More room for passenger trains west of Worcester. 
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Over the past 2 weeks I've noticed some work going on next to 291 in Springfield along the Joseph Freeman spur (branches off the B&A so I figured this is the proper place). Trees cleared, terrain leveled extending from the current spur into the Republic trash services property. Is CSX gaining a new customer here?
Stp243 wrote:Over the past 2 weeks I've noticed some work going on next to 291 in Springfield along the Joseph Freeman spur (branches off the B&A so I figured this is the proper place). Trees cleared, terrain leveled extending from the current spur into the Republic trash services property. Is CSX gaining a new customer here?Not for CRCC?
Doesn't seem to be for CRCC, they have a separate gate that isn't in the work zone. Republic's property is fenced in and some of the work is occuring inside that fence. Any work that is occuring outside of the fence is between the current Joseph Freeman spur and 291. Looks like they are carving out a ROW in that space to get to Republic's property.
Worcester Telegram article from 3/25/19:
CSX ends contract with Worcester rail yard manager; 53 layoffsExcerpts:
Freight railroad CSX Corp. is ending its contract with the company that manages the Worcester rail yard, a move that will lead to the layoff of 53 workers in late May.and
CSX has decided to operate the rail yard with its own employees rather than contract with Parsec Inc. of Cincinnati for the service, according to Parsec.
CSX had openings for 36 rail yard workers in Worcester listed on its website Monday. The company did not respond to a phone call and an email seeking comment.https://www.telegram.com/news/20190325/ ... 53-layoffs
Additional Fair Use from the article linked by Mr. Barlow:
Third Grade?
Freight railroads carry goods and commodities such as coal, not passengers. At the Worcester “intermodal” rail yard, big metal containers of goods are loaded and off-loaded from CSX trains. Trucks deliver and pick up containers at the rail yard.I'm sure everything else was "fed" to the "Cub" reporter by spokesmen from CSX and the outside contractor. But otherwise, where did the Girl get her knowledge about the railroad industry?
Third Grade?
I wondered how long it would take CSXI to end the contract operation at the Worcester Intermodal ramp. As a now retired CSXI Intermodal Service Representative (their fancy job name...I was a gate clerk, basically) by strange turn of events I accidently found out the cost per 'lift' (one box or trailer on, or either off) by the predecessor company to Parsec that had the contract at the time. I was absolutely floored at the spread between that and the cost/lift our manager posted on their 'ramp efficiency' board, or whatever they called it.
About 10 years ago, CSX Intermodal had 'Intermodal service representative' jobs (clerks) and 'intermodal service worker' jobs (yard jockeys & packer operators). There was a couple of dollars/hr difference at the top of each pay scale. About 8-9 years ago, they created 'intermodal service employee' (I think it was called) paid a small amount more than the ISW pay scale. In the job descriptions for ISE, both ISR and ISW job descriptions are combined. In other words, one could be a gate clerk one day and yard jockey the next. One of the 'every 2 or 3 years new managers' stated that when we bid a particular schedule, we were bidding on the work HOURS, not the TASK/JOB! In my opinion, that's the thinking behind the creation of ISE positions...and if there's three 8 to 4 M-F jobs open to bid on, 2 could be for clerk jobs and one for yard jockey... Who did what would be based on seniority, I guess, or else managers discretion.
7 or 8 years ago, when we voted on the 'combined' CSX North (former Conrail) and CSX South (all CSX prior to 1998) contract, the 'south' contract was selected as they had 4 to 1 majority over the north workers (several former Conrail ramps are/were contracted to private companies like Parsec). So, the new 'base' hourly rate was about $1.75 lower than what the north employees were getting! They gave each of us an extra 'offset' per-hour pay to make up the difference to all current employees. All new hires would max out at the lower rate.
CSX had a 'habit' of doing that. Back in '98, when they got their part of Conrail, all former Conrail intermodal people got the lower base CSX intermodal rate plus a daily 8-hr 'extra' to fill the gap from their former Conrail rate. That extra increased every year at the same percentage as everyone else got. But CSX pulled a fast one in '98. CSX Intermodal, a subsidiary corporation to CSX (like CSXT is a subsidiary of CSX), was a TRUCKING COMPANY. New hires were NOT Railroad Retirement eligible as they were NOT railroad employees, but trucking employees! The former Conrail employees were paid from a Fruit Growers Express (yes, THAT Fruit Growers Express) account which was a railroad company! They stayed FGE employees until they retired and collected their full RR retirement. Meanwhile, a coworker hired in '02 and myself, hired in '08, got the lower CSXI pay scale only. About 2010 or '11, some legal wrangling/IRS games/<whatever> literally forced CSXI to become a railroad making us subject to RRR taxes for Tier I and Tier II. Trucking company employees (not the FGE 'employees') were given an offsetting add-on pay to make the extra percentage taken out for RRR vs Social Security result in the same take home pay. HOWEVER...all new hires from that point on never got nor will get the RRR 'extra' pay. There's only 2 folks left at Springfield that still get the extra RRR pay. Then, about 2012, the new contract had a lower pay scale (the Southern contract rate) than what everyone was getting at that time. SO...they gave all the non-RRR 'bonus' employees a 'bonus' to offset THAT pay scale difference. The "RRR bonus' employees got screwed on that one!
