Yet More CSX 'Buffoonery'!

[Anonymous]

Jim
Sounds like you have it a little better on CN. I have rode with crews before doing locomotive check rides. I don't see how they do it. I think the alerter saves a lot of lifes. By the way that wreck I talked about in the previous message on the UP, the lead locomotive did not an alerter.

Don L.

[Anonymous]

Don, how they feel asleep? I wouldn't know. I can't answer for what happened there. If they blew a red then there is no excuse for that. I am not familiar with the work rules on the UP. I know at CN we can book rest after ten hours of work. Then they put a fresh crew on the train.

I work from Toronto to Buffalo and change off with both NS and CSX crews And they tell me that they somtimes wait at the away from home terminal for up to 50 hours for a call. At CN after 14 hours they have to deadhead us home. I think that with that kind of layover it would be hard to get the proper rest required to work long hours.

[thirdrail1]

I am now retired, but I worked for a union railroad small enough to know everyone that worked for the company. From what I saw there and at the non-union short line I worked for before that, it is maybe 5 percent of the employees that have 90 percent of the accidents and incidents. The union does not serve the 95 percent of its membership that works safely by protecting the 5 percent that make their job more dangerous. That is what I was referring to about imparting infinite wisdom - that the union rep would immediately state that the crew could not possibly have done anything wrong. By the way, I agree 100 percent that the major railroads are putting crews out there with far too little training and experience - but that problem bagan 50 years ago when management started reducing the size of the work force and physical plant, so that instead of a forty year career and less than three percent of the work force retiring each year, the railroads are faced with a rapidly aging work force being forced to try to train what should have been a decade's worth of new hires in a year or two.

[Anonymous]

Jim
Tell me how two crew members fell asleep long enough to blow thru a red and rear end the back of another train in Mo on the UP. I understand things happen. However when crews are given 2nd and 3rd chances to get back into the cab of a 10K to 16K ton train again. I seriously question how this can happen. Can you help me with this one. As far as training, I agree with you. Crews need more time to get experience.

Don

[Anonymous]

Gregg, you have the typical railway manager's attitude. You back peddal and say I never meant that. Explain to me what this statement means "Don't you know once they join the union they can do no wrong?" or this one " Union membership gives them infinite wisdom and judgement." or " Anything that happens is mangement's fault." Who were these statement directed at? You weren't pointing the finger at the crew? It sure seemed that way to me!

In today's railway many of the mistakes are made by inexperienced crew members. With the conductor only trains in just six months these guys off the street are put in charge of a 10,000 foot train. IN the old days a conductor had many years on before being classed up. Which made for safer train operation because many of the rules became second nature.

So, Gregg maybe management is to blame. I can also tell in your posts you don't like transportation employees, that is typical of other departments.

[Anonymous]

What do you mean by "you don't have to be smart to be a brakeman"?

The railroads hire college grads to run the company, not to run trains. Just because you have a college education and work in an office doesn't make you smart either. Most entry level jobs don't pay as well as the railway does. That the only reason the majority of us are there is money!

[wabash1]

every rule violation that i have seen that caused a mishap was due to the crew being ole heads. men with 25 years of service. the idea they have is i been railroading for years and i aint changing now for collage educated idiots who dont know what is going on or for the new guys wanting to do rule compliance. guys getting run over, cars rolling into engines ripping open fuel tanks. derailments . all i can say is that when im on the engine i hope i dont get ran into by the cut of cars we cut away from and have all that paper work to do. plus the drug test. in this day of railroading it should be common sense to cover your butt. then you dont haft to worry about being fired. im against management but i also like my job and i wont short cut their rules... its their ball its thier bats and their game play by it and if it screws up its their baby. i love it when they have nobody to blame but themselves. makes them humble.

[thirdrail1]

Just where did you get the idea that I blamed the crew?? You must be better at reading what I say than I am in writing it. You say I blame the unions. Well, your attitude saying I blamed the crew is exactly and precisely why I DO blame the unions. Neither you nor I know enough about the circumstances to know who is at fault, but you, in your typical union attitude, are saying that I blame the crew, which means, perforce, that you hold them blameless. Yes, I spent my entire railroad career in management, and have never operated a Diesel locomotive. But, I have managed to secure a multimillion dollar contract that kept several union crews employed for over 15 years. My part was always to find the source of traffic and the money it paid so that everyone else could earn a living. When you're selling on this level, you'd better know one helluva lot about just what you are selling.

[Anonymous]

Jim why do the railroads want to hire college graduates.I know you dont have to be smart to be a brakeman.Working 7 days in all kinds of weather being away from home.If i had a college education i sure would not work uncofortable.

[Anonymous]

Gregg, spoken like a true mangement type. When was the last time you ran a train?

Where did you obtain such vast railroading knowledge? You are very quick to blame the crew. Do you have any idea what the working condition are for road crews?

You also lay the blame on the unions. Did you know that the railways have a very high turnover rate for employees? That's because they FIRE men for rule violations! Every day our jobs are threatened by the company for not wanting to work 11 or 12 hours per day sometimes 7 days a week on the road! Why don't you try that?

The companies also cut cost by not maintaining equipment. This could also be the cause of this runaway. Think before you say anything about these incidents. Also the details were sketchy, how long were the cars left there? Were handbrakes applied?

[Anonymous]

Gregg...in these circumstances I have to agree with you. As you and I have occasionally differed on Union business, I still recognise the unmistakeable fact that there is not enough employee accountability, and that the Union's are largely responsible. What kind of employee has more lives than any cat? A R.R. employee of course!

[Anonymous]

Gregg...in these circumstances I have to agree with you. As you and I have occasionally differed on Union business, I still recognise the unmistakeable fact that there is not enough employee accountability, and that the Union's are largely responsible. What kind of employee has more lives than any cat? A R.R. employee of course!

[thirdrail1]

Don't you know that once they join the union they can do no wrong? Union memebership gives them infinite wisdom and judgement. Anything that happens is always the management's fault.

[Anonymous]

Look what the railroads are hireing. They know they cant get fired.

[Anonymous]

How much of this CSX buffoonery can this country, and Rail-Road industry stand? Quite a bit I would say if these continuing escapades of this 'R.R.' are allowed to keep re-occurring as they seem to be. Where is the accountability on behalf of this 'R.R.'? They have yet to account for what really happened on the previous 'run-away'. This most recent event near Rochester is unbelievable! Why didn't the crew secure the 40 plus car train before cutting away the 'power'? Especially on a 1% grade! And thinking that they could stop this run-away with 'light power' without the brake hose connected. There are enough safety rules etc. on the different R.R.'s to now cover any and all circumstances that may occur. My 3 ring binder rule and safety book is now at least 6 inches thick, and may somehow be even more so after this rediculous occurance...Hommie