Car movement

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Harry,

Was the phosphate rock shipped in open hoppers or covered hoppers?

Thanks.

Jim Brewer

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
  Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2006 4:53 PM
  Subject: Re: Car movement


  Some industries use a trackmobile.  This is a gadget that can travel on
  rail or on road.  By lifting the car, it gains traction and can move four
  or five loaded cars at 5 MPH or so.  

  Jeff - - my teacher in Agency 101 told me never to fill out the demurrage
  record in anything but pencil.  One of HER customers loaded chip hoppers
  at a blind siding seventeen miles away from the agency.  Ferrells Siding
  opened north and northbound trains spotted the mtys at railroad convenience.
  The southbound local dropped the loads out and left "Miss Camden" the
  form that showed the time the loads were pulled.  That's when she
  computed the "time placed" section of the demurrage report.

  I'm not sure how it plays into demurrage, but there were order/notify
  shipments.  The railroad crew could not spot the car until the customer,
  usually one with dubious credit,  had satisfied the bank and the agent
  had been notified that it was OK to make delivery.  One agent I knew,
  made the mistake of trying to do one of his customers a favor.  He
  had the crew spot the car before the bill of lading had been transferred.

  Don't know how it's calculated now, but back in the 60's, a car spotted
  after 7:00 AM on Friday, didn't start the two free days until 7:00 AM
  Monday.  Likewise, a car spotted after 7:00 AM on Thursday, was
  charged a free day for Friday, but the second free day didn't start until
  Monday, making Tuesday the first day demurrage was assessed. 

  Some customers are on the average agreement, i.e. cars get a credit
  if they're released early and the credit is used to offset a debit created
  for each day the car is held beyond the two free days.  It was not
  unusual for Texas Gulf Sulphur's demurrage bill to run $700-800/mo.
  While on loan to TGS, there was a regular movement of phosphate
  rock to Port Maitland, ONT routed NS-Norfolk-N&W-CN.  One Friday
  morning, there were 40 of 'em ready to go and if they were released that
  day, TGS would be 40 credits toward off-setting that month's debits.
  They weren't scheduled to ship until the following Monday, but I had
  a brainstorm.  NO WAY!  NO Way  could the railroad muster up the two units
  required to drag them out of the plant, so I'd release them on Friday and
  the railroad would take all week end to coax a second unit to be in
  place.  Well guess what ?  When I got back to work on Monday, N&W
  had them approaching Portsmouth, Ohio on No. 85.  A call to the
  friendly N&W traffic department in Durham did wonders.  The
  phosphate cars missed their connection . . . . for several days.  Betcha
  the CYO wouldn't bail me out.
                                                                 Harry Bundy


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