Union Pacific Execs Called to Appear Before the STB

Union Pacific executives Lance Fritz, Kenny Rocker, Eric Gehringer, and Bradley Moore have been ordered to appear for hearings concerning the increasing use embargoes to manage congestion. From 27 in 2017 to 886 so far in 2022. The Public Hearing will be held in Washington DC on December 13th and 14th. Chairman Oberman also invited affected shippers to attend and provide testimony.

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews ... onductors/

Fair Use
"Expediters’ would be able to respond to problems faster and more safely than conductors based in locomotive cabs, railroad tells Federal Railroad Administration hearing"

AHHH YA SURE. Mystical Magical Accounting going on here.

The UP did a video to promote this theory I got a chuckle. Its in the article.

It's not exactly headlined in the TRAINS article, but there is the "I see said the blind man" moment. The objective is to have a crew consist of Engineer-only.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:19 pm It's not exactly headlined in the TRAINS article, but there is the "I see said the blind man" moment. The objective is to have a crew consist of Engineer-only.

Actually Mr Norman the goal is completely autonomous. CSX is currently experimenting with a program called Zero to Zero. Somebody in the cab just in case but otherwise the computer runs the whole show.

Wabtec
Zero-to-Zero allows a train to start from zero miles per hour and stop automatically using intelligent controls. It leverages air-brake control and signal-aspect information, and further expands the opportunity to save fuel and improve operations.

SOOOOO, Mr. Junkie.......a 1:1 Lionel extending beyond Timmy (Mellon; final owner of PanAm Railways) and Uncle Warren (no intro needed)?

But safe to say, my Estate holding a Long position UNP, will have distributed such to my heirs.

Railjunkie wrote:

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Mon Dec 19, 2022 3:19 pm It's not exactly headlined in the TRAINS article, but there is the "I see said the blind man" moment. The objective is to have a crew consist of Engineer-only.

Actually Mr Norman the goal is completely autonomous. CSX is currently experimenting with a program called Zero to Zero. Somebody in the cab just in case but otherwise the computer runs the whole show.

Wabtec
Zero-to-Zero allows a train to start from zero miles per hour and stop automatically using intelligent controls. It leverages air-brake control and signal-aspect information, and further expands the opportunity to save fuel and improve operations.

Not much different from most long haul flying these days. Let the plane fly itself and have the pilot ready to handle emergencies.

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But Mr. Olesen, how about the incident on a flight LAX (edit: SAN) to MSP where the aircraft overflew the way point at which it should have started its descent - because both Officers were asleep!!!

As I recall, an Attendant started to "wonder why" and went to the Flight Deck to find out "why".

The flight returned to MSP without further incident, beyond the "fair and impartial hearing and investigation". I would think appropriate assessment of discipline would be dismissal followed by an FAA lifting of credentials.

I remember hearing about either this incident or a similar one. The plane flew like an hour past it’s destination right?

Here's more; flight originated SAN vice LAX:

https://youtu.be/iEpHKBjXvN4

The flight overshot as far as a VOR at EAU (Eu Claire, WI

But back on the rails, could one envision a runaway train on a 1:1 Lionel?

If not a runaway, then some other form of accident I could see happening.

Forgive me as I'm not familiar with the airplane I pad. The first officer still takes off and lands the plane along with handling the taxi? This system you climb on at your sign up location or crew change point and sit back and enjoy the ride period. At some point the skills needed to actually run a 12 thousand foot 3000 ton land barge will be gone and when the system goes pppfffttt that's when stuff will get interesting.

A new engineer today spends more time looking at a computer screen telling him what is going on then actually looking out the window to SEE what is going on. When the computer goes down they are not programed the same as folks who were told to look out the window pay attention to your signals landmarks and anything else that can help tell you where you are in all types of weather night or day.

Not sure how far the airlines have gone with crew reduction beyond a proposal of "Captain-only" and with a First Officer on the ground playing such (setting NAVAIDS, etc) for several flights, and on-ground controls to land the aircraft "just in case". On that point, an American Attendant (regrettably deceased at 53yo) once said to me at a block party "if Bob Crandall (former AA CEO not known for his diplomacy with organized labor) gets his way, we'd be flying about in drones"!!

Gilbert B Norman wrote: But back on the rails, could one envision a runaway train on a 1:1 Lionel?

I guess you'll have to explain to me how a runaway would happen with all of the PTC equipment that's been mandated and installed. The only scenario I can think of is if the PTC auto-braking fails entirely.

I'd like to avoid going further down the airplane Rabbit Hole aside from saying that computers manage all but the first 15 to 20 minutes and final 15 to 30 minutes of a flight and have done so for pretty much the last 20 years. You still need people to be attentive. Sleeping has never been allowed at the wheel.

In that same time frame, the number of fatalities from commercial airplane crashes not due to a deliberate action have gone from 100 or so per year to 100 or so per decade. I'm not saying that correlation is causation, but the more that the cockpit has been automated, the safer flying has become.

I don't ever see a day where we will have fully autonomous passenger or freight trains, because you still need somebody to phone home when all the automation fails. Whether that's done with ground-based observers or somebody physically in the cab, there's always going to have to be a human element.

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Gilbert B Norman wrote: "if Bob Crandall (former AA CEO not known for his diplomacy with organized labor) gets his way, we'd be flying about in drones"!!

Crandall was famous for saying he'd like to replace both Pilots with one pilot and a dog. The dog would bark to keep the pilot awake. I believe he also suggested replacing flight attendants with vending machines in the galley. We're not too far off from that these days.

I had the honor of presenting and speaking to Crandall many times, and spent many hours in person in the EOC with him. A true gentleman, very eloquent when needed but could always swear like a Marine when necessary. I remember working a 1995 crash in Cali, Columbia. I was in jeans and a ratty sweatshirt having been called at 2200 and told 'this is not a drill'... Bob strolled into the EOC at 0100 looking like he was heading into a board meeting, and takes the seat next to me. Never batted an eye as I gave him my briefing.

Unions may not have liked him at the time, but they did respect Bob and take everything he said at face value. I don't think there's anybody out there who wouldn't rather have him to deal with than some of the other MBA and lawyer types who have run airlines since him.

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eolesen wrote: ↑Sat Dec 24, 2022 2:38 pm I believe he also suggested replacing flight attendants with vending machines in the galley. We're not too far off from that these days.

Mr. Olesen, as you note, what do passengers get nowadays "Aft of The Curtain"? I don't think they get what they used to Forward of such.

If in fact, Mr. Crandall actually let loose with that comment, then he showed no knowledge as to why the FAA requires airlines to assign one Attendant for each fifty seats on an aircraft.

Finally, please allow me to note even further off topic than this discussion has become, at Leslie's memorial service during '09, how many Officers and Attendants from all three "majors" serving ORD showed up - and in uniform!!!