BaltACD Winter is coming..both here and in Europe. Expect oil prices to go up again, especially without Russian oil supplies to Europe. Flintlock76 ... By the way, the answer to $4.00+ a gallon gasolene is not a $40,000 electric car, not if you're a person of limited means. Locally, in the past 6 or so weeks price has gone from $5.01 for Regular down to a observed $4.19 today. How low it will go, remains to be seen.
Flintlock76 ... By the way, the answer to $4.00+ a gallon gasolene is not a $40,000 electric car, not if you're a person of limited means.
By the way, the answer to $4.00+ a gallon gasolene is not a $40,000 electric car, not if you're a person of limited means.
Locally, in the past 6 or so weeks price has gone from $5.01 for Regular down to a observed $4.19 today. How low it will go, remains to be seen.
Backshop Right now, my wife and I have two Subarus, which both get 30+mpg. I can see us getting a hybrid in the future. Right now, I don't see an electic vehicle being in our future since we do a lot of road trips.
Right now, my wife and I have two Subarus, which both get 30+mpg. I can see us getting a hybrid in the future. Right now, I don't see an electic vehicle being in our future since we do a lot of road trips.
Outbacks or Legacys? Our Camry Hybrid is coming to end of lease. Neither Subaru nor Toyota dealers here have any new cars on their lots. I lucked out to reserve a Venza that's due in in six weeks. Everything else is six months or more out. The only thing I don't like about our Outback is the slow response screen. Camry's been good with mpg in the 40's.
Flintlock76... By the way, the answer to $4.00+ a gallon gasolene is not a $40,000 electric car, not if you're a person of limited means.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Flintlock76Get a horse? Imagine the pollution problem if the 90+ million cars on the road were 90+ million horses. Your turn.
My first response is ...NEIGH....
But seriously, I am 86 and living in a senior community and driving a 2008 GMC Envoy that has 58k miles on it. I am doubting whether I will ever buy a new car again. Driving less than a 1000 miles a year now. It is four wheel drive but lacks all the new safety tech (lane avoidance, back up camera, etc.) that I would like.
Also, I would have to have a charging station installed on our campus just for me. Not going to happen.
But I can dream...
charlie hebdo 110 years ago: Where's all the gasoline going to come from? How about service stations? How to dispose of those horseless buggies when they wear out? All that steel!! How to pay for roads? What to do with all those worn out tires? Better get a horse, sonny,!!
110 years ago:
Where's all the gasoline going to come from?
How about service stations?
How to dispose of those horseless buggies when they wear out? All that steel!!
How to pay for roads?
What to do with all those worn out tires?
Better get a horse, sonny,!!
1. Gasolene was a waste byproduct of oil being refined into kerosene. No-one knew what to do with it until the gasolene engine came along other than to use it as a solvent.
2. 110 years ago? That's 1912. There were thousands of automobiles on the road by that time and filling stations had been established. If you couldn't get it at a filling station you could get it at the general store.
3. How to dispose of all those horseless buggys? Easy. They melted 'em down into more horseless buggys. Or during the 1940's they made tanks, ships, artillery, and other things useful at the time.
3. How to pay for roads? At first, drivers licences. Later, gas taxes. Later, tolls. Later, run screaming to Uncle Sugar. Just like a lot of people do now anyway for other things, like high-speed rail.
4. Worn out tires? We've still got the problem. And we'll still have it.
Get a horse? Imagine the pollution problem if the 90+ million cars on the road were 90+ million horses.
Your turn.
Euclid Meanwhile we can completely eliminate present internal combustion private automobiles in just months or weeks.
charlie hebdo110 years ago: Where's all the gasoline going to come from? How about service stations? How to dispose of those horseless buggies when they wear out? All that steel!! How to pay for roads? What to do with all those worn out tires? Better get a horse, sonny,!!
140 years ago - what is all this unusuable liquid that is coming from refining crude oil into kerosene.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/a24666/how-the-amish-build-a-buggy/
I notice 'road apples' when I travel US 11/15 when going to race at Watkins Glen, NY.
Where's the electricity going to come from to juice all those EV's?
How about charging stations? They're still far from universal. And if you do find one if you need one plan on being there 20 minutes to a half-hour, assuming there isn't a line ahead of you. No five-minute gas n' go like the Exxon station. And plan on using up the battery charge faster if you're using the air conditioning or the heater.
