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Train movements to Bensenville have been almost (gasp) efficient. Not that everything is perfect by any means, but the days and nights have become a little more tolerable. The demons of the past have been exorcised, the freight world made a better place for moves the world over, and...and...oh, it'll be back to the usual once the maintenance people begin again. But at least for now we take the good with the bad.
The other night, though, I endeared myself to the CSX in a big way. I came in and RLK was having another rough night. We exchange the usual pleasantries and he tells me how much he enjoys this job. So I take the transfer and go about my business. Bob also points out that we have a Z453, 240 to the rest of the world, and the outbound is called for 00:40. The planner says Latta is plugged and this 240 will have to make his set out at Keller. So this 240 is on the way and the XL is gathering 100 loads and will be working north to Wabash River in the very near future. The CSX says he has to meet a couple and then come to Baker. So I wait...and wait...and wait. And all I see is CSX trains moving north. So I figure I'll move the XL up to make room for this 240. So this XL finally begins the trek north out of Latta and as he's coming north the CSX lines up for a meet at Baker. My curiosity getting the best of me, I make a long distance request via the block phone to Jacksonville. Two will meet at Baker, then I will get the 240. Only now I am committed to the XL before I can take the 240, and since the XL is 100 long I need the crossings at both Spring Hill and the belt before I can move 240 or the CSX trains. So now the CSX is just a little upset and imparts a bit of information to me: the trains meeting at Baker are 126 and 121, his hot tote trains. So I tell him they will just have to wait. Well, I can tell you this is not the way to win friends in the CSX. So I nick his hot tote trains for 45 and 90 minutes respectively while I move my coal train and my 70 car junk freight 240. Now these are the moments I live for!
The other night I get to the closet in the sky and the CSX is buzzing with activity. Not the kind like there is a lot of trains or anything like that. No, this is the kind of buzzing which tells me something is amiss. So I figure there is a derailment or something like that. OK, so these kinds of things happen. So I go about my business, sort of listening with one ear like I normally do. Now as the night goes on the picture begins to become clearer and clearer. It seems that there is no operator at Haley! In some way, shape, or form there is nobody rested for third shift. So the dispatcher is talking about having to talk all trains by the tower. I don't know what was going on with the Conrail but I'm sure they were faring no better. What a mess! It is kind of reassuring to know that these kinds of faux pas happen to other roads.
For anyone who is listening, the first Golden Rodent made its way to
Louisville. CP 5753 came down on 240,
complete with Rodent and train. I guess the scheme is sort of OK, but the
detail in the logo is too hard to make out from a distance. Of course the
crew didn't really grasp the historical significance of the day. Their concerns
tend to focus around comfortable seats and the location of the taxi to take
them to the yard office. And of course this would have to happen when I
have no camera with me or in my car. It could be no other way.
The Latta Sub is one busy little place. Of all the trains that run on it, the bulk of them work between Blackhawk and Elnora, which is a 30 mile area. It's kind of amazing how all of this is done in such a small area. The flip side of all of this is that when trains show up they tend to show up in the same area at the same time. Not a great feeling if they show up on your watch.
Today I am in the conference with Frank the planner at Latta. He is not happy. Latta Yard is plugged to the gills, Linton is full, and he has to use Keller for 240's set out which ultimately means he will have to send a road switcher up there later to get the hoppers and assorted Terre Haute cars and switch them out at Latta. It also means to me that I have no meeting area for trains between Spring Hill and Latta. Planners don't really understand the need for things like sidings and meeting points. They just look for convenient places to store cars. I look for ways to keep trains moving. Nothing really important you understand. And what else do I look for? I look for good coupons in the paper. I look for women with a good sense of humor. I look for restaurants with a good salad bar. And I look for ways to move trains that are easy and effective. I find more good salad bars than I do easy ways to move trains.
One of the disadvantages of this Indiana coal is the sulfur content. Compared to Wyoming coal it is relatively high in sulfur. And with the coming of the millennium the EPA emissions become even more stringent, the end result being a slow and gradual extinction of the coal industry in Indiana. We lost the KCBX Boat Train contract just for that very reason. And while I don't want to become an alarmist, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that time is this subdivision's worst enemy. So there is a certain level of finality in the hauling of this coal that we work so hard to move. This sub serves 3 major mines- Kindill, Farmersburg, and Hawthorn- as well as several loading sites. It only serves one power plant directly and without the coal traffic would be dead. But in the mean time... After the demise of the boat coal contract, the marketing people were able to obtain a contract with NIPSCO for 10 test trains to the Bailly Generating Station. These are 60 car movements that are hoped will generate some permanent business. I guess the frustration comes in knowing that we really bend over backwards to satisfy our customer, and as much work as we attempt to take on and complete to ensure this movement is done in a timely and efficient manner we simply are at the mercy of too many other roads and variables. For example, we have to move all Chicago trains a full day ahead of schedule just to make the delivery time. We can count on a thorough beating from the other roads that the train moves over. So we have to work that much harder just to make up for the poor service we receive from those we contract to move the shipment (in the form of trackage rights).
We were having a discussion over this very dilemma one night in the tower, with the actual industry being the automobile industry. At one time there were a large selection of manufacturers and styles to choose from. Nash, Auburn, Packard and AMC are just a few that come to mind. And the little guy had some pretty good ideas and novel approaches that captivated the market. And most importantly it gave the automobile buying public a rich choice of models to choose from. But alas, through forced buyouts, some underhanded sales and smear campaigns, and just plain survival of the fittest we now only have a few choices in terms of domestic auto manufacturers. This Latta Sub in many respects feels that way. It seems as if we are just biding out time waiting for the inevitable outcome. This sub is an island in some pretty unfriendly seas, and it is only a matter of time before it is sold, shortlined, or just plain abandoned. And that knowledge is perhaps the most frustrating of all.
