Read a while back you were RR furloughed . Me too, D&H. Where was your home terminal? Are you back?
Bob
Bob
Buddy
- Thread starter Morris
- Start date
Union Railroad. Small short line in Pittsburgh, Pa. 21 miles long. Owned by United States Steel. High tonnage, slow speed operation. Hilly terrain. We deliver raw materials used in the steel making process, transport steel ingots from one factory to another and then haul finished steel coils to interchange points.
What is D & H? What kind of work do you do?
What is D & H? What kind of work do you do?
Buddy,
Delaware and Hudson now owned by Canadian Pacific. They operate a single track from montreal to Binghamton. Well that's as far as we go anyway. I know they branch off in Penn. and into Del. They have freight term in Harrisburg. We haul anything and everything. They also have a lot of locals that deliver to companies but that is giving way to plant closings and truck traffic. I've been furloughed for about 18 months now. They called in August to send people to Buffalo. I said no thanks. I really don't think I'll go back. Really don't like working 2 weeks then getting laid off for 4.
Bob
Delaware and Hudson now owned by Canadian Pacific. They operate a single track from montreal to Binghamton. Well that's as far as we go anyway. I know they branch off in Penn. and into Del. They have freight term in Harrisburg. We haul anything and everything. They also have a lot of locals that deliver to companies but that is giving way to plant closings and truck traffic. I've been furloughed for about 18 months now. They called in August to send people to Buffalo. I said no thanks. I really don't think I'll go back. Really don't like working 2 weeks then getting laid off for 4.
Bob
Morris,
Such is the nature of railroading. Truly sucks working off a furlough list or extra board for that matter. Only good thing about our rr is that when I work, I'm home every night. No laying over in Bumfart, Pa. I hired out in June '76 and STILL do not have enough senioriy to hold the extra board. 26 friggin' years and I'm ON CALL! ??????!!! But, I'm at a point where I really can't afford to leave. Too old (55) to start anywhere else. Plus, if I work one day, I have complete hospitalization, dental and eye care for my entire family for the next 365 days. Last year was horribly bleak, but I worked about 90 days so far this year which, for me, is really good. Usually work well during the spring and summer (vacations) then it peters out come end of September. Spend most of my time working as a brakeman, but I'm also qualified as an engineer. Working as a brakeman compared to engineer is about a 3:1 ratio.
Can't blame you for not wanting to go back.
Such is the nature of railroading. Truly sucks working off a furlough list or extra board for that matter. Only good thing about our rr is that when I work, I'm home every night. No laying over in Bumfart, Pa. I hired out in June '76 and STILL do not have enough senioriy to hold the extra board. 26 friggin' years and I'm ON CALL! ??????!!! But, I'm at a point where I really can't afford to leave. Too old (55) to start anywhere else. Plus, if I work one day, I have complete hospitalization, dental and eye care for my entire family for the next 365 days. Last year was horribly bleak, but I worked about 90 days so far this year which, for me, is really good. Usually work well during the spring and summer (vacations) then it peters out come end of September. Spend most of my time working as a brakeman, but I'm also qualified as an engineer. Working as a brakeman compared to engineer is about a 3:1 ratio.
Can't blame you for not wanting to go back.
Buddy,
Wow, 26 years and can't hold the extra board, man that really sucks. At least up north here with 26 years you can hold a local or yard job. Granted most yard jobs are at nite, but if you finish switching in 2 hours you can go home! All our through freight is at nite and 30 years sen. for engineers is min. I worked at a General Foods for 27 years and when the plant closed I was lucky to hire on with the RR. I'm 48 and starting over was really tough. These knees and bones aren't coping with jumping on and off trains doing 10 MPH. Oh yeah at nite and in the winter.
Bob
Wow, 26 years and can't hold the extra board, man that really sucks. At least up north here with 26 years you can hold a local or yard job. Granted most yard jobs are at nite, but if you finish switching in 2 hours you can go home! All our through freight is at nite and 30 years sen. for engineers is min. I worked at a General Foods for 27 years and when the plant closed I was lucky to hire on with the RR. I'm 48 and starting over was really tough. These knees and bones aren't coping with jumping on and off trains doing 10 MPH. Oh yeah at nite and in the winter.
