Rule #1 -- Don't get hurt.     Safety is the first priority. Er, or is it the second, after money.... Or the third after getting the trains out....

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Name: KYLE
E-mail: 
Employed as: Conductor, for 20-30 years
Posted: 07 May 2012

I was reading some old stuff about rr ,s years ago,, they never had
track warrents for the m&w, they just went out and did the track work
on live tracks, with only a m&w flagman to make them clear up when they
heard or seen a train comming,, oh yes slow orders, back in the old days
from what i read, slow orders were a no no, that shit was repaired the
same day,, but lets not forget as back then on time preformence ment ON
TIME. Seems today most class 1 roads don,t care a rats ass about that
anymore, I talked with a old timer 90 yrs old, he told me that all
freight trains had a time sec, and that they got orders when starting
the run that you had to pass the towers at a certain time and if you
did not you got called on the carpet!

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Name: slack action E-mail: Employed as: M of W, for 10-20 years Posted: 03 May 2012 RRJ: The EIC will check in the morning with the dispr to get an update on the trains. Once the 707 goes into effect it is the M of W track, we do not have to ask for permission to occupy the track. You are right the dispr will tell us how many trains have to be cleared thru our limits before we can go to work. That is why we like absolute curfews, when there is no track you can't run trains.. View This Article

Name: NoMo E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 03 May 2012 Hey RRJ: Yeah me too but it didn't take long to learn that the RR is "hurry up and wait". Just after I started I got called for 101 job at Gentilly. The transfer jobs were the best. We got on one to deliver to the UP at Marconi at 0715. I think Franco was the foreman. We got off the engine at 1915, We didn't turn a wheel. When I asked him about it, he smiled and simply said, "it all pays the same, be careful what you ask for, they might give it to you". At Gentilly the YM doled out one list at a time and you didn't get early quits so the men had "character". I also learned that it took 2 hours to couple a track and how to hide in plain sight. In Mobile and Pensacola, you got your work at the start of your tour and went home when you finished your work, whether it take 4 or 12 hours. There were more time than I care to remember that I would get called for the second half of a job on my off day only to show up to a empty shack and a post-it on the computer saying hit enter. The RR may or may not be a lot of things, but they are certainly penny wise and pound foolish! View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 03 May 2012 NoMo There was times I felt bad for the EIC and his crew. The TD's would keep running trains stopping their work. A job that could of taken one day or even half a day would last 3-4 days or longer. Could call it job security. Then slow orders that could of been lifted stayed on for the weekend. CSX gutted MOW they have to cover a wide region plus the yards with a minimum amount of people. When I worked the yard they would get called in on a rush job to fix a track or switch then left sitting in the vehicle for hours till the YM turned over the track. View This Article

