What is the difference between a trainmaster and a roadmaster? Or are they one in the same? I understand a trainmaster is basically in charge of a particular territory, but what specifically does he do?
And who has more authority, yardmasters or trainmasters, or are they pretty much equals? Does the yardmaster basically control the yard limits and the trainmaster the mainlines outside the yard? Or…?
Thanks in advance for the helpful responses.
The Trainmaster is the supervisor of the train crews that operate in and over his designated territory.
The Roadmaster is the suprvisor of the people that maintain the track over a given territory. Different carriers may attach different titles to this particular position
Before the replies start rolling in, might I modify the question slightly? Are Trainmasters and Superintendents the same? Are Roadmasters MOW Supervisors? As above, thanks for the helpful responses.
Bruce
In the (old) CPR context, a Trainmaster was generally in charge of the train crews in a given territory. He was also often the operating official on hand when special trains or moves were occurring. Once in a while he was able to see if his home was still there and grab a bit of sleep. A somewhat comparable position was the Road Foreman of Engines, more common in the steam era. Both reported to an Assistant Superintendent.
A yardmaster would manage the yard, but he was usually closer in grade to a conductor rather than a true operating official. Call him the referee to keep the players (trains and switchers) coordinated.
The Roadmaster reported to the Division Engineer. His responsibility was to keep the track in good repair and manage all the various track maintenance personnel on his assigned territory. A B&B Master had similar responsibilities for the bridges and buildings.
John
A good place to find answers to this and many other questions we find here is to seek out copies of railroads’ books of rules and employee timetables. A lot of definitions of terms and identifications of appliances, usage and proper operation of hardware, etc. can be found. Find these items rail hobby shops (probably bulliten boards), railroad train meets and flea markets, internet sites like Ebay, fellow railfans, and the advertisements in magazines like Trains and Classic Trains. Often times these definition will be more clear and concise than what you will get here. There was the original Association Of American Railroads Standard Codes whiich most railroads adopted and adapted to their specific needs and usage, and, currently, the NORAC codes which are also pretty much adopted and adapted as needed. Other books can be found in most libraries. And reading and understanding these sources will not ony answer all your questions but also bring on many more. I am not putting anyone down, most answers are correct and sincerely given and should not be miscredited. And I am not putting the questioners down, either. I just want to make a point often overlooked or totally avoided: there are resources other than here that have the complete. Seeking out these resources and even collecting them, and be another rewarding and fun aspect of the hobby.
One of the Class 1s in my history was organized like this:
Yards:
Main Line, Train Operations:
Main Line, Train Handling:
Main Line, Dispatching
Maintenance of Way, Track
Maintenance of Way, Bridges
Division Engineers, Chief Dispatchers, and Division Superintendents all rolled up to the VP Operations.
RWM
RWM: What does (agreement employee) mean?
RWM - Can you complete that outline of the 'operating" side with the C&S and the Mechanical Dept. people ?
Union represented – work conditions, duties, and pay described by an agreement. As opposed to an officer or exempt employee.
As an aside, most officers that hired out in the ranks continue to maintain their union membership so they can “go back on their rights” if fired as an officer, or if the job palls on them.
RWM
In most of the non-railroad industrial or unionized world (i.e., persons who are represented under the National Labor Relations Act and Board, as contrasted with the Railway Labor Act and Board), the ‘dual status’ of those individuals can be a “conflict of interests” that can cause a lot of tension: What if the upper management demands that the official discipline a union “brother” ? What if the official does that - or institutes some other rule or change that the union feels is a violation of its contract, and imposes sanctions on that official as retaliation, such as kicking him out of the union ? I had understood that ‘back in the day’, the promoted person would have to either give up or go inactive on his union membership, but I suppose that since then some kind of accomodations between those competing loyalties has been worked out and become more accepted by both organizations and the ‘system’.
Over the past 25 years or so, most of the railroad crafts have implemented membership rules that require non-contract railroad employees to pay dues to ‘keep their seniority alive’. If the non-contract employee does not pay dues, then their seniority is ended at the time their last dues payment ran out. If the non-contract employee is terminated or desires to return to their craft they would then have a ‘diminished’ seniority date.
Those non-contract employees who maintain their seniority do not really have ‘dual status’ and follow the the dictates of their company superiors, just like any other employee. Among the several hundred non-contract ‘officials’ that I have dealt with over the years, while they are ‘officials’ the perform their company duties without regard for their prior union status. Union members that need to be disciplined for cause will be disciplined. Contract violations occur and are dealt with through the normal channels for handling such violations and the appropriated penalties will be paid. A ‘official’ who believes he has competing loyalties between the company and the craft, will soon find themselves fully back in the craft.
Having been in a craft prior to being promoted, having been a non-contract employee for 20 years and having returned to a craft position…them’s the facts.
I use the term ‘non-contract employee’ instead of official because for the most part field level supervisors have very little ‘Official’ power, that power is reserved for the Senior Officials - AVP level and higher. In many cases the field level non-contract employee receives worse treatment from their superiors than the craft people, because they don’t have any enumerated protections as specified in a union contract. Your performance is judged by the whims of your superior in the organizational c
Excellent summary.
In Michigan, and at least on CN, there is a ‘track supervisor’ who reigns over his territory.
Don’t know about the rest of the world.[;)]