Some changes in my Life
Posted by Lou on Feb 22, 2010
Hello followers of my blog. I must apologize that I didn’t post anything in the last few weeks. There are some big changes in my work life. A few month’s I applied for an Utility Clerk Position in Oregon. Knowing that my Railroad Unemployment money will run out soon – even with the extension. Something had to happen since there was no movement on the furlough boards and it seems that there will be nothing going on for at last a few month’s. So I went to Eugene in Oregon for the hiring session. Over 50 people were invited but only 38 showed up. I was the only Railroader there. The posting for this position was for public and for Railroaders. So I expected nothing happen due to the high amount of applications. But I was proven wrong. After the Interview – the shortest of my life – I got the call from HR a few days later if I am still interested in the position – which I was. But I had to move from California to Oregon. My wife and me were thinking to move to Oregon for a while but the plans were very far in the future (retirement maybe). So we drove up the weekend before I supposed to start and we were driving around to find a new place to life. Can you imagine how hard it is to not know the area and find a decent place to stay ?
‘Monster train’ rolls through SoCal
Posted by Lou on Jan 13, 2010
LOS ANGELES — An apparently unprecedented, super freight train extending about 3-1/2 miles rolled through Southern California over the weekend, catching state regulators off guard and prompting concerns about potential safety risks and traffic delays, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Down she goes
Posted by Lou on Jan 7, 2010
Not unexpected but still shocking – the last Railfax Report shows not a good future. Look forward for the rush coming soon . . . .
Freight trains a vital link in the global supply chain
Posted by Lou on Jan 5, 2010
More than 4,000 miles of train tracks stretch through California, winding up the blustery Cajon Pass and snaking through the desert surrounding Barstow.
Those tracks could be seeing a lot more traffic in the next few years as trains loaded with Chinese-made toys, electronics and clothing roll eastward, connecting West Coast ports with cities across the United States.
Warren Buffett is a believer. In November, the world’s second-richest man paid $34 billion for railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., despite a deep downturn in the railroad industry. Buffett characterized his investment as an “all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” But it’s also a bet on globalization and the renewed importance of rail in the nation’s transportation network.
The GCOR, as Amended, again
Posted by Lou on Dec 29, 2009
Due to the recent changes in Rules and the GCOR I would like to provide some additional Information which can be useful.
(This from the UP’s operational confusion center in Flamefart, Iowa.)
RESTRICTED SPEED RULE REVISED… AGAIN
A speed that will permit stopping within one-half the range of vision, short of train, engine, railroad car, stop signal, derail or switch not properly lined, looking out for broken rails, shunts, and bushes with radar guns attached, not exceeding 10 mph, except when using foreign line engines (because they stop faster than UPRR engines), not to exceed 20 mph unless there is a fog or descending grade within 30 miles, in which case 2 mph cannot be exceeded unless, of course, the conductor wishes to walk ahead of the move then not exceeding 4 mph, except if the conductor is a former switchman, then a speed of 3 mph must not be exceeded, or if you have less than 375 cars, 5 mph may not be exceeded because the train length permits (see Special Instructions for exceptions – should be somewhere in the first 15 pages of rules changes, as amended by General Order and supplemented by specific instructions on certain subdivisions as put into effect by Superintendent Notice), except if in signaled territory and track is seen to be clear to the next signal and crew is short on time, then 40 mph must not be exceeded.
Everyone got that?
Source: Snakebite (old Roseville Switchman/Trainman Magazin)
Union Pacific alters tunnels for double-stacked trains to reach Reno
Posted by Lou on Dec 28, 2009
Union Pacific Railroad has raised the roof on 15 of its tunnels over Donner Pass in the Sierra, allowing double-stacked trains to cross the pass and go through Reno for the first time on the way to Chicago.
When the effects of the recession ebb, more trains could be coming through Reno and Sparks. Up to now, double-stacked trains have been routed through the longer and more difficult Feather River Canyon north of Reno.
