Can some one Please try to explain to me why it takes so long for the Dispatcher to answer a call when Train Crews dial him up?
When a Train crew Dials up it takes up to 1 to 3 Minutes just answer the Radio.
But most of the time He or She is pretty good at Answering right away. Any ideas? Because I do know that Train Crews just hate waiting! BNSFrailfan.
These dispatchers, whether UP in Omaha or BNSF in Fort Worth, have really large or very busy (but smaller) pieces of the railroad to handle and sometimes get very busy with traffic levels or with a particular problem (such as this afternoon when the BNSF East End dispatcher between Aurora and Chicago had to deal with a report of a threatened suicide by a female who phoned the Downers Grove police and the dispatcher had to notify all trains into Chicago to be extra vilgilant) and sometimes can not answer right away. I have had the pleasure of visiting the UP dispatch center in Omaha and seeing the dispatchers in action personally and up close. They really get VERY BUSY, so let’s cut them a break folks. These are real professionals who do a hard job very well.
CSX dispatchers must leave their desks to smoke which causes many delays.
H.mm sounds like a tad of UPRR bashing here. I’m sure that the operations centers answers & replies to question real promptly. Otherwise the person in the operations center would be a ex UPRRer real fast.
How do you even know what you posted is happening. Do you work for the UPRR or have phone taps on the UPRR operations room? :p][:)]
[quote]
Originally posted by BNSF railfan.
Let me get this straight. I am in no reason doing any kind of bashing the UP of what so ever. I was just simply asking a normal question,I mean that is what the web site is for isn’t it? come on people let’s get real for god sake. I mean for god sakes you don’t ever hear me complaining “UP SUCKS” all the time do you. I mean if it’s this hard to just ask a simple question then ill just go away from this forum and never come back. this is just crazy. I mean there alot of railroaders who just think that thy know it all but you you don’t hear me barking back.
So much for just asking simple stupid question…
BNSFrailfan.
The way I read your post it appeared YOU KNEW that the UPRR operations dept in Omaha was not replying to questions from the field quick enough. If we are lucky & their is someone on ths board who works in the UPRR dispatch center in Omaha do you really think he would confirm your allegation that he is not doing his job correctly? To me it seemed stranged that you would be plugged into inside info of such a vital cog in the UPRR wheels their operations center. That is why I brought up the UPRR bashing. Something similiar to what another poster seemed to allege that the UPRR was holding up the entire BNSF transcon on purpose. [:o)][:D]
[quote]
Originally posted by BNSF railfan.
He didn’t tap any phone lines. This is something that anyone with a scanner can hear. Eolafan stated it pretty good. These dispachers cover rather large areas and or more than one area and can not always give there full concentration to one train. And of course they also get breaks. I don’t know how UP does things, but back in the days of SPs WR dispachers sometimes on the weekends and non-peek shifts dispachers would dispach more than one desk. Like on weekday afternoons two dispachers would be needed for the Modoc (WR44) and Siskyou (WR46?) lines. On sunday night only one person would dispach both WR44 and WR46. There were similar arangements in the bay area and LA.
He wasn’t bashing anyone. It happens everywhere, and he was just wondering why. Pretty good question, I might say. I’ve read and reread BNSF’s question, and I don’t see any bashing.
m
Yes I can understand the scanner thing if he is nearby to the UPRR dispatch center. But, he also contended that it took “1 to 3 minutes” to answer the telephone in the dispatch center. How would he know that? That was the reason for the “tapped” phone remark. [:D][:o)]
[quote]
Originally posted by chad thomas
Well if you do not consider “why it takes 3 minutes to answer the phone” as sought of a bash when how would anyone know how long it takes to answer a phone in the dispatch center unless you work there? [:o)][:p]
[quote]
Originally posted by mehrlich
[
He’s not talking about the telephone. He’s talking about the radio. You key in the dispachers code on the radio and it “calls” the dispacher. [8D]
Aha misread the dial up & radio. So sorry BNSF railfan & thanks to U! [:p][:I][:o)]
[quote]
Originally posted by chad thomas
[
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed
Yes I can understand the scanner thing if he is nearby to the UPRR dispatch center. But, he also contended that it took “1 to 3 minutes” to answer the telephone in the dispatch center. How would he know that? That was the reason for the “tapped” phone remark. [:D][:o)]
I don’t see any reference by BNSF Railfan to telephone calls. He is referring to train crews using the radio.
When we call the dispatcher we dial him up using a keypad. The normal procedure for my area is to press the star key ,then the 2 digit numbers. This rings in on a radio tower and lets the dispatcher now someone is needing to talk to him/her. When the signal is received by the radio tower, it gives a tone to let you know your call request went thru. Sometimes you can be in a bad spot and try 3 or 4 times to get thru.
The worst time to try to get a dispatcher is during shift changes. Other times they may be talking on another part of their territory, planning strategy with the corridor managers or just be taking a break(dispatchers on human, too).
Jeff
And that’s why bein a dispatcher is more stressful than an air traffic controller according to some hearsay about a report produced by the Canadian Transport Commission or some such.in the 80s.
Yes I said I misread it ( see my post above) & said I was sorry to BNSF railfan for the misread. [:p][:o)]
[quote]
Originally posted by jeffhergert
[quote]
Originally posted by spbed
A very big thank U from Florida. Some common sense would have led down the same road that you posted. I certainly do not think someone in the dispatch center does not want to reply to the query ASAP! [8D][:o)][:I]
[quote]
Originally posted by Mark_W._Hemphill
Sorry just misread your question[:D]
[quote]
Originally posted by BNSF railfan.
Plus, ya gotta pee eventually!
Seriously, I’ve been in various dispatcher’s offices, and as Mark said, it is a very demanding, fast-paced environment. No time to let your mind wander, even for a moment. I have the utmost respect for those that can do that job.
(1) To the Industrial Engineer that sold management on centralizing the dispatchers in one place and cutting down on the number of dispatcher territories (and dispatchers): YOU’RE FIRED![}:)] Looks good on Wall Street, but sucks bigtime in the real world.
(2) BNSF Railfan: What are you whining about? 1-3 minutes?..I’ve seen 30-50 man tie and steel gangs sit in the hole for DAYS waiting on the DS and the Operating (oxymoron?) Department to let them out!..more than once in a week![censored][censored][censored] This is saving money?
We also have heard train crews whine when going into the hole because there was no coffee shop there (Frick, CO…Sutton, KS…Orsa, CO…Onava, NM… Siberia, CA…Christie, CA…Port Chicago, CA… come to mind)…and then the DS calls the train to let them out in other places on the railroad and there is no answer, nobody home!
Listen to Mark & Zardoz…it’s not a simple fix!
[banghead][banghead][banghead]
Well, I doubt that any train crews are complaining… they do get paid by the hour after all. 