Wondering where the crew change points are on the BNSF from Chicago to the Twin Cities on the Aurora and St. Croix Subs? I'm sure that longer crew districts in other places are coming Our community is FREE to join. A decline in coal traffic, fewer employees when rail traffic began to rise, and the desire to operate the railroad with fewer employees are all contributing factors, he says. Hugh Cook is Wyoming Public Radio's Northeast Reporter, based in Gillette. I imagine the Lee-miester isa busy camper these days, like everybody on UP. It just affects the waythe train crew's pay is calculated. Crew Change Points - Trains Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News This year alone, BNSF is investing approximately $1 billion into the 2,200-mile Southern Transcon route. Several projects are currently underway to further expand the route's efficiency by adding triple- and even quadruple-track long stretches of the busiest parts of the Transcon. Canadian Passenger Operations: AMT, Go Transit, VIA, etc. It's not just bad news for workers. The last time we were in Albany, werode back to the station with a road crew in the van, and I engaged in some conversation with them. So if you want to rub elbows with train crews while you travel, the Oak Tree is the place to do it. Rail is the most environmentally efficient mode of surface transportation and at BNSF we are committed to improving the efficiency of our network in a way that benefits both our customers and the environment. One thing to remember is there are some long and some short pools. From then to now trains on this subdivision are crewed by running trades employees whose home terminals are at Toronto and Smiths Falls. Then run pools (through Clinton) to Missouri Valley (hot intermodals only), to Boone (everything else), and pools to Des Moines and Mason City. Not every crew change point has one (Mason City, IA may be getting one in the future) but except for the few in the eastern US, all are UP crew change points. This doesn't mean that runs were only 100 miles then or 130 miles now. Othello, WA to Tacoma, WA, running thru Cle Elum was also instituted. -- Steve Holmes, Steve Holmes Productions (helping companies communicate through award-winning video)Iowa City, IA, USAhttp://www.shpvideo.com My address: sigerson "at" inav "dot" net (replace "" words withsymbols). "I honestly hope that this isn't going to be the new normal because people are walking out faster than we can hire them on," said Goodson. Remember, in the time when the basic crew agreements and the 100 mile day were originated,when after the implementation of the Hours of Service laws - those laws had a maximum on duty time of 16 hours - 16 hours for a 100 mile run equals 6.25 MPH. BNSF Crew Change - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. How a BNSF policy could impact families and supply chain Within these districts there are pools that work to/from intermediate terminals, such as Clinton to Marshalltown. With only one curve sharper than 3 degrees between the two points, the track alignment was well suited for 50 to 60 MPH freight running - though track maintenance may have been another story. Seven miles west is Minot, North Dakota, an Amtrak station stop where all trains change crews. BNSF Editor CTC Board Magazine [ Reply To This Message ] Date: 01/10/02 19:00 Thanks Author: dbm. Don't know if he's going to range all the way up to PRB coal country or west into Utah. Othello, WA to Tacoma, WA, running thru Cle Elum was also instituted. (While not directly owned, supposedly the ownership has ties to the UP.) Going the extra mile for our customers and our communities. Anyone on the seniority district can work the pool, assumingthey have the seniority. Raton, NM??? (Except when that train gets too long, then it goes back to the short pool.) Zug, you guys must have really been tired. The 100 mile day was based on how far you would travel in 8 hours at a speed of 12.5 mph. Jeff:Thanks for the explanations. Jason McLaughlin - Freight Conductor - BNSF Railway | LinkedIn If a system map is an archaeological record of mergers, acquisitions, abandonments, and line sales, then a crew-district map is the record of all of these, plus technological change and traffic pattern change, with a great deal of law and contract negotiations mixed in. Then Casper and Greybull. A train in the long pool uses one less crew than if it goes to the short pool. Since crews are usually pooled on a first-in, first-out basis, everyone still has the same opportunity to rack up miles and thus pay. "This policy, that they have now, cut that in half and in half. They can be added if employees work during periods that are more in demand. Dickinson crews still run locals between New Salem and Beach including the ever growing rail hub of RICHARDTON ND. No, they never had aProviso- Boone long pool. (200+ miles?). Zug, you guys must have really been tired. Meanwhile, BNSF is spending $581 million this year to forge . Classic Railroad Scenes: Railroads at Work. Since crews are usually pooled on a first-in, first-out basis, everyone still has the same opportunity to rack up miles and thus pay. I threw inFremont and Boone in case he's driving that way, or in case wanderlusttakes him east the same way my "as long as I'm in the neighborhood"reasoning got me to Albuquerque when I'd only planned on going as farsouthwest as Denver. Crew Change Points, Belen to Barstow - RAILROAD.NET Sterling, then Guernsey for most trains, Alliancethen Edgemont, Gillette, Sheridan if they are going that way. Don't miss this look at the history of America's most influential builder of locomotives. The satellite view clearly shows impressions of a turntable and roundhouse across the highway from the town. BNSFs Economic Development team can help guide you through the process of expanding, developing or selecting a site. Can someone in road service choosewhich pool to work in? For 170 years, BNSF Railway has been an essential connector safely and efficiently transporting freight from point A to point B. Then Alliance, NE? In the early 1970's the law was changed to 14 hours and subsequently todays 12 hours. * Denver northeast: Sterling, CO? jeffhergert If I recall correctly, the Miles City to Harlowtown run was one crew district which works out to 215 miles. Extra lanes mean traffic flows better. BNSF crews frequently change crews here at Eola yard in Aurora, IL. Years ago while overnighting in the Super 8 in Ft Madison, Iowa I had the pleasure to talk to a BNSF (ex Santa Fe) crewman. > * Pueblo east: ?? Staying at one of the lodging motels can be interesting, but I wouldnt suggest being too inquiring these days. For pay purposes,a basic day is 130 miles, up from the original 100 mile day for freight. I recall seeing a Steffee speed survey (mid-1960's?) Some were/are longer, some were/are shorter. Nothing against the over-eager railfans, but the only thing we wanted to think about was sleep. Back to CP for a moment, Calgary-Edmonton, AB is broken into two Sub's.,Red Deer and Leduc, totaling about 180 miles. In the early 1970's the law was changed to 14 hours and subsequently todays 12 hours. .so far" thread who said that through frieghts now use only one crew, but way freights are still supplied with crews on each Sub. By, Sheridans WYO Theater Announces the Met Opera: Live in HD, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), Activist Judy Heumann led a reimagining of what it means to be disabled, Cannabis business owner now earns praise for what he was once arrested for, Northern Ireland businesses are cautiously optimistic about EU trade agreement, The U.S. is playing catch-up in the EV battery market, says Biden energy adviser, Coal shipments are down and a looming nationwide railroad strike likely will make it worse, Transportation in Yellowstone has gone through many changes over the past 150 years, A historians thoughts on how America both protects and exploits public lands, A Gillette railroad union leader says agreement between major freight railroads and rail unions is a start. Some railroaders have said the policy incentivizes employees to work while sick or tired, something that Goodson can very much relate to. Apply early as this job may be filled at any time. Raton, NM??? The 100 mile day was based on how far you would travel in 8 hours at a speed of 12.5 mph. Serving Carrier Reciprocal Switch Inquiry. ), then Ogden? In older times, it would take much longer as the trains were slower. For the moment I still have more tracks, trains, and switches then they do, but that is changing rapidly, as two new rail facilities are planned for this town. Good threads on this string. * Denver west (UP trackage rights): do they go all the way to Grand Junction or do they change at Bond again like UP does? Enjoy moving trains in breathtaking scenes across the country, all year long. I haven't heard of this in a long time, so maybe this was a failed idea. I though I saw articles in the mainstream press in the '80's that they were extending crew districts from east of Spokane, WA, across the Idaho panhandle, and over onto the flatland's of Montana. Details are as follows: Time: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 9 Location: BLET National Division . Each employee begins with 30 points for a career, Knutson said. CP never owned any of those ginormous tenders like the Santa Fe had to get across the arid areas they served. Five years ago, a conductor on the Southwest Chief initiated a conversation with me when, as I was standing in the aisle outside the room my wife and I occupied, she ran into my arms. Now, nearly 100 percent of the route is double-tracked; only two bridges remain single-tracked along the route. While