[PRCo] Re: Scheduling

[John Swindler]

>Fred W. Schneider III asked:
>
>What does this have to do with PTM?
>


about as much as the distance between mile markers on the Pennsy's 
Harrisburg line.



>John Swindler wrote:
> >
> > Again, Fred, what does this have to do with PTM demonstration railway??
> >
> > However, you do have a significant comment as it might pertain to public
> > transportation.  "if you had a freight train breathing down your neck".
> >
> > The example I gave was for late pm and night operation when headways 
>were
> > typically 30 minutes.  During peak hours, when there was a three min. or
> > less headway, drivers would tend to have blinders on when the light 
>turned
> > green.  Then there was an emphasis on timekeeping.  Why?? Because I knew 
>if
> > I looked in the rear view mirror, there would be another bus 1-2 traffic
> > lights behind.  So the need to cater to the customer was not as great.
> >
> > Again, PTM is not in the transportation business.
> >
> > John
> >
> > >From: "Fred W. Schneider III" <fschnei at supernet.com>
> > >Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
> > >Subject: [PRCo] Scheduling
> > >Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2001 11:59:26 -0500
> > >
> > >
> > >I think we are placing too much emphasis on one aspect of running the
> > >railroad over another aspect.  There needs to be some balance between
> > >schedule keeping and making customers happy.
> > >
> > >1.  Passengers are important.  If we don't have passengers, we don't
> > >need drivers or motorman or engineman or mechanics or office clerks.  
>If
> > >we can wait for customer, because there is enough slack in the 
>schedule,
> > >by all means do so.
> > >
> > >2.  While it is important to wait for a passenger and show a little
> > >extra courtesy ... all ways of making them want to come back ... we 
>also
> > >need to run on time.  We cannot be constantly waiting for people 
>because
> > >it encourages people to be late and it discourages those who are on 
>time
> > >at the stop.  If the schedule shows the bus will arrive at the stop at
> > >3:17 and it repeatedly arrives anywhere from 3:12 to 3:25 and once in a
> > >while as late as 3:40, I'm not going to wait for the bus.  I'll buy an
> > >automobile.
> > >
> > >3.  If we have a single track railroad with passing sidings, schedule
> > >keeping is absolutely essential.  If my car is off by 3 minutes, the
> > >opposing car may be off by 7 minutes.  And the customer is off in his
> > >car.  (Most schedules had enough cushion, however.)
> > >
> > >4.  While signals are great, if we get accustomed to meeting the same
> > >car at siding A day after day and today it is early and meets us at
> > >another siding, there is a damn good chance for a corn field meet,
> > >signals or no signals. A man with 30 years service is apt not to even
> > >look at a signal that he never before needed to observe.  (I have a
> > >hunch that is what happened that caused 13 people to be killed and 30
> > >some badly injured in the LVT 1003 / C14 accident in 1942 ... perhaps
> > >the motorman never before had to wait at Brush Siding for a box motor
> > >and never bothered to look at a signal.  But we'll never know, he
> > >removed himself from the gene pool.  So running on time can be
> > >tantamount to running safely.
> > >
> > >You might like an interesting example of breaking the rules to serve a
> > >customer.  I was riding a Pennsy schedule from Harrisburg into
> > >Philadelphia in 1969 and was surprised that we stopped at Irishtown 
>road
> > >crossing in eastern Lancaster County to drop an Amish lad.  Because all
> > >the trainmen knew me as a Strasburg Rail Road employee (and a state
> > >employee) at that time (I was actually riding on a Strasburg pass that
> > >night), I could get away with a discrete inquiry about the stop.  Turns
> > >out the last Lancaster to Intercourse bus left Lancaster at 5 PM ... 
>and
> > >this man left Harrisburg at 5:20 on the train.  He would have had to
> > >walk home 8 miles from Lancaster.  The trainman dropped him at 
>Irishtown
> > >several nights each week.  What was the official policy of the
> > >railroad?  DO NOT STOP ... NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.  Was there an
> > >unofficial policy?  YES.  IF YOU DON'T HAVE A FREIGHT TRAIN BREATHING
> > >DOWN YOUR BUTT, MAKE THE STOP IN THE INTEREST OF KEEPING SOMEONE HAPPY.
> > >CREWS WERE ACTUALLY TOLD THIS OFF THE RECORD. The total elapsed time 
>for
> > >the stop was less than 2 minutes, and there was enough padding in the
> > >timetable to make it up. Those Silverliners had hellish acceleration.
> > >
> > >Another example of keeping the schedule in spite of passengers ... and
> > >the engineman shall remain nameless.  (I've mentioned this on another
> > >list, so, Harold or Edson, bear with me if you're listening).  I was up
> > >in the cab the night it happened.  It was a Friday afternoon ... the
> > >4:20 departure from Harrisburg ... 37 minutes were allowed to get out
> > >out of Lancaster, 37 miles away.  There were three intermediate stops.
> > >Most of the mileposts are not 5,280 feet apart ... I think there are
> > >only two pairs between Philly and Harrisburg that are exact ... there
> > >are 107 of them squeezed in 103 miles.  But as we came out of
> > >Harrisburg, the engineman checked the speedometer against his watch on
> > >two valid mileposts.  "How's it reading?"  "Four fast."  We stopped at
> > >Middletown to drop two or three people.  Now this engineman knew which
> > >days he would have a fair number of people at stations ... he knew the
> > >pattern like the back of his hand ... and this was a Friday afternoon
> > >with a lot of college kids from E-town and F&M that would be getting
> > >on.  He stopped at Elizabethtown ... about a half dozen off, perhaps 
>ten
> > >college kids on.  Then a stop at Mount Joy to drop one or two people.
> > >When we came up on the distant signal for CORK interlocking in
> > >Lancaster, the clock was reading 107 miles per hour.  (Speed limit was
> > >75 and he was actually plowing along at 103.) These were Jersey Arrows
> > >... married pairs were designed to do 100.  He stopped at Lancaster,
> > >having run off 37 miles in 33 minutes with three intermediate stops and
> > >at an average speed of 67 miles per hour.  At 4:57, he was moving out 
>of
> > >Lancaster ... right on the money, after having dropped about 30 and
> > >picking up roughly 40.  By the way, management had high regard for this
> > >engineman because he knew when and where he could break the rules to
> > >keep the railroad fluid, and trains on time.  Sometimes I think
> > >management even told him when the road foreman of engines was out with 
>a
> > >radar gun ... he always knew.  (By the way, he came back home running
> > >the Broadway Limited.) (One of these days I'll just have to go knock on
> > >his door..)
> > >
> >
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