Routing Of Cars

[mudchicken]

Deggesty

 

Murphy Siding

     You might want to check your spelling. Meow!

 

 

 

 

Yes, to rout cats, simply shout "Scat!" Each will then choose its own route.

 

 

Naw, they will just sit there and hiss at'cha....

 

Routing cats = herding cats = whatever loose car routing plan in in effect at the time until somebody comes up with a new

[PNWRMNM]

Ira,

Today there are relatively few route and rate combinations available.

First if the trafic is local, that is all on one Class and (and affiliated short line) the route is CLASS I.

If involves two carriers, say BNSF and CSXT there are more or less natural routes, some either way, and some forced.

A "natural" route would be Pacific Northwest to a consignee on CSX in Buffalo NY. The obvious route is over Chicago BNSF - CHI - CSX.

Somewhere in CSXT there is a line on their system map that CSX prefers to get cars north of at Chicaqgo, and south of at Memphis. CSX may or may not enforce that preference by demanding $X via Chicago and $X plus or $X minus over Memphis. If BNSF wants same $ either way, then CSX revenue requirement will steer the traffic one way or another.

Another case is that the rates are the same on two or more reasonable routes. Here the owner of the goods, which could be the shipper if product sold FOB destination, or the consingee/buyer if sold FOB origin, will usually prefer the "best service" route, that is the least time/most reliable.

Now just to confuse the issue go back to that customer in Buffalo served by CSX and assume he is open to reciprocal switching. The idea of reciprocal switching is that CSX will spot NS cars to CSX customers and NS will spot CSX cars to NS customers within a defined switching district or terminal. Each line haul carrier will charge the other for the switching service, say $250 per car. If NS wants to compete for the traffic to that CSX customer, NS will absorb, or pay for the reciprocal switch. NS may choose its option.

NS is at a disadvantage here since if car comes over Chicago, NS must match CSX portion of the rate AND absorb the switch charge. In addition it will take at least 24 hours longer to get the car spotted because it has to go thru NS yard, and a transfer that a car arriving on CSX does not have to. In this case car will probably move CSX from Chicago due to some combination of better service via CSX direct, and reletively less interest by NS due to cost of switch charge. This decision will be made by the consignee who will tell the shipper how to route the car. If car originates on NS, then NS will obviously pay the switch charge.

As to permanence, again depends on the situation, but most traffic will move on the same route between any given shipper/consignee pair until somebody decides they need to change something, which will not happen often.

This is post Staggers situation. In the regulated days there were far more carriers, and far more routing options. Some were very slow and roundabout. That is a whole nother kettle of fish. One thing the carriers did post staggers was to close many of those turkey trail routes.

Mac

[cv_acr]

It's my understanding that the shipper may choose a particular routing.

Otherwise it's probably the most direct, efficient route (not necessarily the same as shortest).

[Deggesty]

Murphy Siding

     You might want to check your spelling. Meow!

 

Yes, to rout cats, simply shout "Scat!" Each will then choose its own route.

[Murphy Siding]

     You might want to check your spelling. Meow!

[caldreamer]

I have 2 questions about the routing of a shipment.

1. If a shipper buys from a seller, is the car routed by the most direct route (i.e. least number of railroads to interchange with) or is it by the most convient route at the time of shipment?

2. If the route is by the most direct route, is this a permenent routing for all shipments between the shipper and the seller?

    Thanks In Advance

            Ira

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