How will those huge batteries be disposed of when they wear out? And they will. Speaking of the batteries, do we really want to keep buying lithium from China, a major polluter in their own right and who could care less?
Where's the funding going to come from for highway maintanance when the gas tax money isn't there?
And EV's are a lot heavier than gas cars are, so has anyone thought about used tire disposal? Tires will wear out sooner so there's going to be a lot more to get rid of. Speaking of weight don't plan on pushing that thing any great distance if you're battery's dead. Better have AAA on speed-dial.
Mind you, I'm not 100% against EV's, they do have uses in some applications but in my (and others opinions) they're not the panacea they're being presented as. They're going to have issues all their own. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Today's news: Ford to lay off 8000 due to the requirement to build EV's.
The UAW President expects to lose 35000 jobs because the manufacture of EV's have fewer parts.
With every innovation there is an adjustment in the workforce. Anyone ready to go back to the horse and buggy?
Backshop BaltACD Backshop I guess that you're not familiar with the bridge. Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Bridge - Wikipedia I've passed it hundreds of times on the PA Turnpike - before the Turnpike Commission decided to make the Turnpike even more costly than gasoline. In comparison trips to Akron, using I-70, I-68, I-79, I-70, I-77 is only about 15 minutes slower, more photogenic and NO TOLLS My comment was directed more at Ulrich, since I don't think graffiti artists would be clambering on that bridge. The first time that I saw it in the mid 70s, we were on the Turnpike and there was a southbound ore train. I thought that would be a common occurence but I never again saw a train on it during my numrous trips.
BaltACD Backshop I guess that you're not familiar with the bridge. Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Bridge - Wikipedia I've passed it hundreds of times on the PA Turnpike - before the Turnpike Commission decided to make the Turnpike even more costly than gasoline. In comparison trips to Akron, using I-70, I-68, I-79, I-70, I-77 is only about 15 minutes slower, more photogenic and NO TOLLS
Backshop I guess that you're not familiar with the bridge. Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Bridge - Wikipedia
Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Bridge - Wikipedia
I've passed it hundreds of times on the PA Turnpike - before the Turnpike Commission decided to make the Turnpike even more costly than gasoline.
In comparison trips to Akron, using I-70, I-68, I-79, I-70, I-77 is only about 15 minutes slower, more photogenic and NO TOLLS
My comment was directed more at Ulrich, since I don't think graffiti artists would be clambering on that bridge. The first time that I saw it in the mid 70s, we were on the Turnpike and there was a southbound ore train. I thought that would be a common occurence but I never again saw a train on it during my numrous trips.
I was commuting between Akron & Baltimore for a number of years in the 1970's on a bi-weekly basis. Seeing trains on the bridge was a infrequent happening.
BackshopI guess that you're not familiar with the bridge. Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Bridge - Wikipedia
I guess that you're not familiar with the bridge.
BaltACD Backshop CN should invest some money in the old B&LE Allegheny River bridge just east of Pittsburgh. In the old days, it was painted a solid light green. I saw it today and a quarter of surface area was rust. Carriers inspect their bridges for structural integrity - not for esthitics. In many cases, a coat of rust is just as good a protector as a coat of paint.
Backshop CN should invest some money in the old B&LE Allegheny River bridge just east of Pittsburgh. In the old days, it was painted a solid light green. I saw it today and a quarter of surface area was rust.
Carriers inspect their bridges for structural integrity - not for esthitics. In many cases, a coat of rust is just as good a protector as a coat of paint.
And they know the graffiti people will paint it in short order anyway. Why waste precious shareholder dollars on that..
BackshopCN should invest some money in the old B&LE Allegheny River bridge just east of Pittsburgh. In the old days, it was painted a solid light green. I saw it today and a quarter of surface area was rust.
CN should invest some money in the old B&LE Allegheny River bridge just east of Pittsburgh. In the old days, it was painted a solid light green. I saw it today and a quarter of surface area was rust.
