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Re: The UP vs. BNSF Management Style
Author: deal-with-both
Date: 02-02-2007 - 14:56
I'll conceal my ID because I have to deal with both on a regular basis. I also worked for one of them. I can say that NEITHER are a breeze to deal with, but can say without hesitation that the BNSF can make a decision sooner due to more regional authority while the UP has to run everything (no matter how small) through Omaha. BNSF's current problem is that there have been so many retirements lately that everybody is skiddish due to unfamiliarity with either territory or their level of authority. When they are running smoothly, they can be flexible in their decisions while the UP is rigid and by-the-book.
As either RR normally relates to the type of people on this forum, you have to remember that they are both in the business of moving freight from point A to point B--NOT dealing with how people are treated on excursions. "Management" has little or nothing to do with that. If a train got dumped in a siding for a scheduled freight, that's a Corridor Manager's decision.
Policies toward "railfans" comes through some function of Public Relations. Whether a railroad has a "Steam Program", allows excursions (at all), licenses logos, recruits a "Citizans for Rail Security" force (or "farce")--those are some function of upper Management policy. As we all know, policies can change with little or no notice. Your favorite today can be your least favorite tomorrow. Their focus is moving stuff as safely as possible without ending up on CNN, all the while following FRA and STB guidelines and investor (Wall Street) and shipper scrutiny. Whether they make "us" happy is not at all important. Both companies suffer from lower management level discontent. 99% of people from the labor side see Management as the modern day embodiment of all that is evil--because that's the way it's always been (with some exceptions).
As either RR normally relates to the type of people on this forum, you have to remember that they are both in the business of moving freight from point A to point B--NOT dealing with how people are treated on excursions. "Management" has little or nothing to do with that. If a train got dumped in a siding for a scheduled freight, that's a Corridor Manager's decision.
Policies toward "railfans" comes through some function of Public Relations. Whether a railroad has a "Steam Program", allows excursions (at all), licenses logos, recruits a "Citizans for Rail Security" force (or "farce")--those are some function of upper Management policy. As we all know, policies can change with little or no notice. Your favorite today can be your least favorite tomorrow. Their focus is moving stuff as safely as possible without ending up on CNN, all the while following FRA and STB guidelines and investor (Wall Street) and shipper scrutiny. Whether they make "us" happy is not at all important. Both companies suffer from lower management level discontent. 99% of people from the labor side see Management as the modern day embodiment of all that is evil--because that's the way it's always been (with some exceptions).
