AALLLL AABOARDBOARD SECOND QUARTER 2010 NEWSLETTER FOR ALASKA RAILROAD EMPLOYEES CROSSINGS: NEWS YOU CAN USE INSIDE... VELOCITY PT 2: MECHANICAL CONTRIBUTION MILEPOSTS: SPOTLIGHT 0033 AWARDS CROSSINGS: CHARITABLE 0066 GIVING STATUS CROSSINGS: RETIREMENT 0077 TRUST FUNDS CROSSINGS: HERBICIDE PERMIT 0088 APPEALED SIDINGS: MECHANICAL 0099 SUCCESS STORIES HEAVY EQUIPMENT MECHANICS MO ANSELM, LEFT, AND BILL GRIFFITH EVALUATE A BALLAST REGULATOR IN THE SHOP. SIDINGS: (PHOTO BY STEPHENIE WHEELER) IAM ELECTRICAL CROSS-TRAINING Th e 1st Quarter 2010 issue of All Aboard says Dennis Bouwens, Manager, Hostlers & Motive 1100 introduced terminal-to-terminal train velocity as a Power. “We want our mechanics to be working as CROSSINGS: measure of company performance. As the second evenly as possible throughout the day.” NEW NON-REP in a series, this article takes a closer look at sev- Plans for the next 24 to 48 hours begin daily APPRAISAL STATUS eral velocity factors that relate to the Mechanical with a 10:00 a.m. meeting between Diesel Shop, 1111 Department (Diesel, Car and Heavy Equipment Chief Train Dispatcher and Anchorage, Fairbanks SIDINGS: shops). It includes perspectives from railroaders and Whittier terminal representatives who discuss BIKE-TO-WORK responsible for powering and prepping the train for train demand in terms of tonnage, cars and locomo- SURVEY RESULTS a safe, on-time departure, and for equipping track tives. During a typical summer day, as many as 16 1122 maintenance and freight-handling crews. or more locomotives may be serviced at the shops. SIGNALS: Daily northbound and southbound freight trains B&B6, SAFETY Power Delivery: Diesel Shop require one SD70MAC for every 2,000 to 3,000 BRIDGE REPAIR Diesel Shops in Anchorage and Fairbanks are tons of cargo. Th e long heavy coal trains may use 1144 tasked with delivering the right number of locomo- “distributed” power with three locomotives posi- CROSSINGS: tives to the right location at the right time. Th ey tioned at the front, and three at the end of the train. NORTHERN RAIL aim to deliver two hours before the train crew re- Two or more daily gravel trains are each pulled EXTENSION NEWS ports for duty (known as “call time”) at least 85% of by two SD70MACs. Plus, several general purpose 1155 the time. Mechanical has been exceeding that goal (GP) locomotives are needed to accommodate yard CROSSINGS: regularly with on-time delivery of 92% or better. switching and to move work trains up and down 2011 ART PRINT ARTIST SELECTED Advance planning is essential to that end. “We the line. 1166 want to avoid the spikes in diesel shop activity,” (See “Velocity Part 2” on page 4) MILEPOSTS ALL ABOARD SERVICE AWARDS: APRIL, MAY, JUNE 2010 1 Year 10 Years Scott Austin . Mechanical Richard Dahlgren . .Maintenance of Way 2ND QTR 2010 2 Chad Breeden . Transportation William Horsey IV . Transportation James Chambless III . Transportation William McCormick. Transportation Andre Dionne . Passenger Operations William Notti . Transportation Danielle Fegley . .Human Resources Arlene Rhoades . Train Dispatcher Ronald Rifredi. Mechanical Robert Smith III . Transportation Jeonghee Scholtisek. Transportation Gerald Vanthomme. Information Services Larry Sean Walker . Passenger Operations Crystal Wilson . Maintenance of Way 5 Years 15 Years Monty Bloom . Transportation David Haag. Transportation Katie Breci. Police & Security Christine Turner . .Accounting Gregory Goemer . Supply Management Timothy Malley . Signal 20 Years Terry Martin . Mechanical Dan Frerich. Police & Security Kelly Samuelson . .Maintenance of Way Wanda Robinson. Transportation Gerald Schmitz IIII . Mechanical 25 Years John Simmons Jr. Passenger Operations James Steele #1 . .Mechanical George Huling . Transportation Timothy Sullivan. Maintenance of Way John Puckett . Maintenance of Way 30 Years John Gaule . .Maintenance of Way MILEPOSTS HOME FRONT: RETIREMENTS AND BIRTHS Retirements North End Ditcher Foreman Cliff ord Howard retired from the Maintenance of Way Department after 32 years. Conductor/Brakeman W. Frank Armstrong retired from the Transportation Department after 35 years. Facilities Maintenance Mechanic Samuel Kelley retired from the Real Estate & Facilities Department after 32 years. Conductor/Brakeman/Fireman/Engineer Edward Alford retired from the Transportation Department after 20 years. Births Conductor/Brakeman/Fireman/Engineer Robert Hinterleitner and wife Phi Diep welcomed daughter Ava Blue, born March 11. Conductor/Brakeman Keith Webster and wife Lily welcomed son Noah Bi De, born April 7. Superintendent, Maintenance Lloyd Tesch and Budget Analyst, Operations Jennifer Tesch welcomed son Laramie Alexander, born May 6. MILEPOSTS ALL ABOARD SPOTLIGHT AWARDS: MARCH - JUNE Car Supervisor Joshua Cappel, Carman Steve the railroad will realize a boost in productivity and Stacey and Equipment Maintenance Specialist potential cost savings by avoiding the purchase of at Grant Ojaniemi took steps to ease a bottleneck in least some additional lift cylinder spares. 