Western Railroad Discussion > Delay Games on the UP

Delays really cascade on a railroad. Earlier in the afternoon a westbound mixed train had to stop near Payette to investigate a warm wheel in the train. That in turn delayed a eastbound MPDNP that was waiting on it. And due to train and siding length issues, the IG4SE had to hold back at Nyssa, OR waiting on the MPDNP. The stack train was also held up at Ontario waiting on a lengthy Soda Ash empty as well. Photos below are of the meet at Nyssa with the Amalgamated Sugar Co plant serving as a backdrop.

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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The IG4SE on a roll out of Nyssa passing the east lead to the still unfinished Treasure Valley Reload Center.

The Treasure Valley Reload Center is a government funded boondoggle that started in 2017 with a projected cost of $26million. Costs have ballooned to over $40million with a lot of work left to do. The project is currently at a standstill because the funds have run out again.


https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/oregon-rail-station-nyssa-treasure-valley/283-512b3d48-2f6e-4ec5-bfa1-de5bbc864c4c

Ted Curphey
Ontario, OR

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Railroads now create their own delays by their sloppy operating practices.  Infrequent inspections, very long trains that won't fit anywhere, insufficient crews, etc.  

MEKoch Wrote:
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> Railroads now create their own delays by their
> sloppy operating practices.  Infrequent
> inspections, very long trains that won't fit
> anywhere, insufficient crews, etc.  

Yes that is correct. That's the trouble when the operations are run 2,000 miles away in a bunker.

Posted from Android

Nice pictures!

Ted, did they just not find a better spot for this project? 

Maurice 



funnelfan Wrote:
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> The IG4SE on a roll out of Nyssa passing the east
> lead to the still unfinished Treasure Valley
> Reload Center.
>
> The Treasure Valley Reload Center is a government
> funded boondoggle that started in 2017 with a
> projected cost of $26million. Costs have ballooned
> to over $40million with a lot of work left to do.
> The project is currently at a standstill because
> the funds have run out again.
>
>
> https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/the-story/o
> regon-rail-station-nyssa-treasure-valley/283-512b3
> d48-2f6e-4ec5-bfa1-de5bbc864c4c

Interesting look at the UP delays in Oregon with nice pictures. Yesterday had about 40 trains in the back yard, busy day.

Larry

"No fits" turn operations to unfit but, UP hasn't learned that time after time.

Since so much institutional knowledge has been discarded, dismissed, disregarded, driven off and downright held in contempt the old RR axiom of “Seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into hours.” Is a foreign concept to Modern North American Railroading management.

Management has been to Choo Choo U and learned all that is to know. Especially that agreement employees are a lazy, shiftless bunch. Better to treat labor as spoiled children and hold them in contempt, and above all never listen to their ideas or opinions.

Regards

Posted from iPhone

Drknow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Since so much institutional knowledge has been
> discarded, dismissed, disregarded, driven off and
> downright held in contempt the old RR axiom of
> “Seconds turn into minutes, minutes turn into
> hours.” Is a foreign concept to Modern North
> American Railroading management.
>
> Management has been to Choo Choo U and learned all
> that is to know. Especially that agreement
> employees are a lazy, shiftless bunch. Better to
> treat labor as spoiled children and hold them in
> contempt, and above all never listen to their
> ideas or opinions.
>
> Regards
>
> Posted from iPhone

100% on point. Well said.

Posted from Android

Just wait until there is no conductor on board to go check on the hot wheel bearing.  How long would it take for a "responder" (or whatever you want to call them) to drive out from wherever to check things out?  How many trains would be delayed by then?  How many engineers would run out of hours?  I can just imagine the dispatcher telling the engineer, "There is a responder just coming on duty, but he has to wait for another guy to come back with the truck, so it's going to be a while."  Who cares about the customers or employees?  The stock price is up!  Whoo-hoo!  Give those executives a bonus!

Woah, flashback to pre retirement days; red flag ops test and the weed weasels strike again.  i always liked to stop way short and  make walk a bit, or let them call on the radio to instruct us to pull up closer; in that scenario they more or less announce to the other trains that they're testing.  Good times....