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.
The No. 1 Reason I Don’t Trust This Market
Posted by Lou on Aug 12, 2009
The train drew round the bend and approached the crossing. The warning bells rang, and the barriers fell across the road. Then the engineer pulled four long blasts on his horn. Two 4,400-horsepower GE locomotives rolled past me at low speed… bending the rails with their weight. This was an express container train bound for Chicago…
“Shorter than normal,” I thought. “And more empties than usual.”
Last week, I was on vacation in California. While I was there, I took the opportunity to gauge railroad activity. We drove a hundred miles beside Union Pacific’s southern California mainline. This is one of the most important stretches of railroad in the country. It links the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with the eastern seaboard. I was expecting to see dozens of trains. We only saw two…
Then we stopped in Los Angeles to ogle the huge tangle of idled Union Pacific locomotives outside the Port of Long Beach. There must have been over 100 of them.
Freight trains move our most important basic materials around the country… like coal, fertilizer, steel, and container boxes. By watching the trends on America’s freight railroads, you can get an excellent feel for the strength of the economy.
Operation Lifesaver Wins $1 Million Federal Grant
Posted by Lou on Aug 12, 2009
Operation Lifesaver, Inc., which launched the Common Sense campaign with the U.S. Department of Transportation and major railroad companies one month ago to reduce the number of pedestrian trespassers killed and injured by trains, will receive a $1,015,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to continue its work, Federal Rail Administrator Joseph Szabo announced Aug. 6. There were 2,395 grade-crossing incidents last year that resulted in 287 deaths and another 453 deaths from rail trespassing, slightly fewer than in 2007, according to the agency.
The Common Sense campaign aims at 18- to 34-year-olds, who accounted for nearly 36 percent of all railroad pedestrian casualties in 2008. States with the highest number of pedestrian rail trespass deaths in 2008 included California, Illinois, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Georgia, Operation Lifesaver reports.
Operation Lifesaver (OLI) is an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit safety education group trying to eliminate casualties at railroad crossings and on rail rights of way. It has programs in every state and the District of Columbia. Railroad companies taking part in the Common Sense campaign include CSX, Union Pacific, Amtrak, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, and Kansas City Southern.
“Many Americans have no idea that walking or playing around train tracks, fishing from a railroad bridge, or riding their all-terrain vehicle on railroad tracks is potentially deadly and always illegal,” said Helen M. Sramek, president of OLI.
“Young adults also may be distracted by cell phones, texting, or listening to MP3 players if they’re near the tracks. This new public awareness campaign has a simple message: Staying away from the tracks is common sense, and it can save your life,” said Cliff Stayton, a former locomotive engineer who is director of community affairs and safety for CSX.
“Pedestrian injuries and fatalities on railroad tracks are preventable,” said CSX Corp. Chairman, President and CEO Michael Ward. “People don’t often understand the impact of these incidents on train crews. We are pleased to work with Operation Lifesaver, the FRA, and our industry colleagues in this important effort.”
Free presentations are available for anyone who lives or travels near train tracks by calling 800-537-6224, and anyone interested in volunteering with Operation Lifesaver can sign up by calling that number.
Kicked out
Posted by Lou on Aug 12, 2009
Yesterday I logged into my Employee Web Site to check my furlough status. As anything would ever changed there but hey, keep the flags up and perhaps with a miracle and some help with the guy high above there (not Mr. Young, higher) there can be a chance for me to get back to work. But nothing changed. Some more guys got onto the Cut-Off Board, some left. There is always some movement there. But only the higher seniority once get a chance from time to time to proof they are railroaders.
So I logged in and got a Message telling me that, if I had one, I have to empty my locker and get everything out there. Ok, I understand that there might be a demand on lockers and there might be some lockers that have been never used (I might wonder why ???). But just getting this message dropped my frustration level more down. Will there be EVER a chance to get back to work or is that a ‘little’ sign to show me there is no room (!!) for me at this place ? I don’t know.
Down the Hallway I saw one of the Big Bosses and I thought : get a $20 out of my pocket and slip it to him while shacking his hand. Ok, a small grade I was going to walk but hey, for a good joke and a reason to have some talk with the guy, I give it a try. Thanks-fully he understood my scene of humor. “Hey Boss, get me back to work. That’s for you. If you need me to broom stick the Parking lot or polish the switches, I am your man. Just get me back to work”. I only got back a smile and a sorry. Do you know how many sorry’s I get every time I visit the Office ? Way to many. But at last they think of us furlough personnel from time to time.