The development might allow former Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin to consider himself redeemed for pushing to build the downtown railroad trench, which was completed in 2005 at a cost of $282 million.
In the late 1990s, Griffin often said the day would come when the tunnel roofs would be raised for cars carrying double-stacked cargo containers from Pacific Rim countries unloaded at the Port of Oakland.
“It took a little longer than I thought,” said Griffin, who ran a international shipping business in Reno for years and recently saw his first double-stacked train on the route east of Fernley. “I just know that it was a business decision a multibillion company had to make.”
While Griffin predicted the number of trains a day would jump substantially, critics railed against city plans to build a railroad trench and eliminate crossings in downtown. Opponents feared cost overruns and dangers from floods or earthquakes.
Tom Lange, Union Pacific western spokesman, said 15 to 18 trains a day are routed through Reno, about the same as before the tunnels were finished in November. He said there is no way to know how many more trains will be coming.
“Our volume is based on the economy and customer needs,” he said. “There’s not really a way to project future transportation volume.”
He said dispatching is based on traffic across a 32,000-mile network in 23 states.
“So trying to pinpoint some peak level of train volume would be speculative at best,” he said.
Union Pacific spent about $2.6 billion in the past year to improve its rail system while business was slow because of the recession. Read the rest of this entry »
What happened ?
Posted by Lou on Nov 17, 2009
Hello loyal Visitors. You may wonder why there is nothing new on my Website since several weeks. The reason is simple – but also a bad reason. My frustration level being furlough is very high and for some time I really lost some interest in Railroading. I will try to make up for that and post more.
The last few weeks were pretty tied for my family and me since there is no income and no future light at the horizon getting back to work soon. This year (2009) I worked only 2 trips as a conductor so far. A few days here and there helped to keep the Health Insurance rolling. That is a big relief and I am very thankful for that.
The future didn’t look very bright to us this year and in the near future there is no relief. Since this ’stupid’ seniority stuff is not going away there will be never a chance for us lower seniority guys get a regular work. Just thinking about it makes me mad. Several guys are working on positions they don’t like. Therefore the motivation is not always the best. I can understand that old Rails have the right to get better positions. But this whole system is not right. You bid on a job and if you ‘win’ you keep the job – and you like the job and will do the best and get motivated to work because it was your decision to work this job. And don’t forget the safety aspect: Getting every day on a new job in territory you are not so familiar with is a dangerous thing. If I work the same job every day I know where the derails are located, where a slow order is in effect and how things are rolling.
Make long things short : I don’t like how stuff works. And since there is no chance – and there will never be one – …. you get the point.
Promise : I will start posting more.
Yours Lou
My Letter to the Railroad
Posted by Lou on Sep 25, 2009
It’s now a week ago that I was very frustrated with the work and furlough Situation that I decided to write a letter to Union Pacific Railroad. I did not expected an answer, just wanted to get something out that’s bordering me. Here is my Letter:
Hello,
Since 2006 I am with Union Pacific Railroad as a Conductor in the Roseville Hub. I love to work for UP – if I only get a chance. In my long Railroad Career (I worked for 17 years with the German Railroad) I’ve never expected a situation like this : several hundreds of Employees are furlough now. The Situation is very bad and the hope to get back to work get’s lower and lower.
There is no financial help or other support from UP for us. I am very glad to have the Health Insurance going on for 4 months.
Every day I am expecting and waiting to go back to work. You can imagine the situation we are in.
What does Union Pacific Railroad expect from me ? Do you want me to come back and be ready for work once there is enough work ?
The answer after the break. Read the rest of this entry »
The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees
Posted by Lou on Sep 23, 2009
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees.
Railroad CEO Pat Gamble announced the move in a company letter late Tuesday afternoon.
The layoffs affect everyone, from high-level managers to workers on the front lines, and include people across the state.
A weakening economy, production cuts at Flint Hills Refinery and less passenger traffic are blamed.