BaltACD Ulrich I guess the law of entropy applies to business as well. Over the years I've seen many well organized and well managed companies slowly degrade to become so so companies or worse.. poor performers. Rarely have I seen poor performers slowly evolve to become well run and efficient. I have seen poor performers transformed quickly however.. through massive change involving restructuring and new management, and perhaps that was the impetus behind PSR.. the proverbial kick in the pants to jolt companies into better performance.. only the "kick" missed its mark. Lots of clouds on the horizon, but I see some positives as well.. It looks as if carriers are nolonger fixated on the OR.. and PSR itself is nolonger the be all end all that it was touted to be when it was first introduced. Around here I see alot of reinvestment in plant.. new bridge signals at Bayview for example.. and more care and attention to the roadbed. Lots of work to be done, and there's at least some acknowledgement now that things could have been done better to mitigate/avoid the current labor and retention problems. Let's hope that lessons are being learned and that futures generations don't have to relearn them. That is your assessment North of the Border. I don't see the lessons having been learned South of the Border.
Ulrich I guess the law of entropy applies to business as well. Over the years I've seen many well organized and well managed companies slowly degrade to become so so companies or worse.. poor performers. Rarely have I seen poor performers slowly evolve to become well run and efficient. I have seen poor performers transformed quickly however.. through massive change involving restructuring and new management, and perhaps that was the impetus behind PSR.. the proverbial kick in the pants to jolt companies into better performance.. only the "kick" missed its mark. Lots of clouds on the horizon, but I see some positives as well.. It looks as if carriers are nolonger fixated on the OR.. and PSR itself is nolonger the be all end all that it was touted to be when it was first introduced. Around here I see alot of reinvestment in plant.. new bridge signals at Bayview for example.. and more care and attention to the roadbed. Lots of work to be done, and there's at least some acknowledgement now that things could have been done better to mitigate/avoid the current labor and retention problems. Let's hope that lessons are being learned and that futures generations don't have to relearn them.
Lots of clouds on the horizon, but I see some positives as well.. It looks as if carriers are nolonger fixated on the OR.. and PSR itself is nolonger the be all end all that it was touted to be when it was first introduced. Around here I see alot of reinvestment in plant.. new bridge signals at Bayview for example.. and more care and attention to the roadbed. Lots of work to be done, and there's at least some acknowledgement now that things could have been done better to mitigate/avoid the current labor and retention problems. Let's hope that lessons are being learned and that futures generations don't have to relearn them.
That is your assessment North of the Border. I don't see the lessons having been learned South of the Border.
CN a couple years ago, read it in Railway Age, saw the light. They started reinvesting in assets, undoing what EHH cut or doing what EHH deferred. There were some who didn't have too many kind words for EHH.
Down here, the most of them talk like they've seen the light, but still cut as much as they can.
Jeff
There is a shortage of employees at other industries.
Talked to a customer of mine (CEO of a medium sized trucking company) and they have 30 tractors sitting...lack of drivers. This is out of a fleet of about 250 tractors.
Ed
The last communication from the STB seems to offer a glimmer of hope... it remains a work in progress.
UlrichI guess the law of entropy applies to business as well. Over the years I've seen many well organized and well managed companies slowly degrade to become so so companies or worse.. poor performers. Rarely have I seen poor performers slowly evolve to become well run and efficient. I have seen poor performers transformed quickly however.. through massive change involving restructuring and new management, and perhaps that was the impetus behind PSR.. the proverbial kick in the pants to jolt companies into better performance.. only the "kick" missed its mark. Lots of clouds on the horizon, but I see some positives as well.. It looks as if carriers are nolonger fixated on the OR.. and PSR itself is nolonger the be all end all that it was touted to be when it was first introduced. Around here I see alot of reinvestment in plant.. new bridge signals at Bayview for example.. and more care and attention to the roadbed. Lots of work to be done, and there's at least some acknowledgement now that things could have been done better to mitigate/avoid the current labor and retention problems. Let's hope that lessons are being learned and that futures generations don't have to relearn them.
I guess the law of entropy applies to business as well. Over the years I've seen many well organized and well managed companies slowly degrade to become so so companies or worse.. poor performers. Rarely have I seen poor performers slowly evolve to become well run and efficient. I have seen poor performers transformed quickly however.. through massive change involving restructuring and new management, and perhaps that was the impetus behind PSR.. the proverbial kick in the pants to jolt companies into better performance.. only the "kick" missed its mark.
adkrr64I once was offered stock options as a (relatively small) part of my overall compensation package. They were structured in a way so that I could only take advantage of a portion of the total grant in any given year. I suspect most are setup that way as a means to encourage at lest some modest long term performance of the stock. But I'm sure the arrangements can vary considerably depending on company and individual.
