You own a major toy company based out Brooklyn You have to get load of 25 trailers to Buffalo in short order in 1972. You have contracts with all the major railroads and there is truck drivers strike coutetsy of Jimmy Hoffa.
The cut off time for loads at the terminals is 6:00 pm and you split the loads between all three railroads. All the railroads run short “Jet” trains (Assuming). You send the trailers to the terminals in the there respective terminals in traffic from Brooklyin. Which railroad will get it there first?
EL had some renovations thanks to some fed money and dereco money prior to Consolidated Rail Corp i.e motive power and track work and the Route of Phobe Snow was a lil shorter…
There is a HUGE and I mean a HUGE problem with your question. Back in 1972 ALL and I mean ALL city trucks were UNION and there was not ONE company you would find WILLING TO P!SS OFF HOFFA AND THE TEAMSTERS at the time he was deeply connected to the mob and yu would end up either with cement shoes or as dog food. So your trailers would be stuck in your dock waiting for the strike to end. SORRY.
First off the RRs U mentioned had no service from Brooklyn so your 1st chore would be figuring how to get the vans to the LV yard (Oak Island) the EL yard (Croxton) OR NYC yard (No Bergen) all in NJ & if cutoff was 6PM with rush hour traffic better leave your W/house by 4PM to reach the yard in time or you will miss the train.
OK, it’s a problem, but not a HUGE problem. You just gotta’ put money in the right pockets.
The trucks can move. Don’t get your knickers in a knot. Just don’t be cheap. Hey, it’s business. Your problem is not the Teamster’s Uniion. They’ll do business. Your problem is those morons at the ICC that won’t let you have a contract with the railroad. They got a law or regulation or sompin’ that says all that. They’re on a Mission From God and won’t do business. Those Government Pricks get government money and government pensions. What do they know? They never got their hands dirty once in their lives.
And just maybe they’re gettin’ more money under the table than you’ll ever dream about because of that law. Why do you think they passed it?
I mean it’s a law or regulation or sompin’ that says a railroad can’t sign a contract with a customer. It makes no sense except to put money in a politician’s pocket.
Plus you have to remember in the 70’s no one crossed another unions picket line EVER. If you did man you were in trouble. Yes not having a contract with the RR was a big issue but the worst one was the union strikes they stuck together back then rmember this the country was shut down by Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters going on Strike.
I was in management and I worked two strikes. In the 70’s the Teamsters would not honor a rail union’s picket line.
I was just a little nervous as I was about to cross a Chicago picket line into the ICG’s ramp for the first time. But a driver for LaGroue was just ahead of me and he had done it before. He got the tractor and trailer straight after the turn, then he just floored it. About 35 tons just accelerated at the pickets.
The guys walking the picket line did a very sensible thing. They ran. He went through and I just followed him on in. Welcome to Chicago.
Back around 1967, the Teamsters did not honor the picket lines of the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers (Dad’s union). I have had a low opinion of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers ever since.
OK, let’s try something radical-common sense. I’d call in Penn Central’s sales rep. Ask him/her: “I have trailers to get to Metro NYC PDQ. How much, and when will they get there for my drivers there to get them?” Then I’d ask the EL rep about it, then LV’s rep. Then, I’d ask them for Sabres tickets.[#offtopic] LV didn’t have them-shame!!-EL didn’t either. But PC did! Done and Done. Then PC would order materials from my company and i’d get in line to get paid for them. Then, I’d toss a bone to EL the next time and if I was sending something to, say, Allentown PA then the Valley got the biz. That’s how it got done and how my dad made money and saw Sabre games thanks to Penn Central. I’d rather have gotten a cab ride in a Central E8, but hey…[#dots]