Clear as mud? So now, with the ISE pay rate a dollar or more lower than ISR payrate, they've effectively LOWERED the pay scale once again! All new hires are ISEs! I suspect that all the existing ISRs and ISWs will stay on their current pay scales with appropriate adjustments every contract (ie, 3.2% over 3 years, or whatever). But the cost of CSX running their own intermodal ramps is far less than doing it with a contract company. I know this 'scheme' was developed well ahead of EHH coming to CSX. But he'd be proud of how well Intermodal has been trimming their costs, including laying off employees.
About 10 years ago, CSX Intermodal had 'Intermodal service representative' jobs (clerks) and 'intermodal service worker' jobs (yard jockeys & packer operators). There was a couple of dollars/hr difference at the top of each pay scale. About 8-9 years ago, they created 'intermodal service employee' (I think it was called) paid a small amount more than the ISW pay scale. In the job descriptions for ISE, both ISR and ISW job descriptions are combined. In other words, one could be a gate clerk one day and yard jockey the next. One of the 'every 2 or 3 years new managers' stated that when we bid a particular schedule, we were bidding on the work HOURS, not the TASK/JOB! In my opinion, that's the thinking behind the creation of ISE positions...and if there's three 8 to 4 M-F jobs open to bid on, 2 could be for clerk jobs and one for yard jockey... Who did what would be based on seniority, I guess, or else managers discretion.
7 or 8 years ago, when we voted on the 'combined' CSX North (former Conrail) and CSX South (all CSX prior to 1998) contract, the 'south' contract was selected as they had 4 to 1 majority over the north workers (several former Conrail ramps are/were contracted to private companies like Parsec). So, the new 'base' hourly rate was about $1.75 lower than what the north employees were getting! They gave each of us an extra 'offset' per-hour pay to make up the difference to all current employees. All new hires would max out at the lower rate.
CSX had a 'habit' of doing that. Back in '98, when they got their part of Conrail, all former Conrail intermodal people got the lower base CSX intermodal rate plus a daily 8-hr 'extra' to fill the gap from their former Conrail rate. That extra increased every year at the same percentage as everyone else got. But CSX pulled a fast one in '98. CSX Intermodal, a subsidiary corporation to CSX (like CSXT is a subsidiary of CSX), was a TRUCKING COMPANY. New hires were NOT Railroad Retirement eligible as they were NOT railroad employees, but trucking employees! The former Conrail employees were paid from a Fruit Growers Express (yes, THAT Fruit Growers Express) account which was a railroad company! They stayed FGE employees until they retired and collected their full RR retirement. Meanwhile, a coworker hired in '02 and myself, hired in '08, got the lower CSXI pay scale only. About 2010 or '11, some legal wrangling/IRS games/<whatever> literally forced CSXI to become a railroad making us subject to RRR taxes for Tier I and Tier II. Trucking company employees (not the FGE 'employees') were given an offsetting add-on pay to make the extra percentage taken out for RRR vs Social Security result in the same take home pay. HOWEVER...all new hires from that point on never got nor will get the RRR 'extra' pay. There's only 2 folks left at Springfield that still get the extra RRR pay. Then, about 2012, the new contract had a lower pay scale (the Southern contract rate) than what everyone was getting at that time. SO...they gave all the non-RRR 'bonus' employees a 'bonus' to offset THAT pay scale difference. The "RRR bonus' employees got screwed on that one!
Clear as mud? So now, with the ISE pay rate a dollar or more lower than ISR payrate, they've effectively LOWERED the pay scale once again! All new hires are ISEs! I suspect that all the existing ISRs and ISWs will stay on their current pay scales with appropriate adjustments every contract (ie, 3.2% over 3 years, or whatever). But the cost of CSX running their own intermodal ramps is far less than doing it with a contract company. I know this 'scheme' was developed well ahead of EHH coming to CSX. But he'd be proud of how well Intermodal has been trimming their costs, including laying off employees.
I have heard CSX Jacksonville Dispatcher calling themselves the NC dispatcher now as opposed to the NB dispatcher. been hearing this for about a week..Bill
Just curious, are they still running the Conrail signals, or did they change over...
Thanks
Thanks
Boatsmate75 wrote:I have heard CSX Jacksonville Dispatcher calling themselves the NC dispatcher now as opposed to the NB dispatcher. been hearing this for about a week..BillI don't know - but, I suspect the territories have either been rearranged to the NB desk has been eliminated and the territory put on the NC Desk.
It is a simple process for the CADS system to move territories to different desks. That being said, having personnel that are qualified on the reconfigured territory is not that simple. Whenever the territories are materially changed the Dispatchers involved have the right to displace to any other job that their seniority will permit them to hold. The 'bump chain' for territory changes can take six to nine months to fully play out, as each Dispatcher that gets bumped is entitled to make his own bump - so on and so forth. In most cases, the original bump is to a territory that the bumping Dispatcher is not qualified on - he must be 'doubleheaded' on that position until such time as they are qualified and this scenario repeats down the line.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Not running the Seaboard signals on the B&A yet, it's still CSX's version of the Conrail signals.
Do Q426/427 generally have a set out/pickup in Worcester before venturing up to Ayer?
As I understand current CSX B&A freight ops, Q426/Q427 are also responsible for delivering and picking up P&W cars at Worcester, respectively. DPU locomotives are used on Q426 into Worcester.
As per Gregory Grice on the unofficial MNRR FB page, all Metro North M2's have left the property as of this morning (the remaining sets were set out in New Haven on Track 6 as of yesterday). So if you're along the route out to Ashtabula for FICX, you may have the opportunity to see them along the Springfield line, or B&A line.
Next stop, Willoughby
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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