Western Railroad Discussion > More UP norcal Intermodal Changes

Since it has been an ongoing discussion / source of questions on here, including the time that monster IG2OA delayed both ACE trains for 2+ hours, looks like UP has changed things yet again. The IG2OA is now abolished, the INPOA has returned. Not sure of this "new" train's routing into the Bay Area yet, nor what it means for the ILTLT, which as of now, is still running. I'll leave the details to those more in the know. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 08:35 by JamesSchlinger.

I'd appreciate knowing about the new Mission Bay, San Francisco freight schedule. Cal Train has reduced it's commute schedule and I'm hearing the freight at odd times.
Thanks
Jim Evans

Sorry, I don't have personal access to that. I'm just posting what I was told. I didn't know the Mission Bay was still running on the Peninsula at all, as I thought I had heard it all went on a single local now. 

FiveChime Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd appreciate knowing about the new Mission Bay,
> San Francisco freight schedule. Cal Train has
> reduced it's commute schedule and I'm hearing the
> freight at odd times.
> Thanks
> Jim Evans

Looking at the first one out and running, it has been re-routed to run the Cal-P due to not currently carrying a Lathrop set out. The next two show to set out a Lathrop and run over Altamont. All three show work in SLC.

Edited to add that the ILTLT is currently showing running through the end of the month.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 08:58 by portlander.

FiveChime Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd appreciate knowing about the new Mission Bay,
> San Francisco freight schedule. Cal Train has
> reduced it's commute schedule and I'm hearing the
> freight at odd times.
> Thanks
> Jim Evans

Hi Jim,

The Mission Bay Hauler is still a thing, but it originates out of Warm Springs Yard in Milpitas/Fremont. MOST of the time it departs Warm Springs yard around 6pm gets to the coast line to go up the peninsula by 8pm. It travels to redwood city and exchanges a small amount of cars and heads back to Warm Springs. This is a Sunday-Friday job.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 10:18 by SCUfoamer.

Thanks for the info on the current INPOA out running, scheduled via the Cal P. Will be interesting to see if that is the regular plan, or just the case for this one train, with Lathrop setouts for future trains beyond the next one that you say is indeed an Altamont train as of now. Good to see they aren't abolishing the ILTLT as of yet, as that plan didn't exactly work last time they tried it. 

As to the Peninsula, that is pretty much what I meant, that the Mission Bay doesn't traverse the Peninsula anymore, it just is a Warm Springs to Redwood City turn. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 10:35 by JamesSchlinger.

I've caught the Mission Bay near downtown SJ twice this week around 6:30-7pm.  

Is the INPOA routed via Canyon Sub (Feather River) like the IG2OA was?  Also, what brings the Bay Area intermodal from Chicago to North Platte?  New symbol IG2NP?  Thanks in advance for any clarity.

UP can't seem to make up their minds on some of these trains...

Another example: UP started running the MWCST/MSTWC pair over Tehachapi not long ago. Well those Stockton symbols have been tossed in the big yellow Omaha dumpster replaced by the revived MRVWC/MWCRV pair, to and from Roseville. What was old is new again. They have also been running West Colton to Roseville extra's, which is not very PSR like...


Allen

Posted from Android



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 13:48 by bradleymckay.

Zephyr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is the INPOA routed via Canyon Sub (Feather River)
> like the IG2OA was?  Also, what brings the Bay
> Area intermodal from Chicago to North Platte?
>  New symbol IG2NP?  Thanks in advance for any
> clarity.

You guessed correctly.  INPOA is routed via Feather River and there is now a IG2NP.

Andrew

Looks like uncle Pete is giving up on PSR without admitting it was a failure.

Posted from Android

The-late-EMD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like uncle Pete is giving up on PSR without
> admitting it was a failure.
>
> Posted from Android

Not even a little bit.

bradleymckay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UP can't seem to make up their minds on some of
> these trains...
>
> Another example: UP started running the
> MWCST/MSTWC pair over Tehachapi not long ago. Well
> those Stockton symbols have been tossed in the big
> yellow Omaha dumpster replaced by the revived
> MRVWC/MWCRV pair, to and from Roseville. What was
> old is new again. They have also been running
> West Colton to Roseville extra's, which is not
> very PSR like...
>
>
> Allen
>

It's because the mwcrv and mrvwc carry very little through traffic. The vast majority of the trains on departure are cars for the central valley. Picking up and setting out all over the place. It's an awful plan. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 15:37 by portlander.

UP is NOT giving up on PSR. It's just not working so well...until you see them do something where they truly run two trains (i.e. still running an IG2OA AND reinstating the INPOA) and not just running one monster or the other, conclude what you want, but UP is certainly not giving up on PSR, that's for sure. All it is for now is just a continued game of whack-a-mole with all the changes...Allegedly there is an end-game to this. Keep on drinking the Kool-Aid if you still belive that. Indeed, the reason I asked about the ILTLT in my original post is that this is the only train I am aware of that was brought back basically becuase what they wanted to do in lieu of it was a disaster from the start... Everything else is just continue to cram as much as possible on as few trains as possible, and keep on buying back those shares! 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/20 16:04 by JamesSchlinger.

Agree with James!  UP desparately attempting to address major reduction in carloadings while adhering to PSR, something they are 100% totally committed to.  We'll probably see many other changes as a result of diminished business and the need to reduce costs as revenue declines.

JamesSchlinger Wrote:
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> UP is NOT giving up on PSR. It's just not working
> so well...

It's my opinion Vena might be overrated.

I've suffered through desperate senior management trying "process changes" to save a company. They exploit salaried employees (especially middle managers) and burn them out, hoping to find a new "magic" process that's going to make the company more "efficient." Of course, by the time senior management is this desperate, the organization is beyond saving, whether by market forces or by their incompetence.

I recall a discussion several months ago discussing PSR, with a graph comparing train velocity improvements of all the Class I railroads. Where Vena came from (CN), there were improvements until business picked up, and then they had a mini-meltdown, significant drop in train velocity. UP pre-PSR had a relatively flat curve, which hinted that they were already doing pretty good. Maybe CN was so inefficient to begin with, which meant E Hunter Harrison's PSR got more credit than it deserved?

Maybe Lance Fritz underestimated the effectivess of his own railroad? Or got brainwashed by Wall St.? What a shame.

The cost of hourly employees (TE&Y) accumulates when management continue their failed lab experiments, which I'm sure UP become aware AFTER the fact (chuckling).