Railroad Forums 

  • "Up North" Gawking (District 1 sightings)

  • Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.
Guilford Rail System changed its name to Pan Am Railways in 2006. Discussion relating to the current operations of the Boston & Maine, the Maine Central, and the Springfield Terminal railroads (as well as the Delaware & Hudson while it was under Guilford control until 1988). Official site can be found here: PANAMRAILWAYS.COM.

Moderator: MEC407

 #1511129  by A215
 
PBMcGinnis wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 11:34 am WATCO crews will get paid significantly cheaper (non-union potentially) wages
Truly spoken like management. Those jobs belong to the men who have been servicing that mill for many years now. It is an absolute disservice to the employees if Pan Am really didn't bid. Internally I've heard they did but who knows.
 #1511137  by CN9634
 
A215 wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 5:23 pm
PBMcGinnis wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 11:34 am WATCO crews will get paid significantly cheaper (non-union potentially) wages
Truly spoken like management. Those jobs belong to the men who have been servicing that mill for many years now. It is an absolute disservice to the employees if Pan Am really didn't bid. Internally I've heard they did but who knows.
Union's are a mixed bag, they fight against to protect the workers who get the job done but also protect the lazy ones who try to pull a fast one on the company. To deny the latter doesn't exist either would be putting on the blinders big time.

End of the day, ND made the decision and Pan Am has enough crew needs elsewhere that the displaced won't be impacted significantly. If those crews really want to stay in Rumford they can apply to Watco, who knows it could work if anyone decides to stay as well.
 #1511145  by gokeefe
 
CN9634 wrote: Sun Jun 09, 2019 10:10 am New signals, control sidings for New Gloucester, Fairgrounds and Leeds, stick rail replacement especially in Auburn/Greene up through to Readfield/Belgrade. If you are fancy to MEC searchlight signals I’d start racking up the pics now
Will territory still be DCS between sidings? Based on what I've read that appears to be the case ... Not surprising or even disappointing just curious.
 #1511146  by PBMcGinnis
 
ND Paper is apparently also putting all their truckload business out to rebid nationwide and is considering starting their own trucking company as they think they can do everything cheaper than the 1000s of existing truckload carriers who beat each other up over rates daily.
Again - if truck carriers paying a decent truckload wage aren't able to hire enough drivers in Maine already, not sure how ND thinks it can pay drivers a lower wage to come drive for them. And that's before considering all the capital needed to buy trucks, trailers and dispatch infrastructure.
 #1511162  by CN9634
 
PBMcGinnis wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 8:17 pm ND Paper is apparently also putting all their truckload business out to rebid nationwide and is considering starting their own trucking company as they think they can do everything cheaper than the 1000s of existing truckload carriers who beat each other up over rates daily.
Again - if truck carriers paying a decent truckload wage aren't able to hire enough drivers in Maine already, not sure how ND thinks it can pay drivers a lower wage to come drive for them. And that's before considering all the capital needed to buy trucks, trailers and dispatch infrastructure.
Trucking in Maine is a mess... we are a backhaul market but not enough freight landing in Maine so a lot of extra $$ for dead heading from out of State. Only a small number of national carriers make it past Auburn (Due to Walmart RDC) so it’s not like there are just trucks out there waiting on freight. This is where a strong rail network should come in, but you all know the story at Pan Am. Annual bids on freight contracts is the norm, not the exception. ND is just doing what should have been done years ago. Their biggest challenge will be Old Town, I suspect they will rail as much as possible but that may make sense for their own trucking outfit. Look at Day & Ross, owned by none other than McCains to solve a trucking shortage back in the day.
 #1511212  by Backshophoss
 
If your lucky you get a paper load to get south or west of Maine,if you are a major fleet driver,8 out of 10 times the load is tossed to CSX
at Worcester or Springfield per shipper or Broker instructions.
Those that do retail truckload delivery,leave empty, haul back retail returns, or cardboard for recycling at the DC(closed loop)
Weirdest load out of Me was was a trailer load of crushed cardboard(recycling) to a paper mill in Canada.
 #1511218  by A215
 
CN9634 wrote: Tue Jun 11, 2019 6:41 pm Union's are a mixed bag, they fight against to protect the workers who get the job done but also protect the lazy ones who try to pull a fast one on the company. To deny the latter doesn't exist either would be putting on the blinders big time.

End of the day, ND made the decision and Pan Am has enough crew needs elsewhere that the displaced won't be impacted significantly. If those crews really want to stay in Rumford they can apply to Watco, who knows it could work if anyone decides to stay as well.
I would not deny it but I can tell you from experience the protection is needed more than you'd ever know and I wish I'd had protection like this at all of my jobs. In this day and age workers have little power, Unions are the only thing that keep even worse working conditions from happening. As for your opinion on crews not being displaced, I can tell you right now there are already displaced Maine crews. Abolishing more jobs will only make the situation far worse.
 #1511226  by gokeefe
 
It's interesting to me to see Nine Dragons implement their typical approach to logistics in Maine and elsewhere in the U.S. They certainly have plenty of experience with freight brokerage and dispatching. They're pursuing a vertically integrated model that in current conditions could work very well indeed.
 #1511232  by 690
 
A215 wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 2:27 pmAs for your opinion on crews not being displaced, I can tell you right now there are already displaced Maine crews. Abolishing more jobs will only make the situation far worse.
For now, just a few engineers. Obviously displacing crews won't be good, but on the other hand, I'm willing to bet that there will be at least a few guys who quit rather than get forced west. Curiously Watco never posted looking for an engineer position at Rumford, which leads me to believe a few things: either the current guys up there will stay up there and ride out the last couple years until they retire, or: Watco intends to use RC/trackmobiles to switch Rumford, which will end very poorly for them.
 #1511936  by 690
 
What’s more interesting is that AOK hi-cube in the train. Those aren’t cars that normally go to Rumford or Rileys. An all boxcar PORU isn’t that unusual, especially later in the week.
  • 1
  • 127
  • 128
  • 129
  • 130
  • 131
  • 171