@yc they'll start storing the older pneumatic air brake locomotives first because they're more expensive to maintain versus the electric air brake ones.
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I'm from UP and this is how it happened to us. Sometime around 2018 we started to notice the train length increasing by about 50-75%. 1 mi trains became one and a half to two mile trains. Over the next year Once corporate got greedy enough they just defaulted everything to 2 miles combining anything they could while not adding any extra power. Around the end 2019 is when the crew furloughs started happening because they realized they needed about 40% less of the crews. It seems like on our Network the layoffs moved from east to West terminals month by month. Then they were off to the roundhouse employees from the East most shops to our West shops. You could tell you were next for layoffs because the people to the east of you got hit first.
I now work in passenger rail. Less pay but at least it's stable and we don't really have management trying to fire us. Or purposely looking for a rule violation.
Big derailment in the yards in south dakota, Locomotives starting fires in Wyoming. They are leaving derailments on the ground for months, Matt Rose thinks Its ran like a Butt cheeks, They are eliminating 260 locomotives, Probably don't need a female in charge of HR let alone a billion dollar company.
This is your warning. No one is safe.
@yc would be nice if the union knew ahead of time so us low guys can get ahead of the game finding new jobs. We have families to feed too.
I keep hearing there will be a 4% reduction in mechanical coming June or July. That they are shooting for a 20% reduction of force between all the crafts and exempts. That includes the recent layoffs and future. Who knows where we will be at. At this point, I want stability rather than work for a company that wants to chase the tail of another just because numbers don’t match.
Good read:
https://www.railway.supply/bnsf-slashes-fleet-by-260-locomotives-in-aggressive-push-to-close-operating-gap/
@ej people in alliance are weird. I don’t know if it’s too many railroaders there or what. The Facebook local pages are full of crazy people. It has potential but there are more empty buildings that boomers own that won’t sell them. I’m glad I moved to Gillette.
They made a bad business decision buying that property North of Phoenix! Maricopa County has blocked it. Look what happens to UP with their Red Rock property between Tucson and Phoenix. Red Rock was supposed to take off 20 years ago, and never panned out. History repeats itself. Now BNSF’s property is gonna be much smaller then originally anticipated.
Coal is dying. If you’re in Alliance, Donkey Creek, Guernsey, Edgemont, you better get out before you’re forced out. Once the dems are back in office, it’s inevitable. Look at Kemmerer Wyoming. They just broke ground on the first nuclear power plant the us hasn’t seen in 50 something years. If this gains ground, coal will be something you will read in your history books. The rapid progression in AI is also gonna take over these areas. Middle ground shops will be boarded up and one man crews is inevitable. PSR is making so much money for the others that Orange will have to start doing similar strategies just to stay some what competitive. Hand writing is on the wall. Apply to different areas and get out of the coal loop.
Here is the truth. Any little thing, they are taking you out of service and sending you home. Just remember exempts, you made 50% of your bonus last year and 60% of your bonus this year. If that doesn't work fast enough, they start shutting stuff down. Sets are dropping and the transcon is getting all the money. Look at the Barstow addition, look at all the land they bought north of phoenix. This isn't the same railroad as it was 20 years ago.
Bnsf took over two major shops on MRL. They also paid a billion to get out of their lease. Shops are going to see some major changes before long. They are training machinists and electricians to motor move. Certain crafts are going to be affected.
Hearing the same, volume is flat, and no sign of anything picking up. Layoffs in the near feature.
Soon AI will take over most all the GF and Mech I, II, III. AI will line up your tasks and job for the day. The BIG Yellow is already talking about it.
Just tons of rumors about June/July where I’m at.