An end to CSX Rochester Yardmasters?

Rumor has it the CSX Rochester Yardmaster positions will be abolished at year's end. They have toyed with this before, but I was told they now have cameras to scan the yard and it will be remotely operated. In the past the plan was for the Seneca YM in Buffalo to handle it, no word on whether that's still the plan.

How long before the whole tower building comes down?

What are the duties of a yardmaster? Could they really be outsourced to a remote location?

Twenty plus years ago Conrail abolished the same YM at Rochester on nights and most weekends. They gave the work to the YM at either Seneca or Niagara Falls. I am surprised this has not happened before now.
Noel Weaver

RailKevin wrote:What are the duties of a yardmaster? Could they really be outsourced to a remote location?

YM is responsible for operation of the yard, including but not limited to assigning work to the crews, coordination switching, car inspectors, telling road trains what track to drop and pick up on etc. 40 years ago there is no way that could have been outsourced, Rochester had twice as many tracks and was very often bulging at the seams with no room at all.

Things have changed and CSX has what....3 crews a day???...based at Rochester and as is typical all over, only a fraction of the business which used to be there. Under today's conditions, I'd say yes they probably CAN handle it from a different location.

I retired from Conrail in 1997 and in my last 2 or 3 years Rochester YM was usually controlled by the YM at Seneca I think. We would call the Rochester YM on the radio and Seneca would usually answer. There wasn't that much work in Rochester all during my years working between Selkirk and Buffalo (1987-1997). Once the industry went to computers for almost everything including consists, wheel reports and yard make ups and they went to radio communications where they could remote a radio station from an outlying point, they found a way to run a yard efficiently from elsewhere and this is exactly what happened at Rochester, Hartford, Conn, Cedar Hill, Conn, Harlem River, NY, Croton West Yard, NY and a good number of other places as well. As I said earlier it was a wonder that the YM lasted as long as it did in Rochester.
Noel Weaver

BR&P wrote:

How long before the whole tower building comes down?

Well, they do have to mount the cameras to something so they can see, I suppose.

True, but you don't pay taxes on a telephone pole. (At least so far..... I'd better not give them any ideas )

Sad that the # of cars had dwelling for long time. Even before big 3 shrink to nothing 3. But I am sure that these 3 crews right now would be happy to work at YM-Free yard.. Don't need to put up with yelling in the face or dealing with stupd non-sense work ordering or whatever as we know how a lot of YM are. Unless this Rochester YM is well liked by these 3 crews.

sd80mac wrote: Don't need to put up with yelling in the face or dealing with stupd non-sense work ordering or whatever as we know how a lot of YM are.

I think you have an inaccurate concept of how most Yardmasters perform their duties.

It is strange to think that Gang Mills will continue to have a yardmaster for a smaller yard than Rochester.

BR&P wrote:

sd80mac wrote: Don't need to put up with yelling in the face or dealing with stupd non-sense work ordering or whatever as we know how a lot of YM are.

I think you have an inaccurate concept of how most Yardmasters perform their duties.

Well it's based on what I have heard from hundreds of stories from train crews about their Yardmaster/Trainmaster. Obviously that does not apply to everyone as there are good YM/TM out there. Hence my closing sentence which you left it out.

If it turns out to be not true... then I take it back...and my apologies

I don't care if you're running General Motors or managing a Burger King, there are times when a supervisor sees things from a different perspective than an employee. Sometimes the employee wants to stay in his/her comfort zone, or do as little work as possible. Sometimes there is a supervisor who has no clue what's going on. And sometimes - to be specific to this thread - sometimes the YM knows what should be done but a higher-up has some screwball idea which the YM is forced to pass on to the crew.

But there will still be a YM in charge of Rochester anyway, he just won't be on site.

"Well it's based on what I have heard from hundreds of stories from train crews about their Yardmaster/Trainmaster."

Boy, you should hear the thousands of stories I've heard from YMs about train crews that knew exactly how to run their train AND the yard as well......

NYCRRson wrote:"Well it's based on what I have heard from hundreds of stories from train crews about their Yardmaster/Trainmaster."

Boy, you should hear the thousands of stories I've heard from YMs about train crews that knew exactly how to run their train AND the yard as well......

Yeah, one of the stories was that a train crew ran through stop banner flag. Then engineer got upset and yelled at the person who set up the stop banner across the track that he created dangerous situation for train crews. Apparently he does not know the purpose of the stop banner and wasn't following the signals. Other time, an engineer saw some signals that tell them that they're coming to a stop some miles away, that engineer dumped the air to come to a stop right there when it was not needed to. It end up that all locomotives wheels had flat spots and they cant go anywhere.. If I recall right, that was on CR line south of buffalo and train was either heading to or came from Cleveland.

Yes, I heard a lot more stories about EVERYONE.. from the van driver all the way to Division GM.

Both those cases you cited above would not be yardmasters that were responsible for what the train crew was angry about. I would think both engineers would have been taken out of service. Running through a banner is not going to sit well with a roadforman or a train master, which would be the persons behind the banner test. And dumping the air way short of a stop signal and getting a bunch of flat wheels is another bad career move.