Eastern Railroad Discussion > Guilford/SSDD!

They recently changed the train schedule of the EDWRJ....now northbound on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursday, southbound now on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The irony of it, is now NECR is sitting on 40 CARS in the NECR yard, due to Bank yard being STUFFED with interchange....Even with their "new" power, Guilford can't play smart ball about moving their traffic!!! Glad I'm no longer a customer on that line, or waiting for them cars!!!

Last week I posted an abandoned train on the passing siding at CPF209. An eastbound without power sat there 8 days. Today (02-17) there is an abandoned train on the same track. It has ONLY been there 24 hours so far. Units 376, 505, 514, 692 and 621 are all idling their time away on the point.

The union folks I speak with think this type of service makes GRS look bad so they do little to minimize the problems. They don't understand (apparently) that, as customers change their shipping methods and "stick it to GRS", it gives GRS reason to eliminate union jobs. If the unions really want to "stick it" to the greedy corporate types, they should work to make on-time deliveries and good service the norm, or even cause an increase in the traffic. GRS would just as soon have most or all rail business fall by the wayside, and the union members with it, as long as they keep their "communications rights" (cash from the fibre optic lines under the roadbed).

I may be wrong here, but I don't think that the average union train crew person on GRS has a whole lot of control over getting traffic from point A to point B. I think that's pretty much the responsibility of Management. Traffic control and equipment condition are beyond the control of the crews running the trains. There isn't any "featherbedding" left. If anything , it amazes me that they can run trains with as few people as they do. I was under the impression that the relationship between management and labor on GRS these days was pretty fair. Correct me if I am wrong.

James

I'd just like to know what relevance Guilford even has anymore.

They are certainly not opetrating the railroad out of love....nor are they doing it to preserve jobs or industry in New England.

As a Corporation, they are merely squeezing every drop of blood they can off of the railroad system in improve their "bottom line".

After all....Is any profit being placed back into the rail system.....or is it rather going into the latest reincarnation of Pan American Airways.

Maybe what has been rumored over the past month may come true.....BNSF will get NS and in turn take over Guilford, and finally run it like a rail system should.

Sure is relevant, its the largest regional in New England.
If there's going to be any changes, I'd think it would be a split up into smaller regionals or
short lines, rather than being acquired by a class 1. The trend in New England has been for
class 1 to spin off their operations into shortlines, New England Central, St Lawrence and
Atlantic, Iron Road, for example.

bob, grs did that here until the mbta (who owns the tracks) told them it had to end.
cpf354 wrote:
>
> Sure is relevant, its the largest regional in New England.
> If there's going to be any changes, I'd think it would be a
> split up into smaller regionals or
> short lines, rather than being acquired by a class 1. The trend
> in New England has been for
> class 1 to spin off their operations into shortlines, New
> England Central, St Lawrence and
> Atlantic, Iron Road, for example.

ummm, NECR, BAR, Iron Road- THOSE THREE ARE BANKRUPT!!
there was talk of csx taking over the b+m div. of grs but i dont know what happened to that

Common guys, how long are we going to whine before we realize they are one of the only profitable roads today... You can argue either side until your face goes blue, but it is a business, and thats what they are out to do, make money.

And.. you can't go back to the 19'th century with this "Love of Railroading" bullshit. That was a laugh.

BNSF/NS taking over Guilford? When hell gets chilly.

Major financial backer of Messrs Fink and Mellon are you newpylong??????

Hmmmmmmmm.............From the tone of your post...makes ya wonder.....

backer? highly unlikely. Although, if you knew any of the family, you would.