Power Desk musings, and why things didn't work ... Dee Again now at the NOC in Tales of the Jointed Track

I was transferred to the Southwest Power desk. I lost track of Dee, because he was still in Lubbock, TX or was he?

Night Rotation NOC Ft Worth, TX:

I was on my last three days of nights, before I switched over to the Day rotation for the next month. I took the transfer, loaded my LISS screens. If it was busy, I loaded Winslow, LA, Richmond, Barstow, San Bernardino. I’d fill the others in. It was busy, and the day man told me you need to make an updated Winslow cut wire.

The LISS screen refreshed, I’ll get with LA, as soon as I get this wire out. A cut wire is a plan to set out locomotives off certain trains. It depends on tonnage, priority, and need at the terminal.

An example of the cut wire would be this:

Please make the following cuts and this wire supersedes any previously issued.

At Winslow:

P-LACCHI1-29 CUT ATSF 621

M-PHXBEL1-30 CUT BN 7126

V-LACCHI2-29 CUT ATSF 8229

M-BARTUL1-30 CUT ATSF 5134

ADD-ON’s
M-KCKBAR1-27 ADD-1 CALL TONS

Q-WINPHX1-30 USE ATSF 7416-BN 7126-ATSF 621

ANY CHANGES PLEASE CONTACT THE POWER DESK, SO DELAYS OR PROBLEMS ARE NOT COMPOUNDED

NOC SOUTHWEST POWER DESK BOB

Simple, standard procedure, work with me, talk, either here at the NOC or calls from the field.

The Corridor Supt is a new “groomer” off the former BN. He’s used to the slow average running of the BN at a whopping 10 to 20 mph overall. Yeah they had their fast freights and intermodal, but over here it at a 45 to 55 mph average. We run here and you have to watch and monitor.

The Chief Dispatcher is Dee. I didn’t know. Since this was my last rotation on nights, I worked with the new night rotation of Chiefs and Corridor Supers. They were 1 shift off of ours.

Wire is sent I go about my tasks, and touch base with the terminals, predict outbound trains and look at the needs of the locals and work trains in the territory. Time is going fast and I have time for another cup of coffee, a bathroom break, and put in another chew. Yes chew is disgusting, sorry a bad habit which I have kicked… almost 14 years now.

It is time for the Arizona conference call. I listen to the plans for a pick up at Adamana, AZ. It will be heavy tonnage off the Natural Gas refinery there at least 4500 tons. Gallup has extra tonnage, but the plan is to have light H-HOUBAR (Houston-Barstow) pick up at Gallup and fill out the tonnage at Adamana. This will need an add on. I have that planned, and will use whatever is and has arrived first. This will give them the extra dynamic brake they need, and power for the grade. Also, depending on how it rounds out, they may not need a helper out of Needles, CA. So it will be 4 six axles and about 10,500 tons 16,200 HP and at 1.6 HPT. It will make Barstow.

There is a Q-WINPHX, which is low priority UPS and other TOFC traffic, set out at Darling, AZ. The reason that was done is on the Phoenix Subdivision was a restriction of 7000 tons max and 7000 feet max. This was due to grade and sidings.

So IBU (Intermodal Business Unit) made the determination of what was reduced off of certain trains. Some were Phoenix traffic on the end of another LA destination train, or of the Z-CHIPHX. If it was hot, they would operate 2 sections. I have the Q-WINPHX covered, it was in the cut wire. They have already arrived, the crew or the switch crew will make up the locomotive consist, and the Q-WINPHX crew will go lite power to Darling with and ETD, pick up and air test the train. Then go to Phoenix.

Around 100 am CST, here comes the new Corridor Superintendent, and Dee. I look up and say “Yes, whats going on?” “We would like to know why there is no Q-WINPHX power available?” “What !!! it is there and predicted, and was on the cut wire”. The Dee states, “It looked like the cuts were going to delay our program, so we ran them by”. “Great Dee, wise move, why didn’t you mention that on the call or call me?” “We are busy”. “Really !!, not busy enough for you two birds to show up at the last minute!! So here is your Q-WINPHX. Don’t call the Seligman local tomorrow NO Power, OH !! and stage or hold in Winslow Yard the H-HOUBAR, because your add on is out the window. I’ll call Winslow right now, and you’ll have your WINPHX, put it on duty…NOW!!”

They storm off. Where is the communicate, communicate, communicate edict we had drilled into us. I guess it is typical former BN, not a crisis till its broken off in ya.

I call the Trainmaster at Winslow. “Thanks for setting me up, and not telling me on the call. Use the 2 units off the Seligman local and the ATSF 5124. There is your train..call IT!!”. Stammering “Well, the HOUBAR, the local”. “Well you helped progress this mess. Deal with the Chief and the Corridor Superintendent, and I’ll make another wire, let me know if you can’t follow it”.

I got up and told my Manager, and stated “Be ready, this is gonna be front page news. They will try to pin it on us, because they didn’t clue everyone in”. He went back and discussed it with them.

I made another wire, and was able to supply the add on for the HOUBAR and the Seligman local. The local had a 6 axle on it, but they would have to run with it, and work with it.

I had other encounters with Dee, when I went back into craft. He finally burnt so many bridges, he was back as a trainman. He finally, with other issues, Company and otherwise, got himself ran off. He was terminated by the railroad in 2006.