2ND QTR3 2010 the repair of the railroad’s air dump railcars. As a Fairbanks carman at the time, Cappel and Stacey Conductor/Brakeman Leon Butler prevented a recognized the extra time required to repair an air much more expensive and disruptive problem from dump lift cylinder when the required right-side or developing on May 17, 2010, when he was work- left-side spare was not available. Th ey suggested the ing as a brakeman on a QAP gravel train. Butler’s lift cylinders be modifi ed to be universal so that sharp eye noticed the spring carrier on Locomotive more spares are available to fi t either side. Cappel 4010 was misaligned and he immediately notifi ed and Stacey sought Ojaniemi’s expertise with design the right people to stop using the locomotive. By ideas. Ojaniemi also devised a tool to assist with the catching this issue early, Butler helped to keep repair welding needed to modify the cylinders. Stacey per- costs to a minimum. Locomotive mechanics were fected the 90-minute adaptation and single-hand- able to fi x the problem before the condition could edly modifi ed the fi rst half dozen or so cylinders worsen. A cracked or broken spring carrier would during 2009. He also instructed peers to continue cost thousands of dollars to fi x, not only increasing this eff ort now and in the years to come. Th anks to maintenance costs, but also putting a locomotive this innovation, air dumps will now spend less time out of commission during a time of peak use, when in the shop and more time on the line. Ultimately, we can least aff ord lengthy repairs. MILEPOSTS NEW HIRES: APRIL, MAY, JUNE 2010 Linda Anderson. Accounting Jeff ery Lydon. Transportation Benjamin Battles . Transportation Christopher Matter . Passenger Operations Jonah Bellamy . Maintenance of Way Robert Meade . Passenger Operations Dawn Boyer . Transportation Ronald Logan Moore . Maintenance of Way Shawn Bruns. Maintenance of Way Harry Newell III . Signal Michael Busby. Transportation David Newman. Transportation Preston Cliburn. Transportation Keith Nichols . .Maintenance of Way Gale Dinsmore III. Transportation Duane Phillips. Maintenance of Way Tyler Dwyer . Facilities Melanie Reed . Passenger Operations Charles Ehlenfeldt. Transportation Kevin Reilly. Maintenance of Way Karlie Ennes . Passenger Operations Joseph Reinhardt. Maintenance of Way Charles Estes . Maintenance of Way Samuel Reynolds. Passenger Operations Bryan Fletcher. Mechanical Dustin Rider . Transportation John Gage . Maintenance of Way Jeremiah Rider . Transportation Christopher Gaubatz. Maintenance of Way Steven Rosevear. Maintenance of Way Markita Gibbons. Passenger Services Joel Rousculp . Maintenance of Way Josue Guzman. Transportation Terry Seats . Transportation Ace Hanke . Transportation Gregory Seymour . .Maintenance of Way Sean Hannaman . Transportation Ryan Stahl. Transportation Nicholas Harma . Transportation Matt Stout. Transportation Kari Haschke. Transportation Chad Michael Tacia. Transportation Dirk Hosler. Passenger Operations Douglas Tacia . .Maintenance of Way Stanley Humphreys . Transportation Spencer Th ompson . Transportation Jeff rey King . Transportation Matthew Waychoff . .Maintenance of Way Michael Kocher. Passenger Operations John Wiese . .Maintenance of Way Katelyn Lessard . Passenger Services Vincent Wojtusik . Maintenance of Way ALL ABOARD VELOCITY PT 2: MECHANICAL CONTRIBUTION (continued from page 1) age yardmaster for the day’s schedule. Assuming Passenger train locomotive requirements are cal- the regular daily freight train is being built, Worley culated by the number of coaches and whether the will head over to the Trailer-on-Flatcar/Container- 2ND QTR 2010 coaches need electricity. If an SD70MAC equipped on-Flatcar (TOFC/COFC) loading/unloading area 4 with head-end power (HEP) must provide elec- on Whitney Road. Here, a switching engine pulls a tricity to the train, only about half of its power is block of 10-15 cars onto one of the TOFC tracks, Velocity Part 2: available to pull. For example, a southbound Coastal where Worley will inspect each car. Th e air brake Classic with 11 cars would need one SD70MAC. test is typically a one-carman job. If a car does not Th e Glacier Discovery service is usually accomplished pass the air test initially, carmen can try again twice by the self-propelled Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU). more before a “bad order” is determined and the car But if the DMU is unavailable, two locomotives are is removed from the block. Bad orders occur when a required to provide a fl exible push-pull