MidlandMike daveklepper Coiuld a dinnert train out of Albuquerque break even or better? If we are still talking about Raton Pass, the start of the pass is 5 hours from ABQ.
daveklepper Coiuld a dinnert train out of Albuquerque break even or better?
Coiuld a dinnert train out of Albuquerque break even or better?
If we are still talking about Raton Pass, the start of the pass is 5 hours from ABQ.
(1) I was part of a crew that ran 8800 ft trains La Junta to Albuquerque during strikes in the 1980's using locotrol equipment. The surviving tunnel (newer and longer Tunnel 2) has a relay antenna along the crown and barely could accept double stacks .... Old wooden lined tunnel 1 could not even clear certain autoracks in the bad old days - got plugged more than once before they abandoned that tunnel)
(2) There are two (really three) bridges that will not allow stack trains. (the bridge near Mora/Doolittle Canyon/Watrous just clears - even after the helicopter crashed into it) . The gusset plates foul the other two (especially the Canyoncito/ Apache Canyon bridge)....
All the old head qualified crews have just about all retired. Nobody BNSF still qualified to run that line. Plus there is the mess south of Las Vegas where the state of NM is not helping matters any. (no on-line business for 200+ miles does not help either)
Dreyfusshudson <SNIP> With respect to clearances, I don't recall that many bridges between Albuquerque and Trinidad?- tunnel apart of course. Can't speak for La Junta to Kansas City- it's dark then!
<SNIP>
With respect to clearances, I don't recall that many bridges between Albuquerque and Trinidad?- tunnel apart of course. Can't speak for La Junta to Kansas City- it's dark then!
As a BNSF trainman at Wellington, we do not want traffic moving over Raton (which it never well). That would mean less pool board slots for Wellks & Amarillo
BNSF: We've known since the 19th Century Glorieta and Raton are operational bottlenecks and money pits.
Which is basically any RR that goes through mountains.
Railfans: More trains!
Great. A whole-day trip. Breakfast optional, lunch and dinner standard. Leave at 8:30 Am, return at 8:30 PM. Gourmet-quality, Kosher, Vegetarian, Salt-free, all options asvailable. PA system used by tour-guide.
Coiuld a dinner train out of Albuquerque break even or better?
tree68That's what happens when people with no clue how a business operates try to run said business...
Agree, and the new CEO seems to see the importance of upgrading their IT infrastructure. This is a HUGE project and will take several years, hopefully some good will remains after that.
Not mentioned here that another trigger of their meltdown was management arrogance toward critical front line personnel. The bad storm through their large Denver base resulted, indirectly, in more ramp personnel calling in sick. Management sent out a bulletin strongly suggesting they work sick and with even more overtime, doctors letter required, etc. As a result half the ramp guys quit and this cascaded to other locations.
The personnel replacement system crashed hard - too many transactions queued.
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
Southwest Airlines will be fine.
All companies have issues. Southwest has a certain amount of goodwill built up. Plus, who else offers the service to points and frequency that they do?That being said....fix the problem.
Ed
Erik_MagSouthwest Airlines
I had the same thought when I heard some of the backstory of their meltdown.
That's what happens when people with no clue how a business operates try to run said business...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
"PSR disease" doesn't seem to be limited to the railroads. The CEO of Southwest Airlines from 2004(?) till a year ago was very focused on cost containment to the point of not updating the pilot scheduling software. Not sure how long it will take Southwest to win the trust of its customers.
One good thing from last weeks fiasco was that my older son was home for three more days than he was originally scheduled to be home.
SD70Dude kgbw49 No kidding. Where is the precision? Where is the schedule? Where is the railroading? Theoretically, the ideal railroad has no track, no customers, and no trains. All those things are cost centres. Without them there would be no costs to allocate and the accountants could lay off everyone except themselves. Then they could just sit there and watch the company's profits roll in all day long.
kgbw49 No kidding. Where is the precision? Where is the schedule? Where is the railroading?
No kidding.
Where is the precision?
Where is the schedule?
Where is the railroading?
Theoretically, the ideal railroad has no track, no customers, and no trains. All those things are cost centres. Without them there would be no costs to allocate and the accountants could lay off everyone except themselves. Then they could just sit there and watch the company's profits roll in all day long.
Actually, that's sort of been done in another industry. In Montreal back in the 1980s there was a commercial carpet cleaning service that was raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in sales. Only, they didn't do carpet cleaning or anything else other than send out invoices for services not rendered. They started out legitimately enough.. but the owners soon noticed that wayward invoices for small amounts got paid anyway, and it wasn't a stretch from there to dispense with carpet cleaning altogether and simply send bills out... if they got paid great.. if not.. then that was ok too as no costs were incurred. Occasionally someone complained... "we didn't order or receive any carpet cleaning".. in which case the firm simply apologized for the "billing error". Eventually, after about a year or so.. they got greedy.. they nolonger let unpaid invoices go.. instead they followed up with threats of collection, and that's what finally did them in. So getting rid of everything except the accounting.. its been done!
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Gramp kgbw49 No kidding. Where is the precision? Where is the schedule? Where is the railroading? A couple of more accurate wording for PSR could include but would not be limited to: Poor Service Railroading Pathetic Shortage of Railroaders Pathetic Shortage of Real assets (locomotives and track capacity) And now the govt. is telling UP to get the tardy grain trains to the chickens at Foster Farms.
kgbw49 No kidding. Where is the precision? Where is the schedule? Where is the railroading? A couple of more accurate wording for PSR could include but would not be limited to: Poor Service Railroading Pathetic Shortage of Railroaders Pathetic Shortage of Real assets (locomotives and track capacity)
A couple of more accurate wording for PSR could include but would not be limited to:
Poor Service Railroading
Pathetic Shortage of Railroaders
Pathetic Shortage of Real assets (locomotives and track capacity)
And now the govt. is telling UP to get the tardy grain trains to the chickens at Foster Farms.
