Railroaders' Nostalgia > Conversations with the boss-7

It's not just the new managers with no railroad (or any other) experience, but have university degrees, who can be a subject. I'll start with the former, however.

Yes, the university degree is a prerequisite for a management position. Me - I'm a college dropout. I did that to pursue an opportunity to learn how to run a railroad and never looked back. However, even though I did some very responsible stuff at BN, I was "not promotable." All of the stuff I did at BN that looks like a management position was a "temporary assignment" as a result.

So let's see what good (merely) the degree does, other than get you a management job and career path (note that there are also university graduate managers who are very good, which is my point with (merely)).

I was second trick on Seattle Terminal (BN, Seattle WA) one day in the mid-80s. Second trick could be a mankiller and real easy job to get fired off of. On this afternoon, I just took the transfer and was going over my plan for the things I knew would happen, and starting to block them out on the trainsheet. A youngish guy came in and introduced himself as a management trainee assigned to sit in with me and learn about what a train dispatcher does in handling a busy railroad. I told him I would be buried and talking like an auctioneer for the next two hours; pull up a chair, sit right here next to me, take notes, and we'll talk about 530p. He sat there for about an hour then got up to leave. I looked up and asked "leaving already?" "Oh yes, thank you for showing me all about being a dispatcher. It's pretty interesting."

I was not dumbfounded, as it had not been my first such encounter. I was, however, curious. "OK, fine. I'm curious; what discipline is your degree in?"

"Forestry" and out the door he went.

However, just as a university degree doesn't mean competence, neither does experience. Some rails may have heard "there are guys with 20 years service and one year experience and guys with 10 years of service and twenty years of experience."

I was night chief dispatcher on the B&OCT early one Sunday morning in probably 1971. Run 86, the morning transfer from Robey to Homan Avenue was pulling out the North Lead to Western Avenue and got a lung. They took the head end to Rockwell Street, stashed it in the Aermotor lead, then went back to Western and in the South Lead to get around their train and pull it back. Step 3 was going to be run the engine back to where they got the lung and get the iron off the track. Step 3 didn't happen.

The B&O Garrett Local was on duty and ready to go. The B&O guys hated to be blocked by a B&OCT job and could be Very Impatient. 86 pulled back the rear end and as soon as it was clear, the Local took off on the North Lead, where they hit the iron in the track, derailed the lead unit and ripped the fuel tank open. This happened on the bridge over Damen Avenue (once upon a time called Robey Street, for which the yard was named). The lead unit was listing about 20 degrees to the right and the fuel was pouring down into Damen Ave.

I started dealing with it, making the phone calls and getting people and equipment in motion.

One of the calls was to our new Road Foreman of Engines. Unlike all of our other officers, home made on B&OCT, he was a C&O guy promoted from engine service and sent to Chicago. It was his first assignment as a manager.

I called his number and his wife answered. I asked for him and received a tongue-lashing. "I don't know who you think you are, but it is 5am on Sunday. My husband is important and not to be disturbed like this. Whatever it is, you can talk to him on Monday morning at the office."

I replied, "OK, sorry about that. Whenever he wakes up, please tell him that I have an engine turned on it's side, 3000 gallons of Diesel fuel in Damen Avenue, and Fire Commissioner Quinn http://chicagoareafire.com/blog/tag/chicago-fire-commissionner-robert-j-quinn/ is there. He's kind of upset." and I hung up.

Within in about 45 seconds, the phone was ringing. It was my newly minted, very important RFE telling me that he was on the way.

At one station on BN, we had a freshly appointed RFE who took his importance way too seriously. He had his office remodeled in a fashion more appropriate to a Superintendent and ordered a new company car because the one that his predecessor left was not suitable for him. The locomotives in his charge were another matter. One day, the FRA inspector came to wander about the yard. He found several violations involving oil leaking in the engine room and even covering the walkways of the yard and local service power. After getting off the power, he went to the RFE's office to read the riot act and assess some substantial fines. He walked into the office, tracking oil (from the locomotives about which he was complaining) across the carpet. The RFE threw him out for tracking oil across his new carpet like some sort of Cretin. That didn't set too well with the FRA guy. A week later, we had a new RFE.

The replacement was a new approach. He came from Mechanical, locomotive shop. He knew all there was to know about engines, but had never run one on a train. But what the heck, the job is Road Foreman of Engines, right? He was riding with an old head engineer on a 108 car grain train, heading in at Vista. There is a sag at Vista that makes it absolutely necessary to stretch brake if heading in to avoid run in pushing the head end out into the control point. BN had just come up with the new policy requiring dynamic brake for controlling the train and prohibiting stretch braking.

Well, our intrepid RFE finally notices, halfway down the siding, that the air is set and the engineer is pulling the train. He reaches over the control stand and releases the air while admonishing the engineer about violating the new instructions - now control the train properly. Too late - the hoghead plugged it, then watched helplessly as the red signal at the end of the siding went by.

Time for yet another new RFE.

More great stories...thank you so much!

Can't imagine anyone being dumb enough to kick off the air while an experienced hogger was in charge. Takes all kinds. BTW, we have a good RFE where I work!

Knew one Road Foreman that held the position for many years because he could not run a train. Better have him in an office than behind a throttle. There was one Engineer ( using the term loosely) from Syracuse, NY that whenever he was called to bring a train to Corning, NY he automatically received a Pilot Engr to bring him over the Corning Secondary. The Trainmaster said it was cheaper than having the block truck following the train with knuckles.

Thomas, thanks for these fabulous stories. Enjoy them all. And makes me wonder just why I ever wanted to get into railroad management. Never made it, thank goodness!

Lee Hower - Sacramento

Love these stories. They are similar to what I have encountered over the years. Its kind of like a soap opera, The stories are the same, only the actors have changed.

What happened to parts 2, 3, & 4???

Stories like this never get old! Alas, I see the same BS everywhere!

Robert

Posted from iPhone

SilvertonRR100 Wrote:
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> What happened to parts 2, 3, & 4???
>
> Stories like this never get old! Alas, I see the
> same BS everywhere!
>
> Robert
>
> Posted from iPhone


They are all bundled under "Part 1".

Ah! Just didn't want to miss anything good!

Rob

Posted from iPhone

SilvertonRR100 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What happened to parts 2, 3, & 4???
>
> Stories like this never get old! Alas, I see the
> same BS everywhere!
>
> Robert
>

Amen, Robert!

Can you define, "...got a lung"?

VunderBob Wrote:
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> Can you define, "...got a lung"?

Pulled an entire coupler and drawbar assembly out the end of a car.

The Good, the Bad, and the Competent.
Known some in each category.
...Lorenzo

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> VunderBob Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Can you define, "...got a lung"?
>
> Pulled an entire coupler and drawbar assembly out
> the end of a car.

Thanks. It's easy to forget that rails and railfans pretty much speak the same language, but not entirely.

TAW