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Coal traffic has fallen off a little bit, and the hectic pace we've been leading has dwindled to just a minor catastrophe. The north end has taken on a business as usual atmosphere. The Cayuga coal has been moving north, but the CSX doesn't seem too concerned that they cannot meet the delivery time of 10:00 on a regular pace. I know to the Soo, which has at times been criticized for poor customer service, the coal contracts are treated like gold. I guess the CSX is just too big to be concerned about minor things like power plants. Maybe with a little luck the Soo could get rights to serve the plant. Of course, the CSX would just shut down the train at Spring Hill if that happened. Still, it would be fun to see what we could do. We have the loads ready at Spring Hill almost every evening between 20:00 and 01:00. We serve Fayette, and have something like a 90% on time rating, if not better. I would guess the CSX rating to Cayuga is in the 35% to 40% range, if it's even that good.
Lately they have been giving preference to their V502 train, which is a Wheatland train they sometimes run to Cayuga. I guess they want it all. The problem is that the Wheatland train is just as late as the V501! Maybe they need lessons in Rail Traffic Management 101. It's kind of amazing that with all of those resources they have such a hard time. We have 1% of those resources and we make it work just fine. And when I worked at B-17 in Bensenville I moved more trains than they do with even less than I have now. No computers, no high tech radios, and no support personnel. I had a Relm 16 channel mobile radio jury rigged for AC and a 1953 vintage Union Switch CTC panel and that's about it. And we moved 60 Metra trains per day plus 20 some odd freights and about 20 yard movements. So go figure! OK, I'll get off my soapbox now...
So here I sit in the Laundromat with the laptop and I think back to my day at work. Now you might think I just like to bash the CSX, UP and IHB, and to some extent that is correct. It is really disconcerting when you break your back to get things done only to have someone else really mess it up. A classic example of that occurred just the other day.
A 240-type train is migrating south from Bensenville. The rule of thumb is check on the train at about the 5 or 6 hour mark. If the train is not past Woodland Junction, which is roughly the half way point, then it's time to look at a recrew. The first check is with the operator at Dolton, then the UP dispatcher, and finally the CSX. So this 240 gets to be in the 5-hour-old range and the call is made to Dolton. No sign of him! HMMMMM. Not good. OK, well, time to get the troops standing at attention. In a case like that, we call the IHB dispatcher to check on where we'll kill the train.
So the IHB says he's at Wireton waiting to come to Blue Island. OK, so this guy could make the UP. So the UP is consulted. With the recrew ordered, we'll try to make Sauk Trail or somewhere in that neck of the woods. So the recrew is ordered. The IHB is called once more. The UP says he won't take him so it will be Blue Island. OK. Get the Batmobiles ordered, crew is told Blue Island, and the pieces are now in place. OK.
So about 4 hours after the recrew is ordered the UP is wondering where the recrew is. Gee, why is he concerned? Well, it turns out the IHB cried enough and after the shift change the second trick UP dispatcher moved the train! So here is the train at Ben with less than an hour to work and the recrew is AWOL. OK, so where did this crew go? Calls are made and come to find out they are sitting in the crew room at Blue Island drinking coffee and wondering where their train is! And to really top it off, their cab has already left! These are the times your blood pressure goes into the stratosphere.
Now in this situation, the best bet is to just call another crew since it'll take too long to get the other one in gear. So a second recrew is called and the train sits dead on the UP for something like 6 1/2 hours. Thankfully it was my day off so I didn't get directly involved, but it was a topic of discussion. The BIG cheese got a call from the UP corridor manager and their chief dispatcher to express their, oh shall we say, pleasure with the situation. And I guess they conferenced in the second trick here to get his input. Well, Bob was having a less than perfect day and let the UP have it with both barrels. I guess the UP guys just hung up! HMMMMMM, anyone think we might hear about this one in the days ahead? How come they never call me?
Today I get to work and for once it looks pretty tame. There are only a few trains today and the schedule appears light. So I take my time and get the trains on their way. I have a 240 train CP 5499 South with a recrew at Dewey that will take it south to Louisville. I have a 241 train called at Louisville for 06:00. I have 125, which will switch out 240 and then go to Beehunter and get 104-0-13940 worth of Repower coal and bring it to Latta for the XL. There is a Maysville with the Soo 2066 ordered for 09:45 to go to Maysville and get the train and deliver it to the INRD at Linton. And that's about it. The Bomb Train 242 is gone, and there is no Hawthorn Turn or XL to worry about. Life is good, right?
Well, the first hints of trouble begin when I call the CSX CF dispatcher for some info on taking this 240 south. He sort of hems and haws and says he would have to look at it later but for now it looks good to meet the trains around Orleans. Good, that's what I wanted to hear. So I call 240 and fix him south.
"CP Indiana Dispatcher to CP 5499 South, over."
"CP 5499 South ready to copy, over."
"Roger that. We'll figure on meeting 241 around Orleans, over."
"Meet 241 at Orleans, over."
"That is correct. So let's make it track warrant number 7021, June 14 1998, to the CP 5499 South at Latta. Check line number 2, proceed from South Yard Limit Latta to CSX Connection Switch Bedford on main track. Track warrant 7021 is issued with 1 line checked, line number 2, dispatcher MRD, over."
Now just as he's about to begin the read back, the phone rings. I take it off the hook and set it down while I listen.
