trade crews at midpoint?

jg greenwood wrote:

BlackDog wrote:We are trying that here on the CN. In spite of what management says, it doesn't work as a cost saving tool. In theory it should work great, but out here in the Dairyland Disneyland, crews are racking up lots of overtime and the cab company is smiling all the way to the bank.

We are a scheduled railroad, you can set your calender by us.

BD,
We're scheduled alright, in THEIR dreams!
An all time record today BD, 16'30" !

Just beat you this week. 17'10"

I cannot wait for that paycheck to show up!

BlackDog wrote:

jg greenwood wrote:

BlackDog wrote:We are trying that here on the CN. In spite of what management says, it doesn't work as a cost saving tool. In theory it should work great, but out here in the Dairyland Disneyland, crews are racking up lots of overtime and the cab company is smiling all the way to the bank.

We are a scheduled railroad, you can set your calender by us.

BD,
We're scheduled alright, in THEIR dreams!
An all time record today BD, 16'30" !

Just beat you this week. 17'10"

I cannot wait for that paycheck to show up!

Three days worked last week, a total of 43-hours. Almost 10-hours spent in the van! We've come to the conclusion that the most dangerous part of our job is riding with these over worked and underpaid drivers!

When Amtrak 60/61 ran via New London thru Palmer, crews swapped trains en-route at Palmer. The New Haven crew ran round trip NH-Palmer
in about 8 hours.

jg greenwood wrote:

BlackDog wrote:

jg greenwood wrote:

BlackDog wrote:We are trying that here on the CN. In spite of what management says, it doesn't work as a cost saving tool. In theory it should work great, but out here in the Dairyland Disneyland, crews are racking up lots of overtime and the cab company is smiling all the way to the bank.

We are a scheduled railroad, you can set your calender by us.

BD,
We're scheduled alright, in THEIR dreams!
An all time record today BD, 16'30" !

Just beat you this week. 17'10"

I cannot wait for that paycheck to show up!

Three days worked last week, a total of 43-hours. Almost 10-hours spent in the van! We've come to the conclusion that the most dangerous part of our job is riding with these over worked and underpaid drivers!

Believe me, I am not trying to one-up you, I guess we are seeing that things are getting rough all over. 4 days last week, 60 hours. It has been a lllloooonnnngggg time since I have seen that kind of abuse. Not since the CN first took over the WC.

And you couldn't be more correct about the cab drivers, there is no way I am going to sleep while those clowns are behind the wheel. I like the money but I think we all need a break before something else tragic happens that the CN can say wasn't their fault because they run a scheduled railroad.

BlackDog wrote:

jg greenwood wrote:

BlackDog wrote:

jg greenwood wrote:

BlackDog wrote:We are trying that here on the CN. In spite of what management says, it doesn't work as a cost saving tool. In theory it should work great, but out here in the Dairyland Disneyland, crews are racking up lots of overtime and the cab company is smiling all the way to the bank.

We are a scheduled railroad, you can set your calender by us.

BD,
We're scheduled alright, in THEIR dreams!
An all time record today BD, 16'30" !

Just beat you this week. 17'10"

I cannot wait for that paycheck to show up!

Three days worked last week, a total of 43-hours. Almost 10-hours spent in the van! We've come to the conclusion that the most dangerous part of our job is riding with these over worked and underpaid drivers!

Believe me, I am not trying to one-up you, I guess we are seeing that things are getting rough all over. 4 days last week, 60 hours. It has been a lllloooonnnngggg time since I have seen that kind of abuse. Not since the CN first took over the WC.

And you couldn't be more correct about the cab drivers, there is no way I am going to sleep while those clowns are behind the wheel. I like the money but I think we all need a break before something else tragic happens that the CN can say wasn't their fault because they run a scheduled railroad.

What fries my anus if the fact we'll crawl into Champaign/Fulton with less than a couple of hours to work and the weasels whip out a switch-list so we can finish up our 12-hours trimming tracks, hostling power, etc. Some of you may say: "what's the big deal, you're on the clock for 12-hours?"
That's correct. Problem is, these cretins refuse to consider the fact that we're facing another 2-3 hour van ride back to our home terminal. By the time you're back home and off-duty, you've logged 14/15-hours all total. Do this several times per week and you're hammered! Good only on pay-day. As BD says, closing your eyes with some of these drivers is tantamount to committing suicide. No power-nap on the ride home kiddies!

