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. |
San Luis Obispo Chalk Board August 2009
Posted by Lou on Sep 17, 2009
The Editor French Morgan spent most of the summer working for the Alaska Rail Road so the SLO Chalk Board is a little bit late. Never less here is the newest Edition fresh for your information. See the Download Section ‘Chalk Boards’ to grab one.
Furlough rate goes up, my mood goes down
Posted by Lou on Sep 15, 2009
This morning I checked the boards. A few hours later the big shock: 71 furlough in Roseville, 54 in Oakland, 24 in Ozol and 12 in San Luis Obispo – not talking about the other stations along the Lines. Within a few hours 11 more furlough in Roseville. That is unbelievable. The Statistics show more Car Loads (the best month since December 2008) – everything is going up, so the furloughs. What’s going on there ?
Oh MAN, I am so mad right now. I want to put my Steel Toe Shoes (still the original once I’d by in Roseville while in the New Hire Class – just don’t have enough time to wear them off) into somebody’s Telly Device – not to get a Brown Nose – the other kind of kicking.
Nice to hear that the German Railroad is offering ~400 new Training positions this year for New Hires with guarantee to work after a 3 year Training period. They know how many people are leaving this year for retirement so they can calculate. Not one of the biggest Railroad in the World can do such thing ? Something is fishy here behind the curtain. I am still too trustworthy to see the big picture I guess.
The new Hours of Service implemented this year did not help at all; at last for us furlough employees. Guys on the Extra Board are still working like crazy with a 14 hour rest between shifts – 6-7 days a week (if the week had 10 days they had/would work 9 days I am sure).
Can’t they spread the work between all of us ? Every time someone on the Extra Board lays off they should call one from the furlough board. How about that ? Everybody works 40 hours a week and if over get somebody from the furlough board or expand the boards so every body has work.
Just a few thoughts from me – nothing will change in the near future I guess/fear. It’s not the Carriers fault, it’s the System behind that lags. Let’s hope the economy will go up again and everybody is happy.
Railroad in Houston – Texas
Posted by Lou on Sep 1, 2009
Before highways, there were railroads — Houston’s first circulatory system. Civic boosters bragged in the 1920s that Houston was the place “where 17 railroads meet the sea.” The trains hauled cotton and grain. Downtown had three passenger stations.
Today, the freight trains carry petrochemicals and toys from China. The city has grown up around the tracks, tearing some lines out and hemming in the rest. Most people only notice trains when they are blocking a road. That happens a lot: The Texas Transportation Institute estimated 186,000 drivers are delayed every day by regional train traffic. Shippers lose millions every year because of delays. The circulatory system is clogged.