About 6 years before I retired, CSX offered Train Dispatchers a 'Profit Sharing Plan' that was tied around stock options - in place of the previously negotiated stepped compensation package over the following three years.
The company's plan was put to NLRB authorized vote. The vote was 317-0 AGAINST the profit sharing plan. First time I have EVER seen a Shutout on any kind of a Union vote. Calculations performed at the conclusion of the time period of the plan - it was calculated that Dispatchers would have earn about $25K LESS with the plan than they earned with the traditional compensation package.
I understnd, several Unions fell for the plan when it was offered to them - they ended up kicking themselves.
I once was offered stock options as a (relatively small) part of my overall compensation package. They were structured in a way so that I could only take advantage of a portion of the total grant in any given year. I suspect most are setup that way as a means to encourage at lest some modest long term performance of the stock. But I'm sure the arrangements can vary considerably depending on company and individual.
Ulrich Murphy Siding Ulrich Why aren't they dumping now then? Lots of clouds on the horizon.. now would be the time to dump it. In the case of CEOs with stock options, how do we know they're not quietly execising those options and selling stock? That's a matter of public record... there are various sites that allow one to see what key execs are doing with their stock..
Murphy Siding Ulrich Why aren't they dumping now then? Lots of clouds on the horizon.. now would be the time to dump it. In the case of CEOs with stock options, how do we know they're not quietly execising those options and selling stock?
Ulrich Why aren't they dumping now then? Lots of clouds on the horizon.. now would be the time to dump it.
Why aren't they dumping now then? Lots of clouds on the horizon.. now would be the time to dump it.
In the case of CEOs with stock options, how do we know they're not quietly execising those options and selling stock?
That's a matter of public record... there are various sites that allow one to see what key execs are doing with their stock..
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
jeffhergert I'm hearing that he retired. He doesn't seem to be old enough for full retirement, but may have other sources from a previous job to take an early retirement or something lined up for a semi-retirement. Anyway, I wish him well. Jeff
I'm hearing that he retired. He doesn't seem to be old enough for full retirement, but may have other sources from a previous job to take an early retirement or something lined up for a semi-retirement. Anyway, I wish him well.
Yes, I can understand it. When things started going sour with us one of the guys took a look at his income sources besides the job and since he'd just turned 62 pulled the plug. As he said "My income's only going to be $300 less a month than it is with the job. If I can't budget out $300 shame on me!"
I waited until I was 65 and took the buyout. I was happy to do so. It wasn't the same place anymore.
Flintlock76 jeffhergert I was shocked this morning that one of our engineers, one who has a year or two more time in on the railroad than I do, has resigned. I don't believe he is old enough to retire, even to take an early retirement. No one so far knows anything as to why. Jeff I'm guessing, and probably guessing wrong, he got another job lined up somewhere and decided to walk. It's an old truism that it's easier to find a job when you HAVE a job than it is if you're unemployed. I haven't said much on this topic as not being a professional railroader I don't believe it's my place to do so, but from what I've been reading I wouldn't be surprised if many train crew people are contemplating the same thing.
jeffhergert I was shocked this morning that one of our engineers, one who has a year or two more time in on the railroad than I do, has resigned. I don't believe he is old enough to retire, even to take an early retirement. No one so far knows anything as to why. Jeff
I was shocked this morning that one of our engineers, one who has a year or two more time in on the railroad than I do, has resigned. I don't believe he is old enough to retire, even to take an early retirement. No one so far knows anything as to why.
I'm guessing, and probably guessing wrong, he got another job lined up somewhere and decided to walk. It's an old truism that it's easier to find a job when you HAVE a job than it is if you're unemployed.
I haven't said much on this topic as not being a professional railroader I don't believe it's my place to do so, but from what I've been reading I wouldn't be surprised if many train crew people are contemplating the same thing.
Everybody has their own motivations. When the Baltimore Dispatching office was moved back to Jacksonville a number of Dispatchers got other jobs and stayed in Baltimore, despite having followed their jobs when the office was moved from Jacksonville to Baltimore, 9 years earlier. One followed his job back to Jacksonville and shortly thereafter got a dispatching job in Honolulu.
Through my career any number of employees with 'reasonable' seniority both in craft positions and non-contract positions left CSX and its predecessors to railroad jobs with a variety of Short Lines in a variety of position.
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