Bob
Morris,
For the most part, our engineers are pretty good about slowing down for the brakeman, but our company is still trying to push "no getting on or off moving equipment." I wouldn't even attempt to get on or off a car going 10 mph. We have a couple of nite turn conductors out here that love to work fast in order to get an extra 10-15 minutes "hay", but I just tell them up front, "I like to work safely. I will not work fast". Case closed. Our rr is probably one of a very few left in the country which still uses a caboose, so even though our nite turn switching may only take a couple of hours, we can't leave the property. The brakeman and conductor use the bunkbeds in the caboose and the engineer has to fashion himself a bed in the locomotive. Most engineers on regular nite turn jobs have cots or pieces of plywood w/ foam rubber covered with vinyl. Some have army cots. Even though we can't leave the property, early quits are the norm. Most of our jobs are 10 hours, so we may work 3', sleep for 4' and leave 2 hours early and get paid the 2 hours overtime. It's really a good deal and the company is willing to pay the money as long as the freight gets delivered and no one gets hurt. That's why leaving a rr is so damn difficult. There are quite a few perks and for this part of the country, the daily wage is excellent. Yesterday, from 8 AM to Noon, I had to attend a Hazardous Materials class for the rr. It's a yearly thing and it's a good reminder of where and what we're working with. One of our divisions is The Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, Pa. where we handle anyhydrous ammonia (chlorine gas), light oils, tar tanks and overloaded coke trains (gotta watch out for stuff falling off overloaded hoppers and onto your head!). Anyway, the chlorine gas is the most dangerous.
For the most part, our engineers are pretty good about slowing down for the brakeman, but our company is still trying to push "no getting on or off moving equipment." I wouldn't even attempt to get on or off a car going 10 mph. We have a couple of nite turn conductors out here that love to work fast in order to get an extra 10-15 minutes "hay", but I just tell them up front, "I like to work safely. I will not work fast". Case closed. Our rr is probably one of a very few left in the country which still uses a caboose, so even though our nite turn switching may only take a couple of hours, we can't leave the property. The brakeman and conductor use the bunkbeds in the caboose and the engineer has to fashion himself a bed in the locomotive. Most engineers on regular nite turn jobs have cots or pieces of plywood w/ foam rubber covered with vinyl. Some have army cots. Even though we can't leave the property, early quits are the norm. Most of our jobs are 10 hours, so we may work 3', sleep for 4' and leave 2 hours early and get paid the 2 hours overtime. It's really a good deal and the company is willing to pay the money as long as the freight gets delivered and no one gets hurt. That's why leaving a rr is so damn difficult. There are quite a few perks and for this part of the country, the daily wage is excellent. Yesterday, from 8 AM to Noon, I had to attend a Hazardous Materials class for the rr. It's a yearly thing and it's a good reminder of where and what we're working with. One of our divisions is The Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, Pa. where we handle anyhydrous ammonia (chlorine gas), light oils, tar tanks and overloaded coke trains (gotta watch out for stuff falling off overloaded hoppers and onto your head!). Anyway, the chlorine gas is the most dangerous.
Shrimp,
Railroad cars are coupled together by the use of "knuckles". Very similar to bending the fingers of both hands at your knuckles and clasping your fingers together. A "cutting lever" on either end of every railroad car is attached to a "pin" which allows the knuckles to remain in the open or closed position.
A Hump Yard is a switching yard on an incline where, after movements by the engine, the cars are shunted by gravitational pull to their destination on a particular track in the yard.
Let's assume for conversations sake, that a train of 40 boxcars full of cookies is brought into the yard.
The yardmaster wants to put all the oreos on track #1, sugar cookies on track #2, peanut butter cookies on track #3, marshmallow filled on track #4 and fudge striped on track #5.
Extend your left arm and spread your five fingers in a slight downward motion.
Your left arm represents the track coming into the Hump Yard and your five fingers would represent tracks 1 - 5 in the yard itself.
The engineer would be shoving this particular train, so boxcar #1 would be next to the engine and boxcar #40 would be the first car to enter the yard. You would be standing next to boxcar #40.
The yardmaster hands the switching lists to the conductor and the conductor says "Shrimp, just do what the hell I tell you do and shut the f-ck up."
You have your switching list and it shows the contents of boxcars 40, 39 and 38 are sugar cookies and their destination is track #2.
You would align the yard switch for track #2, then via radio handset tell the engineer to give you a "lil bump", lift the cutting lever between boxcars 37 and 38, and boxcars 38, 39 and 40 would start to drift, then roll on their own via gravitational pull to track #2.
Cars which are humped are rolling on their own and couple into other cars on the track at a much faster rate of speed than railroad cars have their coupling speed controlled by the engineer.
When a railroad car says "Do Not Hump" this means the car is probably carrying a hazardous material and any sudden impact in coupling can cause a weld to break or any of several other things which would cause damage to the contents of the car or the railroad car itself, which in turn would put the crew at risk.
