Ed,
I did not know those numbers but they are not surprising. BNSF
has a certain payment for services contract but the big money
is in incentive payments.
BNSF gets paid incentives to operate the trains within certain
running time parameters. On time or late does not really matter.
The Amtrak Conductor/Engineer pairs also have some type of time
parameters they are keeping track of but again, it is not related
to schedule keeping, but just route segments. I do not remember
the Amtrak checkpoints but they are not at stations where stops
are made. On that route I'm pretty sure Wray is one and another
is at either Friend or Exeter. If they do not have a smoking
car station time and slack time is used for smoker's breaks,
usually Ft Morgan, McCook, and sometimes Hastings.
[I do recall an overheard radio conversation at Wolf Point MT
where the crew of a very late #8 commented that they could
spend their full allotted time at the station stop because
they were doing fine on their segment.]
Since the BNSF is CTC they do not need formal checkpoints and
just use the real time information to monitor. On the McCook job
we also use an Excel spreadsheet that one of the Dispatchers
created to monitor running times and predict meets. We know all
the time how much time we have to work with and what the target
time will be at Denver or Lincoln. The incentives on the Denver-
Lincoln route are not hard to make and we probably run about a
95% success rate. East of Lincoln is a little harder and probably
goes down to about 90%.
While those rates look high to you I can assure you it would take
a lot of passengers to just pay the incentive to BNSF. Don't know
the numbers on car capacity but maybe half a car? Am not in love
with working Amtrak routes. While the incentive is a challenge to
your skill and motivation there is always the feeling in the back
of your mind that these are my tax dollars going down the drain.
What is worst of all is I do not think the incentives would be that
necessary. Now that they have a certain mind set installed with
BNSF I think they could be phased out and the trains would still
maintain their running time goals. I, for one, would work just as
hard at it without the incentive, or perhaps harder as there would
not be as much management attention paid to Amtrak.
Russ
----- Original Message -----
From: Ed DeRouin
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 24 February, 2004 16:25
Subject: [CBQ] One Last Gasp.....
The thread about the demise of the passenger trains in the
1960's has been an enjoyable read. Yes, the Q's trains were
showcases at one time, along with several others. And, yes, I
was and am a proponent of quality inter-city (read through train,
in our day) rail transportation, but the highway and airline lobbies
had clout that the rail industry lacked, plus a lot of public support.
Just last year, I explored taking Amtrak from Chicago to Denver
and return to retrace our ride in the 1968 version of the DZ. I can
only think that Amtrak's pricing is determined to discourage
riders whom do not wish to travel between endpoints. The room
charge was outrageous, over $1000 each way. The cost of
having a toilet in the room was a whoping $258 - each way.
Tactics used to discourage business are not new to industry and
if they were used in the Menk era, as many suggest and I agree,
we should step back from our passion and explore the why or
why nots.
By the late sixties, the Q was suffering more than just a loss of
passenger revenue. Money was diverted to the owners at St.
Paul to prepare for BN. Look at photos from the later sixties and
notice the appearance of the right-of-way.
While some may have enjoyed the arguements, I really have not.
sjl is a fan of a great railroad that ran great trains with pride and
professionalism, as am I. I was called to respond over what I
perceived to be an unjustified arguement about a single
executive. If you have another opinion, that is fine. One does not
rise to thise lofty heights without burying bodies along the way.
Ed
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/
b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
CBQ-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/8ZCslB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
CBQ-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|