Anyone noticed the mess between Hamburg & Selkirk??

videobruce wrote:Help has arrived today. Those southern boys are here to straighten things out.
Just as they did in Selkirk!

Question, have the "southern boys" straightened the place out yet?
Noel Weaver

railwatcher wrote:Why aren't they sending trains across the Southern Tier as a secondary route to reduce the delays from Buffalo to Selkirk? It must be possible to do it. And it's gotta be better than camping out on the sidings. I don't know if it's logistics or somebody not thinking of it. When all else fails there is Plan "B"!

That could be $$$ for CSX 'cause the crews would have to be qualified by NS and there would also be fees for trackage rights. I guess it would be a matter of which scenario (delays vs. detours) would be less expensive and more customer-friendly.

Noel Weaver wrote:

videobruce wrote:Help has arrived today. Those southern boys are here to straighten things out.
Just as they did in Selkirk!

Question, have the "southern boys" straightened the place out yet?
Noel Weaver

Nope, never will.
It will only happen if they let US do it!

Don't hold your breath.

Obviously, railroading is different than any other business in America. As much as I love it, they need to learn that customers need the service that they ordered. Stacking up these trains and not having any kind of safety net, or as I callit "Plan "B" shows that there is something missing. Now, I see they are stacking up Amtrak trains, that'll warm up the buying public. Sometimes, when ones britches get to big they fall down. Here someone is playing the "Almighty, with their customer."

Yes, it could cost some $ to reroute, but to please the cusotmers they should at least be offering it as an option, rather than sitting in Limbo. In other transportation businesses in the US, if there is an overbooking, or problem with infastructor or equipment, adjustments are made to accomodate. Have we forgotten, General Business 101?

Let's hope that this gets the magic wand waved and corrected.

Greg

Excellent points, Greg. There are some fundamental business lessons to be learned, for sure.

There is still a core of management personalities in the railroad business that embraces strict "command and control" practices. The current situation is a demonstration of how that philosophy doesn't work anymore. The more the whip is cracked, the more the workforce will push back -- to the detriment of the customers, unfortunately.

The congestion on the main line is only a symptom of the problem of management practices being out of touch with reality. Railroads serve the customers through the actions of their people who move the trains, maintain the track and equipment, and operate terminals efficiently.

Selkirk, as I know from experience, has a long history of high efficiency brought about by real, day to day cooperation between management and labor. When you poke a big sharp stick in that, no good comes of it -- as CSX has discovered, it seems.

A big thank you to Videobruce for directing me to this railroadnet forum.
I had been writing in the railfan.net forum about some unusual activity here in Erie PA that seems to tie in with the mess up in NY State.
For the past month we have seen seeing daily eastbound freights parked on the CSX doubletrack line here in Erie. Today (May14th) there are 2 freights parked on the sidings that run through Erie. One line of cars does not have a EOT box on it. I assume these cars will be sitting here for a while. THis traffic jam has made for great viewing! Usually CSX trains just run through Erie with very little fanfare. Now we have a virtual parking lot. How far west does this mess go? Is there any end in sight? Thanks for allowing me to join in on this site. Looking forward to many hours of hanging around here getting a education! Lee

M. Ward Presentation to Bear Stearns - 5/12/05

CSX is very optimistic!

LCJ wrote:M. Ward Presentation to Bear Stearns - 5/12/05

CSX is very optimistic!

I think the stuff linked here is total nonesense. I do think that CSX could
have a good future but it is being run into the ground. Maintenance has
been cut and the railroad is no longer in prime condition to handle the
business that it is and will be called on to handle.
One thing the powers to be with CSX said when they took over Conrail was that Conrail was "over maintained", I do not agree with that one.
Conrail had nowhere near as many bad derailments and signal failures as
are present today, fewer slow orders and crossings and signals were in
better shape than they are now.
The fact that they have created a nasty labor situation in one of their
biggest and most important terminals is another huge blunder on their
part. Selkirk is the type of place where both labor and management
really need to be working together in order that customers get the service
that they need and freight gets delivered on schedule.
I have a feeling that Mr. Ward either does not know what is going on or
does not want to know what is going on.
It is interesting to read this stuff and thanks for posting it.
Noel Weaver

Anyone have a current list of slow orders for the "Chicago Line" in New York State?

Under Conrail there were virtually none.

Ah, managers that shouldn't be...

"The beatings will continue until the morale improves!"

Work safe
Derail

Sunday May 15, Erie PA. Of the 4 tracks running through town (2 mainline & 2 sidings) there are 3 eastbound freights parked, The locos are lined up like they are waiting to drag race.

Hope you have a picture of that one!

Chris

What several have said in this forum was needed is happening,
if what i read is true:

Saw the following today in a yahoo SusieQ group:

'Starting tomorrow NYS&W will become a major through route for the CSX via Syracuse gateway. To start 4 trains per day (2 east 2 west) will operate between Syracuse, NY and Little Ferry, NJ and onto Oak Island yard. Possibly more trains to come. This is a contract deal with long term operations. NYS&W hiring ten new T&E guys in Binghamton immediately. Road Pool has been increased by 4 already"

Little Ferry and Oak Islands are big yards in the general Newark NJ
area.
JS

I assume Q271 and Q156 will be a couple of them since those are always detour trains when River Line work is done.