Passenger Trains > Status Amtrak 800 series units sold to Larry's Truck and Electric

updates? Thanks!

This is bad news if Amtrak sold anything that they really need now.  

Every P40 & P42 should be rebuilt by GE, so it has another 10 years of life.  

Amtrak's power fails on the road repeatedly and frequently.  75 new locos are coming, but that is likely a year or more away.  Amtrak has no spare locos to be strategically stationed at major intermediate points.  

GE doesn't make their trucks anymore.

These could be the out of service units that surrendered their good trucks to P42's, whose origianal trucks cracked due to faulty mainteance.

These were the 1996-built ones that were not refurbished ten years ago under the stimulus program.
Yeah, sat for many years, and totally picked of parts.
Would not be surprising to see more such sales in the future.

It was a shame they couldn't find some way to find alternate trucks for the P40 model. 

Yup. By incorrect maintenance procedures, destroy something that is vital to operation and that you can't get any more. "It's only somebody else's money, there is always more of that. All we have to do is beg harder and NARP/RPA will back us up on that."



joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> GE doesn't make their trucks anymore.
>
> These could be the out of service units that
> surrendered their good trucks to P42's, whose
> origianal trucks cracked due to faulty mainteance.

GenePoon Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yup. By incorrect maintenance procedures, destroy
> something that is vital to operation and that you
> can't get any more. "It's only somebody else's
> money, there is always more of that. All we have
> to do is beg harder and NARP/RPA will back us up
> on that."


Well to be honest, wasn't the incorrect maintenance procedure supposed to save money by not replacing all of the springs in the truck when one or more of the springs was sworn out of spec?

Yea it didn't work out, but it's not like the second half of your rant was what the folks at the shop were thinking. 

It's just another example of what skeleton funding for many years can accomplish.

Brian

 

Unfortunately, that result can happen when local folks are able to decide on their own service protocols.

The best outcome would have been a discussion with GE, Amtrak national mechanical, and the people who do the shop work.

Posted from Android

Sorry, I’m maxing out on self righteousness here. This is is a classic bureaucratic dodge.

Constantly pressure the people who run day to day operations to creatively cut costs, and to “think outside the box” in doing so. Make it clear that their performance review, and maybe their job, depends on delivering these results. The easiest way to think outside the box is,to coin a phrase, cut corners off the box. 

Now, spend the next couple years crowing about how successful the “new management strategy” has been. Nobody will notice the corner cutting for a couple of years, and that gives the managers plenty of time to bask in the glow, and in a private company, collect their bonuses for their brilliance. 

When  the consequences become obvious, throw the front line people under the bus. Nobody will remember how they got there. 

march_hare Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry, I’m maxing out on self righteousness
> here. This is is a classic bureaucratic dodge.
>
> Constantly pressure the people who run day to day
> operations to creatively cut costs, and to
> “think outside the box” in doing so. Make it
> clear that their performance review, and maybe
> their job, depends on delivering these results.
> The easiest way to think outside the box is,to
> coin a phrase, cut corners off the box. 
>
> Now, spend the next couple years crowing about how
> successful the “new management strategy” has
> been. Nobody will notice the corner cutting for a
> couple of years, and that gives the managers
> plenty of time to bask in the glow, and in a
> private company, collect their bonuses for their
> brilliance. 
>
> When  the consequences become obvious, throw the
> front line people under the bus. Nobody will
> remember how they got there. 

Would you favor airline mechanics developing and using their own maintenance procedures? Without review?

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> march_hare Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sorry, I’m maxing out on self righteousness
> > here. This is is a classic bureaucratic dodge.
> >
> > Constantly pressure the people who run day to
> day
> > operations to creatively cut costs, and to
> > “think outside the box” in doing so. Make
> it
> > clear that their performance review, and maybe
> > their job, depends on delivering these results.
> > The easiest way to think outside the box is,to
> > coin a phrase, cut corners off the box. 
> >
> > Now, spend the next couple years crowing about
> how
> > successful the “new management strategy”
> has
> > been. Nobody will notice the corner cutting for
> a
> > couple of years, and that gives the managers
> > plenty of time to bask in the glow, and in a
> > private company, collect their bonuses for
> their
> > brilliance. 
> >
> > When  the consequences become obvious, throw
> the
> > front line people under the bus. Nobody will
> > remember how they got there. 
>
> Would you favor airline mechanics developing and
> using their own maintenance procedures? Without
> review?
>
> Posted from Android

 No, that’s precisely my point. Fortunately, airline mechanics work under very tight regulation, based on the idea that any malfunction while airborne is a big deal. There are extensive certifications required which the management cost cutters can’t touch, at least so far. It’s a lot easier to hide a road failure on Amtrak than it is on a plane. 

march_hare Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Lackawanna484 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > march_hare Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Sorry, I’m maxing out on self righteousness
> > > here. This is is a classic bureaucratic
> dodge.
> > >
> > > Constantly pressure the people who run day to
> > day
> > > operations to creatively cut costs, and to
> > > “think outside the box” in doing so. Make
> > it
> > > clear that their performance review, and
> maybe
> > > their job, depends on delivering these
> results.
> > > The easiest way to think outside the box
> is,to
> > > coin a phrase, cut corners off the box. 
> > >
> > > Now, spend the next couple years crowing
> about
> > how
> > > successful the “new management strategy”
> > has
> > > been. Nobody will notice the corner cutting
> for
> > a
> > > couple of years, and that gives the managers
> > > plenty of time to bask in the glow, and in a
> > > private company, collect their bonuses for
> > their
> > > brilliance. 
> > >
> > > When  the consequences become obvious, throw
> > the
> > > front line people under the bus. Nobody will
> > > remember how they got there. 
> >
> > Would you favor airline mechanics developing
> and
> > using their own maintenance procedures? Without
> > review?
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
>  No, that’s precisely my point. Fortunately,
> airline mechanics work under very tight
> regulation, based on the idea that any malfunction
> while airborne is a big deal. There are extensive
> certifications required which the management cost
> cutters can’t touch, at least so far. It’s a
> lot easier to hide a road failure on Amtrak than
> it is on a plane. 

I'm glad we're  in agreement on that point.   However, I haven't seen any evidence that anyone at Amtrak has been thrown under the train for this critical loss.  Not any mechanics or vice presidents.