Railroad cars are coupled together by the use of "knuckles". Very similar to bending the fingers of both hands at your knuckles and clasping your fingers together. A "cutting lever" on either end of every railroad car is attached to a "pin" which allows the knuckles to remain in the open or closed position.
A Hump Yard is a switching yard on an incline where, after movements by the engine, the cars are shunted by gravitational pull to their destination on a particular track in the yard.
Let's assume for conversations sake, that a train of 40 boxcars full of cookies is brought into the yard.
The yardmaster wants to put all the oreos on track #1, sugar cookies on track #2, peanut butter cookies on track #3, marshmallow filled on track #4 and fudge striped on track #5.
Extend your left arm and spread your five fingers in a slight downward motion.
Your left arm represents the track coming into the Hump Yard and your five fingers would represent tracks 1 - 5 in the yard itself.
The engineer would be shoving this particular train, so boxcar #1 would be next to the engine and boxcar #40 would be the first car to enter the yard. You would be standing next to boxcar #40.
The yardmaster hands the switching lists to the conductor and the conductor says "Shrimp, just do what the hell I tell you do and shut the f-ck up."
You have your switching list and it shows the contents of boxcars 40, 39 and 38 are sugar cookies and their destination is track #2.
You would align the yard switch for track #2, then via radio handset tell the engineer to give you a "lil bump", lift the cutting lever between boxcars 37 and 38, and boxcars 38, 39 and 40 would start to drift, then roll on their own via gravitational pull to track #2.
Cars which are humped are rolling on their own and couple into other cars on the track at a much faster rate of speed than railroad cars have their coupling speed controlled by the engineer.
When a railroad car says "Do Not Hump" this means the car is probably carrying a hazardous material and any sudden impact in coupling can cause a weld to break or any of several other things which would cause damage to the contents of the car or the railroad car itself, which in turn would put the crew at risk.
Nice info.
I never knew what that meant.
That sounds pretty low-tech for this modern world, but I guess its worked for this long...
I never knew what that meant.
That sounds pretty low-tech for this modern world, but I guess its worked for this long...
Hey guys
I guess the RR is pretty low tech but you can switch hundreds of cars in a day with the Hump. Buddy, we still use a caboose with our locals. Thats switching into companies along the line. Usually the conductor rides there so he can do his paper work. We work with a 2 man crew on all through freight so both ride in the engine. I've spent many hours sack time there because the dispatcher pronged us. But on the other hand, I have been on the way home after an hour. I got force assigned to Plattsburg last year, I never worked the job so I didn't know what was going on.The job started at 3 PM, at 4:17 I was back in my car headed for the hotel. Sweet! Of course there are bad times too, like riding a box car at 2AM in 10 degree weather. So cold you can't see and your looking for a switch. When you find the switch you hope you don't slip on the ice when you bail off. I've been dragged several times, once when my lantern and glove got caught in the hand rail. Oh well good times and bad.
Bob
I guess the RR is pretty low tech but you can switch hundreds of cars in a day with the Hump. Buddy, we still use a caboose with our locals. Thats switching into companies along the line. Usually the conductor rides there so he can do his paper work. We work with a 2 man crew on all through freight so both ride in the engine. I've spent many hours sack time there because the dispatcher pronged us. But on the other hand, I have been on the way home after an hour. I got force assigned to Plattsburg last year, I never worked the job so I didn't know what was going on.The job started at 3 PM, at 4:17 I was back in my car headed for the hotel. Sweet! Of course there are bad times too, like riding a box car at 2AM in 10 degree weather. So cold you can't see and your looking for a switch. When you find the switch you hope you don't slip on the ice when you bail off. I've been dragged several times, once when my lantern and glove got caught in the hand rail. Oh well good times and bad.
Bob
Morris,
Do you have a belt and holster for your handset? I use one, but a lot of guys just prefer to stick the radio in their back pocket. Switching is noisy to begin with and it seems having the handset/ speaker behind you makes radio communications more difficult.
I hate working nite turn when we have a lot of switching and I have to handle the switching list, radio, lantern, gloves. Then putting a big cut of loads on an empty track where I have to tie on five hand brakes before we shove it in. And that only happens on hoppers where I have to climb 15 ft to get to the brake platform.
Do you have a belt and holster for your handset? I use one, but a lot of guys just prefer to stick the radio in their back pocket. Switching is noisy to begin with and it seems having the handset/ speaker behind you makes radio communications more difficult.