"Repeating, track warrant number 7021, dated June 14, 1998, to the CP 5499 South at Latta. Line 2. Proceed from South Yard Limit Latta to CSX Connection Switch Bedford on main track. Track warrant 7021 is issued with 1 line checked, line 2, dispatcher MRD, over."
"Track warrant 7021, with 1 line checked, line number 2 is OK at 10:23, dispatcher MRD, over."
"Track warrant 7021, 1 line checked, line 2 OK at 10:23, MRD, copied by Schaffer and the crew has a copy, over."
"That is correct on the repeat. Signal indication at Beehunter and Elnora, over."
"Signal indication Beehunter and Elnora, roger. Thanks Mike. 240 out."
"CP Indiana Dispatcher out."
I pick up the phone and it's the CSX CF dispatcher. Hello, CSX, what's going on? Meet on my track? Congestion? Well, I suppose. OK. Thanks. Bye.
Now the plan is shot. He wants to meet the trains here because he has congestion around Salem and Orleans. I agreed to it because 240 was getting old and I would rather have 241 make it and 240 die rather than have both of them die. So bring on 241 and I'll plan on the recrew for 240. So I call back 240 and give him a new ticket to Crane and take the siding. The CF guy says he'll be to Bedford in an hour and a half so the wait won't be too bad. Well, that must be CSX time, because he finally calls me from Bedford at 13:45 when he should have been there at about noon. So now this 240 takes a 4-hour hit at Crane for this meet. And to top it off, the corridor manager (planner) wants 241 first, then the Maysville.
So I tell this Maysville to take 5 for safety and wait for 241 to come north. He's not happy but that's the way it goes. So he waits on the ISRR at Elnora. Now the ISRR calls and says the Gibson empties for Farmersburg are waiting behind this Maysville and when will the whole mess move off his railroad. It will be a while I tell him and hang up. Finally 241 gets by Crane, 240 goes south, the Maysville comes north, and life is good. So I call the CF again and ask him where 240 will die. Orleans is the place, so I set up the rescue for Orleans. Cabs called, and crew ordered. Well, 240 calls me from Orleans and says the CSX is moving him to Pekin. Please arrange the rescue there! It's deja vu all over again!
The run from Bedford to Louisville is actually a short run, with a straight run taking just over 3 hours. For the longest time we rarely had a south pool crew make the run either to or from Louisville without being caught somewhere along the way. Being naturally sort of curious, I asked numerous people about this phenomenon. The responses entered included the CSX's seemingly total disregard for other roads, their inability to deal with change, and a certain arrogance on their part.
I talk to the NS yardmaster in Louisville quite often, and he noted that when the CSX wants a favor they really buddy up but when the shoe is on the other foot they seem to suffer from selective memory loss. So he sticks it to them every chance he can with extreme joy and satisfaction.
And any time there is more than 1 or 2 trains out of the ordinary the whole sub comes to a grinding halt. Why? Handling anything unusual causes cerebral paralysis. There is a LOT of seniority in that Louisville area and the old adage about old dogs and new tricks is totally true. The CSX seems to regard itself as the railroading high water mark of the 20th century and they aren't afraid to show it. So am I CSX bashing again? Yea, but if they would get with the program I think they would find their lives would become considerably easier. I know the afternoon SB dispatcher calls it the "Ike and Tina Turner Railroad". Why? When they did their version of "Proud Mary", they talk about doing it rough and in his opinion that's how the CSX does things. HMMMMMM. Imagine that.
Now admittedly there is another reason. Certain crews really don't want to make the whole trip. For one thing, they then have to do all the switching involved, but more correctly they make more money by running the extra hours and taking the tow in and so on. Tow in is the time and mileage spent moving after the hours have expired. Now I didn't really believe this until just this past week when several of the regular pool crews are on vacation and are filled with extras and so on. Magically, just his past week we've had something like 4 turns make the entire trip with time to spare. Coincidence? You be the judge.
Of course then there is the exception. I had a 240 train working south from Bedford. He is running short on time and it's any a matter of where the train will die. So the CF calls and says Vernia will be the place. OK. A recrew is ordered and the whole rescue operation is organized and things synch just right. One problem, though. The CSX never mentioned that this train should apply for Homesteading, because the recrew sat on the train for 11 hours and never turned a wheel! Now I'm used to the CSX stupidity but there are times when they surpass their normal level and shock even me. Oh well, I guess it's to be expected. There must be a lack of good air in the Dufford Center. Swamp gas. Neck ties on just a little too tight. Who really knows. All I know is that when these events transpire, we seem to have signal problems on the CSX at Spring Hill.
The coincidence is startling.
CP Power:
Van Yard Engine- Soo 4443 (GP38-2)
Farmersburg Power- CP 6409-CP 5789-CP5722 (SD40A-SD40-2-SD40-2)
Maysville Power- Soo 4648-Soo 4405 (GP40-GP38-2)
Kindill Power- Soo 2066-Soo 4442-Soo 4509 (GP40-GP38-2-GP38-2)
XL Power- CP5860-CP 6041 (2 SD40-2)
Road Switcher Power- Soo 4442-Soo 4445 (GP38-2)
Miscellaneous Power- Soo 6050 and others for a boat train this Wednesday
Louisville Power- CP 5499-CSXT 8144 and CSXT 7537-CSXT 7843
Bensenville Power- More CSX power on 240 coming down today
PS- The cat is better. She just had a cold.
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Editorial content (C) 1998 Mike Dettmers