Name: NoMo E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 03 May 2012 I can't address other roads, but on the NO&M there was always a lot of chatter between the EIC and TD. maybe not anything to do with permission for a specific train but job coordination. I think those use to be called job briefings. Even though radio chatter becomes just noise after a while, it pays to listen...reminds me of my days in the oil patch. We had a short drive of 175 miles to work every night, Texas is a big state. We listened to the radio, in those days FM was as rare as hen's teeth. We listened to CBS radio's Mystery Theater to pass the time. You had to pat attention in order to solve the mystery. The drive home was more relaxed...Fat Boys and Buds. That was back in '73 and '74, I was making a fortune at $2.50 an hour. We use to see a lot of RR men in the patch, SP, MOPs and ATSF. Most would come to serve time on the street or during furloughs. Life was simpler back then and beer only cost 50 cents. View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 03 May 2012 Slack Action Don't they have to contact the TD before physically putting equipment/vehicle on the track? I understand a 707 gives him the track between the specified hours and mileposts. In most cases the TD will inform the EIC that X number of trains have to get through before permission to occupy track is given. They also stay in contact during the day for the same reason. On many of trains I've heard discussions on the radio between them about getting in the clear ect...not saying the EIC did anything wrong. It's puzzling that a train crew would take an hour to clear the 707. Why after an excessive time frame they didn't contact the EIC? It's about common sense. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: M of W, for Less than 1 year Posted: 02 May 2012 Did someone get shorted on pay or something? FBI, police looking into device placed under CSX track Posted: May 2, 2012 - 7:17pm | Updated: May 2, 2012 - 8:38pm By Teresa Stepzinski The FBI and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office bomb squad are investigating what police described as a “suspicious device” under one of the rails on CSX tracks, approximately one-half mile east of the intersection of Eastport and Craft roads. Sheriff’s Office Lt. M.J. Powers said CSX police contacted police about 5:45 p.m. after discovering the device tucked under the rail. A Sheriff’s Office helicopter circled the scene for about five minutes, checking the woods to see if there was anyone near where the device was placed. No one was found. Powers said the concern was if it is an explosive device, police wanted to make sure no one was nearby if it exploded. "It was definietly put there on purpose," Powers said. The last train to use the tracks passed through about 7 a.m., police said. Gary Sease, a CSX spokesman, said the track is not heavily used. He said a single train was being held up because of the discovery. No evacuations were ordered, but firefighters remained on the scene in case they were needed. Authorities handled the discovery of the device with extra care because it was near critical infrastructure, including a JEA power plant. The FBI has taken over the investigation after being called by the railroad, although the Sheriff's Office bomb squad unit arrived on the scene at 7:15 p.m. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 20-30 years Posted: 02 May 2012 I would have pulled the most powerful handgun in the world out and made my day on these train robbers. Train Castle Self Defense Doctrine. Train operators robbed at gunpoint By Nathan Hardin salisburypost.com Updated Monday, April 30, 2012 10:45 AM SALISBURY, NC — Armed with a shotgun and revolver, two men boarded a Norfolk Southern train last night and robbed two people, police said. The gunmen, who were both wearing black ski masks, took wallets from the train’s conductor and engineer, a Salisbury Police report said. Police said the robbers entered through a back door of the engine compartment about 11 p.m. A report said the two employees were stopped in the 300 block of East Council Street, waiting for shift replacements. Police estimated about $30 in cash and credit cards were taken in the robbery. The men were last seen running along the tracks away from the train. The first suspect was described as a black male about 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, the report said. The second suspect, who was carrying a pump shotgun with a wooden stock, was a black male about 190 pounds, and about 5-foot-9. Both men were in their late teens to early 20s, the report said. Salisbury Police Capt. Shelia Lingle said this is the first time she’s heard of a train robbery in Salisbury. “I’ve never known it to happen here,” she said. The employees contacted Norfolk Southern after the robbery. Salisbury Police were subsequently called. Lingle said the case has been turned over to the department’s criminal investigation division. View This Article

Name: slack action E-mail: Employed as: M of W, for 10-20 years Posted: 02 May 2012 RRJ: A train dispr is totally removed from a a 707 after they go into effect. They give the foreman approval before the 707 goes into effect but after that it is up to the T & E and the foreman of the 707, the dispr is out of it. Train disprs are totally responsible for 704's. A dispr does not have anything to do with granting permission for a trian to go through the limits of a 707. The only time a dispr will be involved is a go between.. View This Article

Name: Robert Pines E-mail: btpino40@gmail.com Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 01 May 2012 """The 2 golden boys whose M.O.W. truck got hit by the train on the Nashville Division""" I guess don't report the condition and have Nomo and slack ackie be the fourth and 5th cya clowns. View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: Employed in other capacity, for 10-20 years Posted: 30 April 2012 Indie and others Wouldn't it be throwing them under the train instead the bus? Railroading not catching the bus Just a little pun View This Article