I hate working nite turn when we have a lot of switching and I have to handle the switching list, radio, lantern, gloves. Then putting a big cut of loads on an empty track where I have to tie on five hand brakes before we shove it in. And that only happens on hoppers where I have to climb 15 ft to get to the brake platform.
Buddy,
Love climbing those old cars to set brakes, especially in winter when everything is ice. Went to grab onto a car one winter day while shoving, well covered with ice, you know the rest of the story. We all have new radios they're about the size of a checkbook only a little thicker. I clip the mike on my shirt. I can grab it easy.
Bob
Love climbing those old cars to set brakes, especially in winter when everything is ice. Went to grab onto a car one winter day while shoving, well covered with ice, you know the rest of the story. We all have new radios they're about the size of a checkbook only a little thicker. I clip the mike on my shirt. I can grab it easy.
Bob
Bob,
Railroad story. Happened to an engineer acquaitance of mine. He has 5 units. Coming into the yard with 118 empty hoppers. Conductor is in the caboose 124 cars from the engine. Head brakeman gets off at the crossover switch to make a cut. Engineer is now responsible for throwing any bad switches as he meanders his way through the yard. He has two bad switches ahead of him. Instead of making a 20 lb. application and applying the independent to stop the train, he leaves the throttle in the first notch so the train will move slow enough for him to run ahead and throw switches so he doesn't miss a beat. He jumps off the engine, the engineer-less train continues to move South, engineer throws the first switch...no problem. He runs ahead to throw the second switch, steps on the dog, but he can't move the switch handle. Engineer-less train continues to move toward him. He tramps on the dog HARDER this time, but same result. The keeper won't release and he can't budge the switch handle. He tramps on the dog with the heel of his boot, but the keeper won't release. Looks up and sees the lead unit, now moving at a faster pace, about three feet from the switch. Finally realizes the switch was padlocked by Maintenance of Way. Lead unit goes through the switch. Switch explodes like it was hit with a hand grenade. Pieces of cast iron fly everywhere. Engineer was lucky he wasn't killed by flying shrapnel. Lead unit and second unit on the ground. Engineer climbs back on the lead unit, gets on the radio and says to the conductor, "Can you come down here? I need some help." LOL
Railroad story. Happened to an engineer acquaitance of mine. He has 5 units. Coming into the yard with 118 empty hoppers. Conductor is in the caboose 124 cars from the engine. Head brakeman gets off at the crossover switch to make a cut. Engineer is now responsible for throwing any bad switches as he meanders his way through the yard. He has two bad switches ahead of him. Instead of making a 20 lb. application and applying the independent to stop the train, he leaves the throttle in the first notch so the train will move slow enough for him to run ahead and throw switches so he doesn't miss a beat. He jumps off the engine, the engineer-less train continues to move South, engineer throws the first switch...no problem. He runs ahead to throw the second switch, steps on the dog, but he can't move the switch handle. Engineer-less train continues to move toward him. He tramps on the dog HARDER this time, but same result. The keeper won't release and he can't budge the switch handle. He tramps on the dog with the heel of his boot, but the keeper won't release. Looks up and sees the lead unit, now moving at a faster pace, about three feet from the switch. Finally realizes the switch was padlocked by Maintenance of Way. Lead unit goes through the switch. Switch explodes like it was hit with a hand grenade. Pieces of cast iron fly everywhere. Engineer was lucky he wasn't killed by flying shrapnel. Lead unit and second unit on the ground. Engineer climbs back on the lead unit, gets on the radio and says to the conductor, "Can you come down here? I need some help." LOL
Buddy,
Wow good story,lucky he wasn't killed. There's a story for everday on the RR. I was making a cut and leaving about 50 cars on a siding one day. Got off the engine, ran ahead to unlock the switch and throw it. Got it unlocked and hesitated for just a minute and looked up. Good thing because if I had throw it the engine would have been on the ground. I had to wait for the train to go by, make the cut and shove back onto the siding. Mind fart. Have seen a couple of derailments. 50 cars some buried in the dirt.
Bob
Wow good story,lucky he wasn't killed. There's a story for everday on the RR. I was making a cut and leaving about 50 cars on a siding one day. Got off the engine, ran ahead to unlock the switch and throw it. Got it unlocked and hesitated for just a minute and looked up. Good thing because if I had throw it the engine would have been on the ground. I had to wait for the train to go by, make the cut and shove back onto the siding. Mind fart. Have seen a couple of derailments. 50 cars some buried in the dirt.
Bob
