Conrail Bridge - detroit

[Fred]

This morning officials came to the tower & instructed the operator to pack up & leave as the U.S. Coast Guard approved the automation of the interlocker & bridge to be controlled by the CR disp in New Jersey. They then padlocked the door.

[hoborich]

Nice of them to give the tower operator 2 weeks notice. Oh wait! They didn't. Never mind. Carry on.

[Super Chief]

Was this the bridge next to Rouge works? If so the operator was transferred there from BO Kalamazoo. He was driving from Plainwell every day for his shift. At least he got a little more time.

[DaveO]

Was this the bridge next to Rouge works? If so the operator was transferred there from BO Kalamazoo. He was driving from Plainwell every day for his shift. At least he got a little more time.

Conrail Bridge is next to the sewage plant. NS Bridge is next to I-75 and is the one closer to the Rouge and the one you're thinking of.

[LansingRailFan]

Man that sucks for that guy. At least he doesn’t have to drive 94 all winter?

[ConrailDetr​oit]

This morning officials came to the tower & instructed the operator to pack up & leave as the U.S. Coast Guard approved the automation of the interlocker & bridge to be controlled by the CR disp in New Jersey. They then padlocked the door.

The railroads are finding the cuts of jobs, consolidations, hyper optimization, automation, PSR, keeping stockholder happy with $$$ return, so far to be "worth it". From the railroad's perspective, what are any other pros and cons of having a bridge dispatcher controlled vs. a person in the tower?

Pros
1 Person controlling a certain segment of territory = less chance of miscommunication.
**Eliminate a job, 1 Less $$$ on payroll, and benefits. Looks good on paper for a manager's performance evaluation.

Cons
One less set of eyes on the rails to spot problems
One less set of eyes on the water to spot problems
One less set of eyes in the neighborhood to spot problems (would apply for Conrail Bridge, more of an issue in the city than in a rural area)
**More work for the dispatcher, or does the dispatcher now get a raise for having more responsibility, or has the work load simply shifted?** If the answer is no, then is a con.

[Saturnalia]

This morning officials came to the tower & instructed the operator to pack up & leave as the U.S. Coast Guard approved the automation of the interlocker & bridge to be controlled by the CR disp in New Jersey. They then padlocked the door.

The railroads are finding the cuts of jobs, consolidations, hyper optimization, automation, PSR, keeping stockholder happy with $$$ return, so far to be "worth it". From the railroad's perspective, what are any other pros and cons of having a bridge dispatcher controlled vs. a person in the tower?

Pros
1 Person controlling a certain segment of territory = less chance of miscommunication.
**Eliminate a job, 1 Less $$$ on payroll, and benefits. Looks good on paper for a manager's performance evaluation.

Cons
One less set of eyes on the rails to spot problems
One less set of eyes on the water to spot problems
One less set of eyes in the neighborhood to spot problems (would apply for Conrail Bridge, more of an issue in the city than in a rural area)
**More work for the dispatcher, or does the dispatcher now get a raise for having more responsibility, or has the work load simply shifted?** If the answer is no, then is a con.

Just the classic age-old arguments against the reduction in staffing to meet current needs with the advent of new technology.

Honestly, we’d still have brakemen and interlocking tower operators if these thoughts ended up ruling the argument. There are plenty of moveable spans across the country which are operated daily without incident remotely. The Coast Guard doesn’t just hand out these permissions to run remote like candy. There are procedures in place and I’m sure it’ll work out just fine, just like the rest of the conversions of late.

Finding ways to be more efficient and do more or the same with less resources generally improves profitability, which is the most important goal in business (unless you’re Elizabeth Warren, et al) and is thus rewarded accordingly within management.

[M.D.Bentley]

This morning officials came to the tower & instructed the operator to pack up & leave as the U.S. Coast Guard approved the automation of the interlocker & bridge to be controlled by the CR disp in New Jersey. They then padlocked the door.

The railroads are finding the cuts of jobs, consolidations, hyper optimization, automation, PSR, keeping stockholder happy with $$$ return, so far to be "worth it". From the railroad's perspective, what are any other pros and cons of having a bridge dispatcher controlled vs. a person in the tower?

Pros
1 Person controlling a certain segment of territory = less chance of miscommunication.
**Eliminate a job, 1 Less $$$ on payroll, and benefits. Looks good on paper for a manager's performance evaluation.

Cons
One less set of eyes on the rails to spot problems
One less set of eyes on the water to spot problems
One less set of eyes in the neighborhood to spot problems (would apply for Conrail Bridge, more of an issue in the city than in a rural area)
**More work for the dispatcher, or does the dispatcher now get a raise for having more responsibility, or has the work load simply shifted?** If the answer is no, then is a con.

Just the classic age-old arguments against the reduction in staffing to meet current needs with the advent of new technology.

Honestly, we’d still have brakemen and interlocking tower operators if these thoughts ended up ruling the argument. There are plenty of moveable spans across the country which are operated daily without incident remotely. The Coast Guard doesn’t just hand out these permissions to run remote like candy. There are procedures in place and I’m sure it’ll work out just fine, just like the rest of the conversions of late.

Finding ways to be more efficient and do more or the same with less resources generally improves profitability, which is the most important goal in business (unless you’re Elizabeth Warren, et al) and is thus rewarded accordingly within management.

You sound just like a hedge fund manager