I often look out my window and wish I could have seen the C&EI or the NYC come across the plant. And there are many days when I really miss the Milwaukee Road. In fact, the other day I was going through some old photos and I just couldn't help but recall how many roads have disappeared in the last 15 years alone. My first trip to Dolton Junction, we hadn't even pulled in the lot when a Mopac freight went lumbering north through the plant. I was spellbound by these big blue units with a big eagle on the side. I saw a Seaboard System train come through the plant with a veritable kaleidoscope of units: black SCL, gray L&N and Family Lines units, and a fresh Seaboard unit bringing up the rear. Also at Dolton I saw my first Conrail units: SD50's pulling a monster train out of the IHB yard at Blue Island. And as the engineer eased those quiet 6700's by me he tipped his cap to reveal his true allegiance: the Pennsy keystone! Later on I had the privilege of finding an ex- Pennsy GP-35 complete with keystones. Chessie units parading in and out of Barr Yard. Norfolk and Western SD-45's pulling across Homan Avenue on a sultry July evening. Sitting in the cab of just delivered Soo Line 6623 at the Schiller Park engine house. Now all of this has been relegated to the recollection of memory. But enough crying in my beer...
So I'm sitting in the hot seat and the day is kinda falling apart. The moves that were planned are falling through and the moves that were supposed to be simple are now quickly degenerating into chaos. So I have this Farmersburg train ready to go south to Beehunter and nowhere in between to meet any trains, which means once I let him out of Blackhawk there is no turning back. So I'm exploring all of the possibilities and coming up with plan B's, C's, and even D's. Things are looking OK so I give this Blackhawk train the light out of the mine and off they go. This move involves running down to Linton, dropping 50 loads, light engines to Beehunter, meet the ISRR and pick up empties, and then off to Blackhawk and spot the cars for loading. This is a move we make every day without incident and tonight should be no different.
Now I also have a 241 train coming into the picture from Louisville. The edict laid down was get 241 into Latta at all costs. OK, I can do that. The figure from the CSX was at Bedford in 2 hours and this Farmersburg move should be back at the mine by that time. So out he comes. Well, the engineer informs me after he's on the main that he will have to stop at Latta to get ice and water. OK, no big deal. So they stop and take on the supplies they need. The ISRR shows up at Elnora and I fix them up to take the empties to Beehunter, cut them off on the main and put their power away on the Hawthorn branch. Ok, so I do this knowing they will be out of the way before 241 gets there. The Farmersburg crew gets back on the unit and now the brakes won't release. Oh wonderful.
So the diesel house guru inspects the unit and determines that something is wrong with the independent brakes. So how long will this take? The preliminary figure is an hour. So now I begin to squirm a little in the chair. He should still make it, but it might be a little close. So the MIC goes to work, and in the mean time 241 shows up at Bedford so I fix him up to Elnora and I tell him to call me at Odon for another ticket north. So this Farmersburg train finally gets all fixed up and goes to Linton. Well, they find out that Linton Yard has been filled with cars from the INRD. So now I have to get the INRD to come over and pull the cars off the train. Meanwhile 241 is rolling north, with an ETA to Latta of 90 minutes and two hours to work. So this Farmersburg train is doing their thing and I'm looking at plan B, C, and D. I call the crew and inform them that I need a good move to take the empties back to the mine. OK, the crew says they will do their best and go about their work. So meanwhile 241 hits the light at Elnora and I fix him to come up behind this coal train. Now the fun begins.
The coal train begins to pull and now we play the roll up and issue game with warrants, issuing about 7 to 241 between Beehunter and Latta to keep him moving. So I manage to get this train to Latta with about 5 minutes to spare! Too close for comfort to say the least. So feeling kind of good about the night, the planner calls and asks how the night went. I tell him all of his objectives have been met and the world is again at peace.
Sometimes the south end defies explanation, sort of like the X-Files in a way. I have this 240 train working south out of Latta and the custom is to call the CSX and give them a rough estimate into Bedford so they can plan accordingly. Well, he says he has a mess ahead of this guy and he will die at Bedford. So I call the planner and he gets just a little upset and threatens to take exception with the CSX. So we confer and decide to hold off on a recrew until he gets to Bedford and then we'll look at it then. So the train shows up at Bedford and now the shift has changed and so has the climate. Bring him on, I'll take him! So the train takes off and I figure they'll kill him around Pekin. So I tell the crew to call me if they get in trouble. Well, all is quiet and I'm about to call their dispatcher and find out where this guy is when the crew calls me. They are reporting the train is all put away...at Louisville! They made it in with 3 hours to spare! Go figure, first it's call a recrew and then it's into Louisville with time to spare.
Van Yard Engine: SOO 4431
Farmersburg Power: CP 5504-CP 5481-CP 5755
Maysville Power: SOO 4509-SOO 4403
Kindill Power: SOO 4428-CP 3018-SOO 4442
XL Power: SOO 789-CP 5717
With the mines shutting down for summer repairs and vacations, the sub has been kinda quiet and that's really nice for a change. Any time I can relax a little during the day it's a good one. I was reading in Railway Age that as a condition of the Conrail breakup, the ISRR and the NS will have added access to Indianapolis via the ISRR trackage so it will be interesting to see if they do indeed exercise that concession.
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Editorial content (C) 1998 Mike Dettmers
