With the Schnabel train as an example, how is the train crew picked? Just whoever is available, and its treated like a regular train, or maybe the most senior crews get the specials, due to experience, or are a few crews hand picked, and given special training?
Thanks,
James
I know for the Presidential Special, the CSX office special with all the big wigs, a crew is handpicked by local management. Now as for special loads, I think every T&E is qualified so it goes according to regular calling procedures. It’s probably not fair that crews are handpicked for the office car special either, but the TM’s and RFE’s get a little jittery when the big dogs come to town.
only train that is “hand picked” on csx like mentioned above is the top brass express…or the US pres. whistle stop train when he is on an election campain…evey other train is assinged a crew from the pool or extra board…or a combo from both…both…first in first out…(unless its a reguler train…ie yard job…local… ext ext…)
engineers are supost to know how to run a train regardless what is in it… and on the paperowork it will show the engineer any cars that require speical handeling…and then thier is the rule book that outlines what the handeling of the cars is…the engineer must keep this info in mind when running the train to make sure he dosnt so something he isnt supost to do becouse of a car/cars that have speical handeling instructions with them…
csx engineer
Has there been any instances when a special train did not go “smoothly”?
the crews are usually handpicked by the local management. They don’t want any proglems with the big-wigs on board.
I know it was a regular freight crew when the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus Train came through here on the UP last week.
In my area any special goes to the pool. There always seems to be a local officer riding the head end with the crew.
The only crew picked ahead of time that I know of in my 7+ years is when they ran a test train that they didn’t want to stop to change crews. They had a crew from our district get on at the originating point and ride to where the crews would change. They then walked up to the cab while the train kept moving and the old crew walked back and rode to the next change out where the train stopped.
I’ve also read in old labor rules (not ones in effect where I work) that allowed certain trains to have specially picked crews. So it could also depend on what the labor contracts allow.
Jeff
The Circus train is run by “regular” crew. The engineer must be qualified on it or a RFE runs the throttle. When we put it togther the circus trainmaster asked the engineer if he had ever run the train before. Seeings he had the RFE got to just sit and enjoy the ride.
Some special conditions may have to be met–I can remember when C&NW was running their 1385 down this way for a while. I think there was only one steam-qualified enginerer left at the time.
R.I.P., Albert.
All that makes sense, especially about the steam qualified guy. Thanks for the insight.
James
So, how many crews will run that Schnabel train as it moves from Duluth to Alberta?
dd
? what is the RFE that route-rock was talking about?
rfe replies to road foreman of engines. for the specials around my neck of the woods it is to the first out pool crew. the circus train is also run the same. the company might call an extra engine to switch the train.
I had only been marked up as a conductor for about 6 months when I got called to assemble a Ringling Bros train to go from Dayton to Columbus. My engineer was one of our more senior ones. He kept joking later that the “clowns” (RFE, local trainmasters) were on the head-end.[:o)]
However, the crew that brought them in a week previously were among our youngest engineers and conductors (even younger than me!)
thanks guys you are always a help.[:D]
I’m a conductor on a tourist passenger train, and the way it works here, is, a month before the trip, the TCB has a list of available people to work, he has them to sign up, and then picks from the list, who he wants. Usually the one with the most experience, is the one he picks…