I'm reminded of the Christmas story about the handicapped child who got to run a switch engine because of a trainmaster who had lost his own son under similar circumstances.
Perhaps that low level operating officer should also have some such trouble--and then he would understand that there are personal matters that NEED attending to, even when they interfere with work. Does he have no compassion?
Johnny
selector jeffhergert dakotafred . Employees "scared for their lives"? I think we'd have heard more about this on this forum. On another forum, mostly populated by rail workers, there calling the CP the new NS. For their heavy handed discipline, not because of their financial performance. Jeff This sounds like 'political posturing' and hyperbole. Most of us would understand that the 'truth' is somewhwere else. It strikes me as possible, at least, that the heavy handed approach to discicpline might be restoring more than just viability to CP. It might be encouraging a needed culture change that will sustain the company and its thousands of jobs. It is never black and white. -Crandell
jeffhergert dakotafred . Employees "scared for their lives"? I think we'd have heard more about this on this forum. On another forum, mostly populated by rail workers, there calling the CP the new NS. For their heavy handed discipline, not because of their financial performance. Jeff
dakotafred . Employees "scared for their lives"? I think we'd have heard more about this on this forum.
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Employees "scared for their lives"? I think we'd have heard more about this on this forum.
On another forum, mostly populated by rail workers, there calling the CP the new NS. For their heavy handed discipline, not because of their financial performance.
Jeff
This sounds like 'political posturing' and hyperbole. Most of us would understand that the 'truth' is somewhwere else. It strikes me as possible, at least, that the heavy handed approach to discicpline might be restoring more than just viability to CP. It might be encouraging a needed culture change that will sustain the company and its thousands of jobs. It is never black and white.
-Crandell
Well, you know... oh never mind.
You need to work for a railroad to know what it's really like to work for a railroad. Some things are beyond belief, like one co worker who was called into a conference about absenteeism. He had suffered a house fire and then a child getting sick and ending up in the hospital. At the conference a low level operating officer told him that he needed to let his family know that the railroad came first. If the employee wanted, the officer could explain it to his family.
dakotafredAgent Kid would find that, contrary to his 24-hour rule, anybody who bought CP stock at Harrison's start 18 months ago, and has held on, has enjoyed a steady rise -- tracking the road's improved performance -- to double what it cost him.
Talk about the past is cheap. It is the going forward that is the big concern. It seems CN is not releasing their year end report until after the markets close today. I will look at those numbers and get back to this thread tomorrow or over the weekend.
Bruce
So shovel the coal, let this rattler roll.
"A Train is a Place Going Somewhere" CP Rail Public Timetable
"O. S. Irricana"
. . . __ . ______
It is the American business philosophy and cycle: invest, build, sell, buyer runs good business, investors reap, plant falls to ruin by lack of attention, business sold to one who fixes then sells for profit, etc. It is a matter of a see saw and cycle that it gets built, profits are taken until it falls apart, sold to a rebuilder, sold to investors to reap profits, etc.
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Maybe "scared for their jobs" would be more appropriate. And I am not talking about being furloughed.
Harrison is bringing CP's numbers in line with industry norms. For years the Company has been the industry lightweight, always the laggard in terms of performance and profitability. If his motivation was only short term gain over long-term viability he would not have bothered to put together a succession plan, and he would not have troubled himself with luring CN's star operations man, Keith Creel, over to CP. With Creel, CP will have excellent leadership for the foreseeable future.
As a long-term shareholder in CP I'm happy with the progress to date.. This is not to say that things are perfect, but they're at least going in the right direction quickly. Certain issues need to be addressed, and certainly any employee safety issues need to remain front and center. Employees are stakeholders too, and more importantly, many put their lives on the line; and that fact should (and I believe does) trump any shareholder interest in CP.
Some of us need to get a grip. Harrison did not exactly leave gutted properties behind at the former IC and at CN. I believe CN was setting the pace that CP aspired to when they brought Harrison out of retirement.
Employees "scared for their lives"? I think we'd have heard more about that on this forum.
At IC, Harrison made the first experiment I am aware of to improve the lives of his train and engine people, bringing them home every night by having northbound and south swap trains halfway thru their runs.
Yes, he's trying to wring more productivity out of his workers, like every other business. Most workers are used to it and generally prefer it to seeing their jobs go somewhere else. What entitles CP employees to exemption from the economic rules everybody else has to live by?
Agent Kid would find that, contrary to his 24-hour rule, anybody who bought CP stock at Harrison's start 18 months ago, and has held on, has enjoyed a steady rise -- tracking the road's improved performance -- to double what it cost him.
As for steam: The floppy cap-and-neckerchief crowd has lots of options. Pardon a busy Class 1 for sidetracking it in favor of business.
Coborn's second sentence above regarding employees is completely valid. And it's just the tip of the iceberg. If the business media bothered to step foot near CP property and ask questions, or take educated notice of the way things are being done now, or the condition certain things are in, it would tell quite a different story. One aside I keep coming back to: was it just lack of interest, or economic necessity, that led CP under EHH to mothball its glorious and fully functional steam program, while UP has opted to take a dead and non-functioning Big Boy and restore it?
Henry and Bruce, thank you for a dose of reality. Any large company can show a big bump in profit if it guts the work force, maintenance, and service.
Seems, that at one time it was fashionable to provided the best service at the best price for the customer. Now it is to provide the best quarterly earnings for the stock analyst.
Ken G Price My N-Scale Layout
Digitrax Super Empire Builder Radio System. South Valley Texas Railroad. SVTRR
N-Scale out west. 1996-1998 or so! UP, SP, Missouri Pacific, C&NW.
dakotafredHenry: If you have answers to any of your questions, please share. Otherwise, you seem to be making statements by insinuation rather than asking questions.
Actually Henry6's questions are overwhelmingly important and of paramount importance if anyone is thinking of holding CPR shares for more than 24 hours at a time.
Canadian Pacific is in free fall. Employees scared for their lives. Enron made a lot of money too.
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
Henry: If you have answers to any of your questions, please share. Otherwise, you seem to be making statements by insinuation rather than asking questions.
Of course he has succeeded in making money for the stockholders and investors. But how are his customers doing? And how many days are there shortages of crews or extra days added to deliveries because of shortage of equipment or crews or the elimination of trains period? Oh, maybe not on the whole railroad or not that everybody or anybody can see, but what part of CP railroads have been lost? Is making money...and I don't discount its importance and need...the only measure of success? What if a penny less is earned but there are more satisfied customers who got their traffic on time or payed less so will be around to buy again tomorrow?
He is very good at what he does, earns short term profits.
An "expensive model collector"
Today the Canadian Pacific reported a record quarter, including an operating ratio down to 65.9, closing in on Harrison's goal of 65 by 2015. For the year, the OR was 69.9.
I think it's safe to say at this point that Harrison has delivered on his promises at CP in spades.
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