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Before we get started, I want to correct a statement I made last month in an editorial on the subject of Operation Lifesaver. It stated, "... the United Transportation Union and other railway unions in cooperation with the various railroads sponsor the Operation Lifesaver Program." This statement was in error and I apologize. The UTU dropped out of all programs on the Union Pacific except for Operation Red Block nearly four years ago.
The New York Times carried a story about a direct marketing outfit that contracted prison inmates to process consumer records. Some prisoners used the information to harass customers and after a public outcry the company switched to alternative source of labor.
If this bothers you, I'm told there is a couple in the mid-cities that have contracted with doctors in the DFW area to translate and transcribe their medical notes. Each evening they pickup the notes your doctor made on your visit, they scan it, then email it for free to India. There it's translated and sent back as text.
You can probably guess that someone could have your medical history and may be selling the data.
Speaking of the lack of air conditioning, an employee recently told me: "I'd work a trip for nothing if one of the executives could be forced to go with me and endure the intense heat that we put up with day in and day out.
Of course I'd want it to be one of our usual 12-hour trips where we tie-up on the road and then have to wait another 2 to 4 hours to get transported to our terminal.
Everyone wonders who chalks the "Colossus of Roads" logo on the sides of freight cars. It's not as old, but it is may become as famous as "Herby" or "Bozo Texino". An employee on the internet says, "The 'Colossus of Roads' is a switchman in Gurdon, Arkansas. ... I've seen his work for years, but just discovered who he is the other day."
According to news report, a man in Issaquah, Washington was coaxed out of his home by police after he pulled a gun and shot his personal computer, apparently in frustration. ... He was taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation.
One employee says this fellow is definitely sane, and adds, "He finally came to his senses and decided to get a real life."
UP Online July 1. UP and its consortium partners were officially granted the 50-year concession for the Pacific North Railway yesterday.
Also announced yesterday, the UP Consortium, called Grupo Ferroviaria Mexicana {GFM}, also gained control of 100 percent of a Pacific-North appendage, the Ojinaga-Topolobampo line -- also known as the Chihuahua Pacific -- and a 25 percent stake in the Mexico City Terminal Co.
Included in this edition is a "Discipline Alert." Please read it carefully. It is important from a safety standpoint. It could help you maintain your income.
"Be nice to your kids. They'll choose your nursing home." -- Rex Osborn
"First rule of holes: When you're in one, quit digging." -- Bradley Martin.
Three doctors die, and confront St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. The first doctor says, "St. Peter, I found a cure for leprosy. I built hospitals in Africa, and saved thousands of lives."
St. Peter says, "Welcome to Heaven, Come on in."
The second doctor says "St. Peter, I found a cure for Polio. I saved millions of lives."
St. Peter tells him, "You come on in too. Welcome to Heaven."
The third doctor says, "St. Peter, I perfected modern health care by creating the HMO concept. I have saved insurance companies millions of dollars."
St. Peter tells him "Alright, you can come in ... but only for four days!"
I'll never understand railroad management. They cry that they are out of men from one side of their mouth, then from the other side, tell a crew that has tied up on the Hog Law that they are going to have to sit there out in the middle of nowhere on the train until a relief crew gets there. At times the wait can be three or four hours or more.
You'd think they'd have a van following any train after the 11th hour, just to pick up the crew and get them to a point where they could get rested. If they didn't do it to follow the Golden Rule's admonishment to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," you'd think they'd at least do it so they'd have rested crews.
Cy is a Locomotive Engineer in Fort Worth.
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