Thanks guys, for thinking about me. And I love to give up my locker (if I had one) for someone who needs it and who is able to work.
More Downturns in Freight Volume Cast Doubt on Economic Optimism
Posted by Lou on Aug 7, 2009
No evidence could be found in the latest rail volume reports of the federal government’s recent predictions that the economy would improve soon.
Freight rail traffic was down 23 percent in April from a year earlier and down 24.5 percent for the week ending May 2, the Association of American Railroads reported.
The grim news about rail volumes follows by days a congressional hearing during which Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said he saw “green shoots” indicating the economy is on the upswing.
“We continue to expect economic activity to bottom out, then to turn up later this year,” Bernanke told the congressional Joint Economic Committee.
Freight shipments have been dropping by double-digits every month since December. Carload freight was down 18.2 percent in the first four months of this year. Intermodal volume fell 17.9 percent in April compared with one year earlier.
“Unfortunately, it’s hard to find much in rail traffic data in April to support the idea that the economy is starting to see green shoots,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray. “It may still just be weeds.”
Union Pacific Spends $13 Million on Fort Worth Rail Intersection
Posted by Lou on Aug 6, 2009
Union Pacific Railroad reports that it is spending $13 million to upgrade track between Roanoke, Texas and Tower 55 in Fort Worth.
Tower 55 is a major juncture of rail lines that has prompted numerous complaints from Fort Worth motorists about emissions and traffic delays from trains.
Union Pacific crews are replacing more than 45,000 ties and renewing road surfaces at 38 grade crossings in a project scheduled to be completed next month. The railroad spent more than $400 million last year on capital projects in Texas.
What does furlough mean ?
Posted by Lou on Aug 6, 2009
Major railroads announced more furloughs of employees in recent days as they try to decide between getting rid of workers completely or keeping them on retainer in hope the economy will improve soon.
CSX Transportation announced recently it is furloughing 27 shop workers at Corbin, Ky.
BNSF Railway last week furloughed 100 mechanical department employees at its Alliance, Neb., shop.
CSX gave the Corbin shop workers no idea when they might be called back because the railroad’s management is uncertain how long it will take for shipping demand to pick up. They were given assurances of four months of health benefits.
CSX has furloughed 2,400 employees and put 30,000 rail cars in storage in roughly the past year.
Some railroads – like Union Pacific – have furloughed about 10 percent of their workforce in a belief they need to be ready when demand for rail shipments picks up as soon as this year.
Others – like BNSF Railway – have laid off a greater percentage of their workforce amid economic predictions the current recession is likely to last a long time. About 7.8 percent of BNSF’s workers are furloughed.
Read the rest of this entry »
Federal Railroad Administration Awards $1 Million Rail Safety Grant to Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
Posted by Lou on Aug 6, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009 (Washington, DC ) Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo today announced a $1,015,000 grant for Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), providing the Alexandria, VA-based nonprofit organization support to continue its wide-ranging public education outreach efforts to raise awareness about the potential hazards at grade crossings and the dangers of illegal trespassing on railroad property.
In 2008, there were 2,395 grade crossing incidents resulting in 287 deaths, as well as 453 deaths due to rail trespassing, slightly fewer than similar incidents in 2007.
“Despite decreases in the number of train-vehicle collisions, promoting railroad safety is as important as ever,” Administrator Szabo said. “Through this sustained public-private partnership, OLI, with the support of the Federal Railroad Administration, will continue to draw attention to the devastating and irreversible consequences of trespassing, the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America.”
OLI’s initiatives include State Assistance Programs, which provide grants to individual state programs that support railroad safety awareness programs, training and education programs for presenters, and communications programs. In the past, OLI’s efforts have successfully increased public awareness through presentations, training, and public service announcements. OLI recently announced new initiatives to aid its efforts, including projects designed to target new and nontraditional audiences at the state and local level—training, a new safety video for professional drivers, and most notably the “Common Sense” campaign, which includes an interactive website, internet ads, videos, and local events aimed at informing youth about the risks of trespassing.
This grant supports the goals of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Action Plan for Highway Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention, and the recently enacted Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which provides a roadmap for guiding federal, state, local, industry, and other entities in combating these problems.
Source: Federal Railroad Administration