they have been built to provide lodging for AFHT crews, they are open to the public as well. National Rail Contract Archives - SMART Union Same with RR'ers in TEY service. At the time we were having trouble going from Boone to Clinton in 12 hours. Getting people and freight between Southern California and Chicago once took months, weeks or even years. Harvey and Enderlin, ND; Glenwood, Thief River Falls, and Minneapolis/St. "We used to be able to take five weekdays, two weekend days a month off at our discretion and since the implementation of the Hi-Viz policy," she explained. UP crew changes:* Denver east: no idea* Denver south: Pueblo* Denver west: Bond, then Grand Junction* Denver north: Cheyenne* Pueblo south: same as BNSF, presumably* Cheyenne east: North Platte* Cheyenne west: Rawlins (Green River for hotshots? Each employee would be given 30 points for the rest of their career but would be docked points for taking off weekdays (two points), weekends (four points), and holidays (ten points). 15. "And as far as working 40 hours per trip, again what they're not telling you is, yes, we may be on a train for seven to eight hours going to our destination or back," she said. Seems I recall a map in trains a while back showing this. Major stations: Barstow, Ash Hill; Yards: Needles; Crew Change Points: Needles, Barstow Junctions: Daggett (UPRR Cima Sub) MP 739.6 Highest point: 2187 @ Lavic; Lowest Point: 620 @ Amboy . Apparently extending crew districts is in E. Hunter Harrison's bag of tricks, which as far as I know now, he hasn't yet pulled out. "We have had a lot of people resign, quit working, and not just Gillette, across the system, because they went and found other jobs. I spent quite a few summers in Miles City (my dad's home town) during the 1970's and heard Harlowton mentioned quite a few times, but don't recall hearing about Melstone. BNSF triple- and quadruple-track projects to improve Southern - Trains At times they will change within minutes of stopping at the "crosswalk" where employees cross the mainline, and at other times the incoming crew will "tie down" their train on the main-line and the train will wait for literally hours on the main for the outgoing (new) crew. Years ago while overnighting in the Super 8 in Ft Madison, Iowa I had the pleasure to talk to a BNSF (ex Santa Fe) crewman. I believe it was cptrainman of the "Hunter, . I hear talk about crews having to be changed because trains are late and their time is up, that doesn't seem to go by mileage. In Canada CN began running longer crew districts on the prairies in the 1990's, I think. Between the closing of Tennessee Pass and the use of remote units, I'mnot sure there are any permanent helper districts anymore. No, Rawlins is still a crew change point for all trains 50 mph and less. Official site: Where are the crew change points between Belen and Barstow, and are Belen and Barstow themselves also crew change points? EDIT: To answer the original poster's question I checked with what limited ressources I have, and found the following CP (ex Soo Line) crew change points in his part of the world. Here we demonstrate how BNSF's legacy makes us confident in our future. More than 50% of train crew employees work less than 40 hours a week on average. In a perfect world, a crew-district is a days work. Today, 41 years later and the HOS at 12 hours (changed Dec. 26, 1972) the crew usually do not have trouble making it from SLO to LA (which is still inter-divisional, but only a one ended pool). I'm a teetotaler, so that thought is never on my mind. In Iowa, they started running Atkins, IA on the Council Bluffs main and Nahant (Davenport) on the KC line. http://www.oaktreeinn.com/Hotels is a current list of hotels. Some are overlays on existing crew districts for certain type trains, intermodal for example. Sometimes it would take the the full 16 hours on the HOS to make the run. showing freights running at 50+ MPH between Miles City and Harlowton, which would put the start to stop time at a bit over 4 hours. If going via the old C&S/FW&D its Trinidad, Texline, Amarillo,then Wichita Falls.If going via C&S to Trinidad and then ATSF it would be aC&S crew to Trinidad, then ATSF crew to Raton then Albuquerque. Ogden, Salt Lake Cityor Pocatello is after Green River. The railroad has been one of the major economic drivers and employers for many of the Wyoming communities it passes through. Whenthe pool was smaller, you had to have about 30 years in to hold it. Don't worry, we won't send you too many. Unlimited Members, sign in to enjoy sitewide access. * Denver north:. The crew change point on the South Transcon is Wellington Kan, Amarillo Texas Belen New Mexico Needles California Barstow, California (on some trains) Fresno, California Stockton California--also some trains change crews at Bakersfield, California Maybe others can fill in Dale Smith [ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ] Date: 09/07/16 19:16 $221/day, with an average annual salary of $70,000 - $82,000. For some reason, I always thought crew change points were determined by how long it took to get there. In order to get a minimum speed of 12 or so MPH on the 0.5% ruling grades, the locomotives should have been able to maintain 25 or more MPH on level track, hence my wondering about 200 mile crew changes. Barstow CA. Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Seligman Sub: Winslow, AZ to "It is important to note that there has been no change in how much time off an employee receives. Apparently extending crew districts is in E. Hunter Harrison's bag of tricks, which as far as I know now, he hasn't yet pulled out. If. Bassano was located at almost the exact halfway point on the Sub. Originally theyhad the hot trains, with the lesser ones going to the short pool. The Milwaukee Road in the 1970s combined orchanged some crew districts, both on the Puget Sound extension and elsewhere. Zug, I still enjoy talking with railroad employees, but I am very careful about initiating conversations. In days past, the away terminal was often a remote hamlet in between two cities. Job Location: Mandan Other Potential Locations: Mandan, ND Anticipated Start Date: 04/10/2023 Number of Positions: 20 Salary Range: Entry rate is approx. BNSF Railway opens fourth main track through Needles, Calif. - Trains I thought I read that UP phased out Rawlins, and all trains go throughto Green River from Cheyenne. Knutson said he thinks the policy was implemented for several reasons. BNSF moves about a third of all intermodal volume in North America. It is interesting when you look at old ETT's. I find it ironic that the MILW expandend some of their districts just as deferredmaintenance caused speeds to drop. BNSF crew changes: * Denver east: used to be in Akron, CO, but I think they moved it all the way out to McCook, NE. The mainliners just blast through town. For instance, Sanford, Florida, was the south end of one railroad and the north end of another; both roads were absorbed by the Plant System--which went into the Atlantic Coast Line. For the moment I still have more tracks, trains, and switches then they do, but that is changing rapidly, as two new rail facilities are planned for this town. It employs about 40,000 people and operates in 28 states on over 32,000 miles of track throughout its system. She also said some of the claims that BNSF is making, especially in regard to working hours, time off, and leave, are misleading. Ideally, a crew goes on duty, gets its paperwork, gets out of the yard, reaches its destination, and ties up comfortably within the maximum 12 hours on duty allowed by the federal hours-of-service law. Get the top stories in local and regional news, podcast updates, and much more straight to your inbox. Southern Transcon | Rail Talk | BNSF We see this very often here. The unions were able to get the UP to agree to leave Boone as home terminal for the Rochelle - Boone pools, but shortly thereafter the railroad dropped the whole idea. Jeff:Thanks for the explanations. Paul MN. Thanks to all the responses so far--both here in the newsgroup and viaemail. Highlighting our commitment to safety, service, communities and our heritage. Crew Change Points : Needles, Winslow Yards: Needles, Winslow Junctions @ West Williams, Phoenix Sub (BNSF) MP 375.0 Highest point: 7,322 ft @ Arizona Divide. I have to look thru some stuff, but I think they used to change at Melstone, MT. With only one curve sharper than 3 degrees between the two points, the track alignment was well suited for 50 to 60 MPH freight running - though track maintenance may have been another story. Some are overlays on existing crew districts for certain type trains, intermodal for example. We're proud to tell our story and how we strive to be a trusted partner worthy of your respect. You there, Mr. Lee? Would this be the right list for the Transcon? Crew change points on the old Santa Fe Transco Author: chicohogger. - Erik. . In order to get a minimum speed of 12 or so MPH on the 0.5% ruling grades, the locomotives should have been able to maintain 25 or more MPH on level track, hence my wondering about 200 mile crew changes. Are you developing a new facility or looking to expand? In order to get a minimum speed of 12 or so MPH on the 0.5% ruling grades, the locomotives should have been able to maintain 25 or more MPH on level track, hence my wondering about 200 mile crew changes. I have to look thru some stuff, but I think they used to change at Melstone, MT. At BNSF, nothing is more important than safety. bnsf crew change points - albakricorp.com The project required the company to move about 3.6 million tons of rock, lay 5 miles of new track, and build nine new bridges with a combined length of about 3,000 feet.