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Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 30 April 2012 Indie No one is throwing them under the bus. I pointed out three people had to be involved the train crew, employee in charge of the 707, and the train dispatcher. All this info on here is hear-say nothing more. Unfortunately it's usually the train crew that takes the hit. It's always been that way nothing new. Still people have to use common sense if times frames exceed the norm then calling the EIC is the safe course the other is to stop the train before entering if contact can't be made. I can't imagine taking an hour to clear a 707. Again that's hear-say. There are limitations that need to be adherd to one can't just assume. View This Article

Name: Indie E-mail: Employed as: Conductor, for Less than 1 year Posted: 30 April 2012 RRJ, NoMo, and Slack Action, That bridge foreman is known for calling the train ahead of time before the train is even close to the 707 and giving permission through his limits and all restarts, when he plans to slip away for lunch. He/they like very long lunches and breaks. The recordings should tell all. Those so - called "union guys, through and through" shouldn't attempt to throw the union train crew brethern under the bus. View This Article

Name: RRJ E-mail: Employed as: Locomotive Engineer, for 30+ years Posted: 30 April 2012 Getting permission and taking an hour is excessive. There's two people onboard if anything happened with an unexpected stop calling to inform the EIC on the 707 should of been the train crews first action then the TD. The restart should of been as natural as breathing air. Getting permission thru a 707 is just about an every trip experience mon-fri. The other question length of service of the LE and conductor. I did have times where the EIC was just putting up signs where they contacted me or I contacted them knowing I wouldn't clear before the time came into effect. Usually if some time elapsed 15-20 minutes I still called before entering to make sure they remembered. It's called common sense. This goes both ways it was the EIC's responsibility to make sure the train had cleared. To get on the rail he had to call the TD for permission to make sure no trains needed to clear. Now we have three involved T&E, EIC, and the TD each playing a role in this situation. View This Article

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Name: slack action E-mail: Employed as: M of W, for 10-20 years Posted: 29 April 2012 NOMO: Yes, you are right : Any time you talk to a dispr it is recored but between crew members and M of W and any other line of road maintainers it is not recored. View This Article

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Name: NoMo E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 29 April 2012 Hey Slack: If the crew wanted to stop they "should" ask permission from the Dispatcher. Likewise, if the train went into emergency, the Dispatcher would be notified. Lacking any communication between the train and Dispatcher there is an episode right out of the "Twilight Zone"! View This Article

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Name: slack action E-mail: Employed as: M of W, for 10-20 years Posted: 29 April 2012 NOMO: The dispr tapes is only a recording between the dispr and whoever he/she is talking too. If a train crew talks to a M OF W worker it is not taped unless it is close to a major terminal that might have it on tape and even then it is a remote chance. View This Article

Name: NoMo E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 29 April 2012 It sounds to me, based on the limited information in these posts, there's plenty of blame to go around. However, if they were hit by the same train they cleared an hour earlier, the train crew take the hit. I would start calling several miles in advance for permission. The posts didn't say if there was a siding within the 707. If they were put into the hole for any length of time, it's easy to forget to call for a restart. A stop at the Circle K for something is a possibility but an hour seems excessive and you would still have to call for a restart. Sounds like the train went into emergency, it would take the Conductor a while to walk the train and the crew forgot about the 707. Post it notes are wonderful thing! The dispatch tapes would be definitive! View This Article

Name: E-mail: Employed as: M of W, for 1-10 years Posted: 28 April 2012 In defense of Marvin and Johnny, the train was granted permission through Marvin's small 707 and an hour had passed by the time they got back. Yes, they should have asked the train where they were. However, why did it take over an hour for the train to reach the work area in that small 707? Was there an unscheduled stop in there somewhere? If so, where was the request for the restart? None of the ones involved are company suckass's either. The are union boys through and through and if anything are anti-company. I've worked with these guys and would know. View This Article

Name: yardlimits.com E-mail: Employed as: Other, non-employee, for N/A Posted: 28 April 2012 NoMo, The 2 golden boys whose M.O.W. truck got hit by the train on the Nashville Division were Marvin Hargis and John Sanders Jr. They might get jackets for their achievements. View This Article