I rely on Foster Farms for the Corn dogs, not their chickens.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
It is interesting to see your post from 8 years ago given what PSR has done in the intervening years. Rather than double track by 2035, it seems railroads will be lucky to retain the traffic they have now after the recent meltdowns. We've also seen their strategy to manage traffic under PSR - pick and choose what you want and dump the rest.
The fate of the Raton Pass line is remarkably similar to that of the ex-PRR main through Fort Wayne in the 1980's and 1990's. Conrail routed through traffic onto other mains and the line became a glorified branch serving Amtrak and a handful of local freights. Amtrak eventually discontinued its service and the line is now the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern.
I rode this route with SW Chief and people in Raton and the Philmont Ranch boy scouts want to keep the Chief running on that route. Hope it works, as it is a scenic line.
Mark Meyer
kgbw49 ATSF 2926 - the Baldwin-built 4-8-4 Northern being restored in Albuquerque - should be able to utilize the Raton Pass line for running excursions. ATSF 2926 has 80 inch drivers and a boiler with 300 lbs psi steam pressure. It is a member of the heaviest class of 4-8-4 Northerns ever built. It was equally at home on passenger and freight trains and could lope along at 90 mph. The “big-barreled” moniker is a reference to its large boiler diameter. https://www.newmexico.org/listing/new-mexico-steam-locomotive-%26-railroad-historical-society/2162/
ATSF 2926 - the Baldwin-built 4-8-4 Northern being restored in Albuquerque - should be able to utilize the Raton Pass line for running excursions.
ATSF 2926 has 80 inch drivers and a boiler with 300 lbs psi steam pressure. It is a member of the heaviest class of 4-8-4 Northerns ever built. It was equally at home on passenger and freight trains and could lope along at 90 mph.
The “big-barreled” moniker is a reference to its large boiler diameter.
https://www.newmexico.org/listing/new-mexico-steam-locomotive-%26-railroad-historical-society/2162/
Ah. That would be great to see. The only operating Santa Fe Steam I ever got to see was when the PRR leased some big beautiful 2-10-4's for use hauling coal from Columbus OH to Sandusky OH. back in the late fifties. Watched two accelerate their train after being stopped a Worthington. Great show.
Ah1That would be great to see. The only operating Santa Fe Steam I ever got to see was when the PRR leased some big beautiful 2-10-4's for use hauling coal from Columbus OH to Sandusky OH. back in the late fifties. Watched two accelerate their train after being stopped a Worthington. Great show. Found this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5zOCNNw6t0
http://steamtrainpics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/091315_1411_AnotherLarg1.jpg
http://img.kansasmemory.org/thumb500/00207918.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fKi7BBEwLAI/TyHKr_qhGlI/AAAAAAAAAA0/5l6DKhsn630/s1600/2-Kistler+photo--2926+in+San+Diego.jpg
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/180072.jpg
And here is a classmate of 2926 on freight...
https://assets.train-simulator.com/app/uploads/article-images/3d2cf976-87ab-4a77-b15c-cb0bb536f471.jpg?width=640
ATSF 2926 is definitely a Big-Barreled Baldwin! Plus it is just fun to say it!
kgbw49 At least it won’t be long before a certain Big-Barreled Baldwin gets a chance to stretch its legs on at least a portion of the Raton Pass Route.
At least it won’t be long before a certain Big-Barreled Baldwin gets a chance to stretch its legs on at least a portion of the Raton Pass Route.
Please elaborate for this confused reader.
3.5% grades tight clearences that can not fit double stack trains and a lack of qualified crews to run over it. There is no way Raton ever comes back from the dead.
(Much of it is already welded rail, especially on the hills with significant stretches of 132# jointed) The fun with the line starts when you put heavy freight trains in sidings with lightweight rail and a dearth of anchors.
Spent too many summers with a rail profile gage (think etch-a-sketch for rail engineers) up on Raton & Glorietta. I have my doubts on how effectively used the $$$ will be used when administered by State DOT's (clueless bus people)
diningcar blue streak 1, It appears BNSF does not wish to use this line. They have sold it between the east switch at Lamy to Albuq. to the State of NM. They do not wish to assume the cost of maintaining the RR to the standards required for freight operations and with the detours available in the RARE NEED situations they seem to be handling their business well on the double track, CTC , Transcon.
blue streak 1, It appears BNSF does not wish to use this line. They have sold it between the east switch at Lamy to Albuq. to the State of NM. They do not wish to assume the cost of maintaining the RR to the standards required for freight operations and with the detours available in the RARE NEED situations they seem to be handling their business well on the double track, CTC , Transcon.
I wonder how that might change with the recent announcement of a federal transportation grant to lay welded rail and do tie replacement on the line to support Amtrak operations?
With the line in good shape it might be more attractive to BNSF for detours and occasional overflow trafficl.
blue streak 1There should be enough old heads previously qualified that would need only a trip or two to requalify ?
I have my doubts on how many 'old heads' are still around. With RR Retirement being age 55 with 30 years service, many of those hired from 1970 on are well within the retirement parameters. I may be wrong but I don't think BNSF has used the Raton Pass line for it's own business for a decade or more, if that timeline is anywhere near correct there are very few people still working that ever ran the line.
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