Pete,
I will but I do not claim to be an expert by any means. There are a couple others on the List who spent far more time involved in grievances and discipline than I.
Each operating dept. employee (and likely every RR employee) had a file that included all the basic info. Hire date, transfer dates,layoff,recall,etc,etc. Exam, promotion dates,etc. Also included were any discipline for rule violations as a result of investigations, these would include "demerits" in the old days and later just a "mark" in their record, basically a written finding of the persons error or rule violation signed by the employee, admitting his fault and agreement. I really can't address demerits as they predated my time.
Basically the system was set up to determine the cause of various accidents,derailments,shortages in remittance, rider complaints,etc. after the hearing(investigation) if higher level mgmt.,after reading the transcript agreed the employee was at fault, that employee received a written reprimand in their record or more likely a period of unpaid time of time off ranging from 10-30 days. If an employee, over the course of his service accumulated a number of various penalties The severity (length of time off) increased, even for minor or similar issues.
At some point the proverbially dam would break and the employee would be fired. After a period of time this dismissal would be appealed by the local chairman, to the general Chairman, who would take it up with the general Supt,VP,or GM of the territory in conference. From that conference the employee may or may not be reinstated(with full seniority rights).
I believe the carrier went to great lengths to give every employee a second and third chance. Even for these folks who seemed to be repeat offenders the railroad treated them as family. But at some point even the closest family has to let the black sheep leave the heard and stay away.
I just read a file where an individual was $1,200 short in cash fare remittance, admitted it, signed the letter acknowledging same and agreed to pay it back each pay period. He then failed to follow through and was dismissed and never reinstated.
What is seldom known and was unknown to me until a couple years ago was that a "private file" was often kept by mgmt. at many locations on every operating employee, in addition to the official employment record. These basically earmarked individuals as good and bad apples,promotable,trustworthy or deadbeats, etc for the new officer coming into a location. I learned this from someone who would have known..
Leo
Leo..I remember the statement...."He got his record marked"...I never actually explored the real meaning of this...Does it imply that there was some kind of record made of his rule violation or other nefarious activity...Seems there was the matter of demerits. Seems like something lilke 65 and you were gone...Could you elucidate on that matter...It's one phase of railroad employment I never delved into or was subject to personally dealing with.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ] < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Jun 4, 2017 4:56 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Steel gons v composite gons
Pete,
Thank you Pete for complying with the directive !
I will see that your record in the BRHS receives a commendation rather than a demerit or
Mark.
Leo
Leo.
Per your suggestion at the most recent BRHS meeting I "deluged" Dave with everything that I have written in the past 25 years...It's enough for articles extending beyond the life expectancy of any BRHS member.
All that remains is for Dave to "get busy" and publish them..Seriously: I'm going to visit my son later this summer...He lives just a "hop skip and jump" from Dave and we plan to get together and put my stuff in order for publication.
Photos of all the depots that I have mentioned are available..I have some...now scanned and prepared for a showing to our local railfans club next month.
See how effective your "admonishment to me was..I "got right on it"...All others involved will have to "comply and see no failure"
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ] < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Jun 4, 2017 1:50 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Steel gons v composite gons
Pete,
All Dave needs is a photo or two of those depots, line map and a couple shots of a gon of coal spotted at the coal shed for an article !
I'll bet you just gave modellers another car for the wayfreight crew too.
Leo
Speaking of Company coal...I had personal experience with that commodity in my "back in the day" experience on the FAirmont Hildreth local back in "ought 58". Shortly after the first of August the old head conductor said..."well it's about time for the company coal to show up...I didn't give it much thought or make any inquiry.
Well a week or so later a "flat bottom 'system' gondola loading with...Voila...company coal showed up in the yard at FAirmont for distribution "along the line". ..Here's how it worked. The first trip west we took the company coal and set it out at Geneva....Next trip two days later we picked up the coal at Geneva and took it to Shickley. Two days later we picked the coal up at Shickly and took it to Ong. Two days later we picked it up and Ong and took it to Nelson..(Edgar was a closed station)..Next trip we picked the coal up at Nelson and took it to Lawrence...Next trip west to Blue Hill,..next trip west to Bladen...next trip west to Campbell...next trip west to Upland..Next trip west to Hildreth.
At each station we would spot the coal at the "coal house"...ever country depot had one...and the "section" would shovel the coal...that means...unload by hand for you millenials..if there are any on here.
Even at that time at my young and tender age (22)..I thought..what an expensive operation for such a menial job...How many man hours were spent doing this kind of thing for years and years and years...I think in the early 60's or so whatever depots remained were fixed up with oil burning stoves with the fuel oil..probably supplied by the local distributor from his "tank wagon"..
Just another example of "That's the way we've always done it" on the railroad.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: STEVEN HOLDING sholding@sbcglobal.net [CBQ] < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Jun 4, 2017 9:30 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Steel gons v composite gons
Rupert
Thank you for the post on the Gons. It is interesting to note the difference in load capacity with the wood car having a higher light weight and less cubic capacity yet working longer with less repairs. It has been my observation that gons were used mostly for company coal. And not just GS gons but often they used other gons as well with the section unloading coal at depots along the way might take a week or two for a gon of coal to be moved by the wayfreight and section from station to station on a subdivisioin. Most photos of coal chutes also show gons bringing the coal in.
Thanks
Steve in SC
If anyone has an interest in the differences between the
Burlington’s steel gons and composite gons, there was a presentation to
the Western Railway Club in 1917 by William Queenan, Assistant Shops Superintendent
for the CB&Q, in which he compared the history, qualities, rebuilding and
repair costs of the GA-1’s built by Cambria with those of the GA-2’s
built by Standard Steel. The presentation was followed by a lengthy discussion
by officials from a variety of roads.
The transcript of the presentation and discussion can be found at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b2978105;view=1up;seq=406
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
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Posted by: qutlx1@aol.com
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