Last week the board said the railroad needed to cut staff to avoid a $10 million deficit next year.
“This downsizing does not, by itself, solve our financial problems … the challenge is not one seen before in the railroad’s history of state ownership,” Gamble wrote in his letter to employees.
“The size of the cuts is surprising for me,” said Jeffrey Davies, the president of the Alaska Railroad Workers Union Local 183.
Davies says his bargaining unit experienced the largest hit, and that 26 of his members are being let go.
“It’s been difficult, the anxiety and not knowing. Now we know and we have to try and understand what that means for the rest of the employees,” said Davies.
One casualty was Anchorage Assembly member Patrick Flynn.
A senior railroad officer who has been with the corporation since 2001, Flynn blogged about how he offered himself up, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I felt the remaining people were simply too important to daily railroad operations,” Flynn wrote in his blog.
Reflecting on the last few weeks, Flynn says cuts were being made, but suddenly the situation became dire and he was told the process was “too little too late — we needed to make plans for quicker, more significant cuts,” his blog reads.
State labor economist Neil Fried says the cuts are significant, and he emphasized that they are quality jobs that no longer exist.
“So we are talking about high quality jobs being lost so the quality is also a factor because these are good paying jobs in Alaska labor force,” said Fried.
Operation Live Saver
Posted by Lou on Sep 17, 2009
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Operation Lifesaver wants to help to protect people when it comes to Xings. It’s a great Program and on the Website (http://www.oli.org/index.php) you can find lot’s of Information and Download able Packages for School, Kindergarden or even for your Children at home. Complete the Quiz and you can win a cool T-Shirt. Give it a try, it keeps Railroad make a safe place to be and to work. How much does a train weigh? 6,000 tons is correct! A typical locomotive weighs approximately 400,000 pounds or 200 tons. When 100 rail cars are added to the locomotive, the train can weigh approximately 6,000 tons. The weight ratio of an automobile to a train is proportional to a soda can and an automobile. |
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How far does it take for a 100-car train moving 55 miles per hour to stop?
The length of 18 football fields is correct! Trains cannot stop quickly. It is a simple law of physics: the huge weight and size of the train and the speed of the train dictate how quickly it can stop under ideal conditions. A 100-car freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour will need more than a mile to stop – that’s approximately 18 football fields – once the train is set into emergency braking. |
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Railroad tracks with rusty rails or weeds growing up between the ties are usually no longer in use.
False is correct! If there are rails on the railroad ties, assume that the track is in use, even if there are weeds or the track looks “rusty.” |
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Trains only go in one direction on a designated track.
False is correct! Trains can move in either direction at any time. Trains are sometimes pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled. This is especially true in commuter and light rail passenger service. |
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It’s OK for the general public to enter and be on railroad property without permission.
False is correct! Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are owned mostly by private companies and trespassers are subject to arrest and fine. |
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Approximately how many miles of railroad tracks are there in the United States?
140,000 miles is correct! According to the Association of American Railroads, there are approximately 140,000 miles of track in America which require constant and vigilant inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement by railroads in order to keep freight and passenger trains moving safely. |
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How far do trains extend beyond the rail?
Three feet or more is correct! A train may extend three feet or more outside the steel rail on both sides of the track, which makes the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the rails themselves. If you are in the right of way next to the tracks, you can be hit by the train. |
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Who has the right of way at train crossings?
Trains is correct! Trains have the right of way 100% of the time – over ambulances, fire engines, cars, the police and pedestrians. |
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Trains can be deceptively quiet when approaching.
True is correct! Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no telltale “clickety-clack.” Also, an approaching train will always be closer and moving faster than you think. |
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If no train is present at a crossing, it’s OK to disregard flashing signals and proceed through the crossing.
False is correct! Flashing red lights signal that a train is approaching from either direction. You can be fined for failure to obey these signals. Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. A second train might have been blocked by the first. Trains can come from either direction. DO NOT cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it is safe to do so. |
