Pete, it's like that all over. I have heard countless stories from
various railroads of employees being suspended or fired for the most
trivial offenses, and in the most contrived, set-up scenarios which
almost force them to break a rule just so the supervisor can play
"Gotcha!"
There are so many factors which have gotten us to this point, it's
not one simple thing. BUT I think one very big factor is that
today's railroading is simpler and has been reduced to operations
which require less thinking and responsibility on the part of the
employees.
Don't take that the wrong way, I have a lot of respect for today's
guys out there dealing with this stuff. But for those of you who
can remember back, compare loose-car railroading with today's unit
trains running from A to B. If today's officials went back to a
5-man crew, trying to serve 15 customers on a branch, each one with
cars in, out and set back, using hand signals and no radios, and
with the engineer or fireman having to improvise repair with a
flagstick or matchbook cover to keep a balky diesel moving, they a)
would have a meltdown at the things that sometimes were done to get
the work done, and b) would find that randomly taking men out of
service would generate consequences from the Superintendent when the
work did not get done, from the union for the tactics, and from the
men themself who could make you or break you in so many ways.
Yes, there always have been tests for rules compliance, and
occasionally someone serving a little time is a good message to the
rest. But we have lost the urgency and complexity, and moving
freight is now secondary to following a PLAN or a PROCEDURE.
And let me add my voice to the chorus. The biggest reason I pulled
the pin about 6 years ago was because it wasn't fun any more.
(HARRUMPH, says the grumpy old man!)
Leo et al...I'm
on a couple of "railroad oriented" facegroups..All I
hear is griping and complaining and the most foul
language I ever heard is just part of the conversation.
Worse than I ever heard when I was on the
"payroll"...There seems to be a competition out there
between today's officials to see who can get the most of
his employees fired.
Some of us were up at Fremont a couple weeks ago and
there was a utility guy came over and talked to us in
that same vain..Said he go "wrote up" for improperly
hanging on a car..Didn't have three point contact or
some other ridiculous stuff.
He also said he was going over to order his "safety
supplies" which the company pays for a ships direct to
his home...
Sure 'ain't like it used to be"...I'm really glad
that I at least got in on the tail end of railroading as
it had always been.
Pete
-----Original
Message-----
From: Qutlx1 qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ]
<CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Jul 2, 2017 8:27 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Still Working As Age 78
Dave,
They
are ver few and far between as far as
having fun. I talk with the few I know
still working and watched the crews at the
Galesburg meet as they came and went from
the hotel. To a man all I hear is "Leo it
ain't like it used to be, it ain't fun "
Leo
Sent from my iPhone
bless them all that are still
having fun
Pete,
The age 70 forced
retirement age came
into place in the
1950s in the files
I've been reviewing.
My understanding that
rule was eliminated
durin g Ro nald
Reagan's presidency.
Employees can work as
long as they wish as
long as they can meet
the requirements.
Leo
Leo
and Louis
Interesting
to hear about
someone still
working as a
locomotive
engineer who
is almost as
old as I
am..(81)...I
thought
that...even
back in my day
(1956) that an
arbitrary
requirement
for engineers
was agreed on
by both "The
Company" and
BLE and Bof
LF&E.
Can they
keep on
working as
long as they
can pass the
"physical"..??
I believe
that steam was
last used on
the
Omaha-Lincoln
divisions in
fall 1959. In
my first
summer as a
trainman
(1956) there
was still lots
of steam
working the
yard at
Lincoln and
some on the
Lincoln-Hastings
line. I think
also some was
used on "Lines
East" into
fall 1959. If
that's so then
Mr. Hill could
have fired
steam in his
first year.
Also in the
summer 1956 a
steam engine
(5080 was one
I saw at
least) was
kept hot at
Ravenna as
protection.
In those days
waycars were
still being
changed at
Ravenna and I
made a trip or
two off the
extra board
from
Lincoln-Ravenna
and saw the
5080 at work
on the Ravenna
switcher..)Ho
urs
1:00am-9:00am.
In late
summer 56 I
was "forced"
on the Ravenna
switcher for a
three week
stint...a
lousy
job..Night
hours and no
OT. Well, I
thought maybe
I'll get a
break and get
to work with
steam. Well,
it never
happened.
Here's why..
At that
time two
locals worked
out of
Ravenna.
There was the
Ravenna-Aurora-Burwell
local and the
Tri weekly
Lincoln-Ravenna
local. Both
those locals
used Geeps as
regular power
and they
worked out of
Ravenna on
alternate
nights..Hence
there was
always a
"Geep"
available for
night use on
the
switcher..An
excellent and
efficient use
of motive
power but
"fatal" to my
hope and dream
to work with
a steam
engine. Also
that 5080 was
run to Lincoln
every month or
so for
"inspection"..They
would usually
tie a few cars
on her and run
her extra..I
never got to
do that
either...
Hence I
never got the
opportunity to
make the claim
that I could
have made to
"have worked
in PAID
REGULAR
REVENUE
SERVICE on
steam.
I do hold
claim however
to have
"worked" in
NON PAID
revenue
service firing
RPLN 440 Nee
B&MR 156
on the Rock
Port Langdon
and
Northern..ages
up to 9.
Pete
-----Original
Message-----
From: LZadnichek@aol.com [CBQ] < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: cbq < cbq@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thu, Jun
29, 2017 5:40
pm
Subject: [CBQ]
Still Working
As Age 78
June 29,
2017
Leo -
Here's someone
else you may
want to
interview:
Mr. Hill
started
out firing Q
steam at
Galesburg
in 1959. He's
still working
as a BNSF
hogger at age
78. That
must set some
kind of
record, at
least for
today. I'd
like to have
some of his
DNA!
Wonder if
he's a BRHS
member or
knows about
this Group?
Best Regards -
Louis
Louis
Zadnichek II
Fairhope,
AL
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Posted by: Don Brown <dbrown02@rochester.rr.com>
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