And then if your a post-85 guy on the UP, timekeeping says no way to any pay after 12 (Tow-In) so your stuck waiting for overtime to come around (15+ hours on most runs out west because of the miles) and then that gets taken away as well. You got to love it! And the crazy thing is, I do!

jg greenwood wrote:We've come to the conclusion that the most dangerous part of our job is riding with these over worked and underpaid drivers!

Ain't that true.

That stinks! Your stuck out on the toad stool waiting for relief or a cab and they won't pay you?! All that because the rank and file voted for a contract that screws all new hires. That '85 contract started that pattern of
tiered pay rates and it ran through the whole industry. You are doing the
same job as the next guy and you are getting paid less to do it.

What kills me are the times when the conductor says "hey, slow down, I'm on overtime" and I'm laughing cause he starts at 8:01 and I have another 8:54 before I even get on over time. But hey, I have a job and that is all that matters.

jg greenwood wrote: What fries my anus if the fact we'll crawl into Champaign/Fulton with less than a couple of hours to work and the weasels whip out a switch-list so we can finish up our 12-hours trimming tracks, hostling power, etc. Some of you may say: "what's the big deal, you're on the clock for 12-hours?"
That's correct. Problem is, these cretins refuse to consider the fact that we're facing another 2-3 hour van ride back to our home terminal. By the time you're back home and off-duty, you've logged 14/15-hours all total. Do this several times per week and you're hammered! Good only on pay-day. As BD says, closing your eyes with some of these drivers is tantamount to committing suicide. No power-nap on the ride home kiddies!

Wow! A road crew performing yard duties, hostling, and at the AFHT no less? What has railroading come to? Are you still able to put in claims for such stuff?

Chris_S68 wrote:

jg greenwood wrote: What fries my anus if the fact we'll crawl into Champaign/Fulton with less than a couple of hours to work and the weasels whip out a switch-list so we can finish up our 12-hours trimming tracks, hostling power, etc. Some of you may say: "what's the big deal, you're on the clock for 12-hours?"
That's correct. Problem is, these cretins refuse to consider the fact that we're facing another 2-3 hour van ride back to our home terminal. By the time you're back home and off-duty, you've logged 14/15-hours all total. Do this several times per week and you're hammered! Good only on pay-day. As BD says, closing your eyes with some of these drivers is tantamount to committing suicide. No power-nap on the ride home kiddies!

Wow! A road crew performing yard duties, hostling, and at the AFHT no less? What has railroading come to? Are you still able to put in claims for such stuff?

Our last contract abolished almost all work rules. We jumped on that hourly rate in a heartbeat, all we could see were the $ signs! We can, and do handle multiple trains during a single shift. No initial/final, air-pay anymore. For instance, a single crew handles Q-194/195 from Markham (Chicago) to Fulton, KY. Almost 400-miles down the Carbondale side, about 385-miles via the cut-off. We voted it in, now we're dealing with it!

jg greenwood wrote: For instance, a single crew handles Q-194/195 from Markham (Chicago) to Fulton, KY. Almost 400-miles down the Carbondale side, about 385-miles via the cut-off. We voted it in, now we're dealing with it!

Yikes! What percent of the time do you guys make it the whole way??

And you should hear how our engineers squeal about no A/C in the cab for one of our 40 mile runs!

thebigc wrote: Yikes!

What he said!
Is 12 hours now a standard day?

How the times we get an sd-40 as the leader from Vegas to Yermo with the detector saying it is 114 degrees and has to be at least 120 or hotter inside the cab. Talk about fun!

I have no idea how the guys did it back in the steam days.

thebigc wrote:

jg greenwood wrote: For instance, a single crew handles Q-194/195 from Markham (Chicago) to Fulton, KY. Almost 400-miles down the Carbondale side, about 385-miles via the cut-off. We voted it in, now we're dealing with it!

Yikes! What percent of the time do you guys make it the whole way??

And you should hear how our engineers squeal about no A/C in the cab for one of our 40 mile runs!

Only the intermodal (pig train) runs from Markham to Fulton. "Q-Train"
They have no problem running the entire distance. Now, a junk freight or an under powered grain train, a completely different story!