP's 'melt-down' and comeback by Fred Frailey. One of them mentioned Ed Moyers - as an accountant - coming on board and likewise ruthlessly cutting costs. But it ended badly for both the railroad, and for Moyers - as I recall, he lasted only a year before being ousted.
Ulrich But I'll buy a franchise...say what you want about CN, they can make a dollar.
I could make a dollar too if I slashed maintenance costs, customer service, and treated my employees as if I was the one making the company money, not them.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
coborn35 Ulrich: But I'll buy a franchise...say what you want about CN, they can make a dollar. I could make a dollar too if I slashed maintenance costs, customer service, and treated my employees as if I was the one making the company money, not them.
Ulrich: But I'll buy a franchise...say what you want about CN, they can make a dollar.
I'm glad that nobody thinks these horrid things about the UP gobbling everything in sight any more!
I think the removal of the second track of IC main line was a bit more recent than the Johnston/Moyers era--I recall thinking how nuts they were to do that just when all of the other railroads were spending money to expand their footprint again.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Wasn't it Moyers who started pulling up the 2nd track across donner when he was at the SP?
Rgds IGN
You do realize that Baskin Robbins is part of the same corporate family as BNSF, right? Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway investments owns both companies....
"I Often Dream of Trains"-From the Album of the Same Name by Robyn Hitchcock
Actually a pretty funny bit.
There is the other extreme. More than one transportation company has gone in the tank doing anything requested by the customer.
Needs for both the service provider and the customer have to be addressed.
"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
Warren Buffett's sweet-tooth and his love of Dilly Bars led him to have Berkshire-Hathaway buy International Dairy Queen, not Baskin-Robbins. A Wikipedia search of Baskin-Robbins reveals no association with B-H.
Bob-Fryml Warren Buffett's sweet-tooth and his love of Dilly Bars led him to have Berkshire-Hathaway buy International Dairy Queen, not Baskin-Robbins. A Wikipedia search of Baskin-Robbins reveals no association with B-H.
I stand corrected..although my recollection is not completely faulty as I did find a web article that mentioned that B-H at one time did have a significant investment in the now defunct Allied Domincq PLC, which at one time owned Baskin Robbins..
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BUFFETT'S+SWEET+TOOTH%3B+BILLIONAIRE+MOVES+PORTFOLIO+INTO+DOUGHNUTS,...-a083611925
Now you know amongst many Canadians their hatred not only for CN but the CPR also, these monoliths controlled rail movements in Canada for a century, one was a Government operated monopoly and the other controlled the Government, we were glad to see them hit the U.S. and will wait to see how they perform their methods south of the border, don't be surprised to see them slither back across the border in the future.
Except that both CN (GTW, CV, DW&P) and CP (Soo) have had a presence in the United States for decades.
CSSHEGEWISCH Except that both CN (GTW, CV, DW&P) and CP (Soo) have had a presence in the United States for decades.
I don't think those railways were any great threat to the U.S. Railway system, I just saw an (antique) locomotive in Truro N.S. it was in such bad shape I thought it was abandoned. Hope to get a photo.
tatans Now you know amongst many Canadians their hatred not only for CN but the CPR also, these monoliths controlled rail movements in Canada for a century, one was a Government operated monopoly and the other controlled the Government, we were glad to see them hit the U.S. and will wait to see how they perform their methods south of the border, don't be surprised to see them slither back across the border in the future.
The railroads ran the governments here, too - so nothing new.
The running joke in the past was that every session of the Pennsylvania state house closed with the statement: "With the Pennsylvania Railroad having no further business, the house is now adjourned"
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
tatans Now you know amongst many Canadians their hatred not only for CN but the CPR also, these monoliths controlled rail movements in Canada for a century, one was a Government operated monopoly and the other controlled the Government
Now you know amongst many Canadians their hatred not only for CN but the CPR also, these monoliths controlled rail movements in Canada for a century, one was a Government operated monopoly and the other controlled the Government
There is a famous old Canadian joke told with regional variations for most of that century.
A Saskatchewan homesteader had to leave his wife and farm and go into Regina for business. While he was gone his barn burned down, his crop was hailed out, and his wife ran off with a traveling salesman. When he got home and saw what happened, he raised his fist to the sky and shouted, "God *** the CPR!!"
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
CNW 6000 CSSHEGEWISCH: Except that both CN (GTW, CV, DW&P) and CP (Soo) have had a presence in the United States for decades. Don't forget from CN:-WC-EJ&E-DM&IR-IC
CSSHEGEWISCH: Except that both CN (GTW, CV, DW&P) and CP (Soo) have had a presence in the United States for decades.
Don't forget from CN:-WC-EJ&E-DM&IR-IC
We try to forget those.
Whatever happened to Howard Johnson's 28 flavors? Did CP buy them?
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