Archive for August 2017
Hurricane Harvey: UP uses drones to survey damage; KCS, BLET donate to relief funds
(source: Progressive Railroading 08/31/2017) Union Pacific Railroad is using helicopters and drones to inspect by air its track, bridges and signals in areas east and west of Houston where road access is unavailable due to flooding and storm damage from Hurricane Harvey. As weather and access to storm-damaged areas allow, UP is inspecting and repairing track,…
Read MoreUP eyes Houston clean-up, inspecting damaged track
(Source: Reuters, August 30, 2017) DETROIT — Union Pacific Corp said on Wednesday it should begin cleanup operations at two rail freight yards in Houston on Wednesday or Thursday but warned that areas east of the city are “still inaccessible at this time.” Full story: Reuters Thursday, August 31, 2017
Read MoreBLET relaunches Perrien Fund to assist members with Hurricane Harvey relief
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio, August 30 — The BLET’s National Division Advisory Board approved a recommendation from BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce today to re-activate and expand its Gary Perrien Fund to provide financial assistance to members living in Texas and Louisiana who have been the hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey. The Gary Perrien Fund was…
Read MoreTrain conductor held for drug testing during stroke awarded $2.1 million
(Source: Daily Business Review, August 28, 2017) NEW YORK — Samuel F. Belcher’s colleagues called it in over their radios when his behavior caused delays during a late-night shift: The train conductor was “acting funny,” they said, staggering and showing signs of confusion at a Hamlet, North Carolina, station in January 2012. Full story: Daily Business…
Read MoreFurloughed railroad workers rehired en masse, but is coal really growing?
(Source: Reuters, August 28, 2017) SEATTLE — BNSF Railway has called back roughly 4,000 of the 5,000 workers who were furloughed across its system last year, reflecting stronger volumes of coal, grain, and intermodal containers and trailers, a spokesman said. Full story: Christian Science Monitor Tuesday, August 29, 2017
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