The deleted Trainorders thread re-copied here for posterity:

---

Western Railroad Discussion > Krebs

---

Date: 02/03/18 15:43
Krebs
Author: WAF

Read in Trains that Rob Krebs will talk about the dark days of the SP. Excerpts from his upcoming book? A sit down where he does "The Trump" and blames everyone for everything that happened and he comes out Mr Clean? Stay tuned. April Trains. His book comes out late March.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 16:14
Re: Krebs
Author: engine3420

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Read in Trains that Rob Krebs will talk about the
> dark days of the SP. Excerpts from his upcoming
> book? A sit down where he does "The Trump" and
> blames everyone for everything that happened and
> he comes out Mr Clean? Stay tuned. April Trains.
> His book comes out late March.

You mean Obama

Chris

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 16:36
Re: Krebs
Author: WAF

engine3420 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Read in Trains that Rob Krebs will talk about
> the
> > dark days of the SP. Excerpts from his upcoming
> > book? A sit down where he does "The Trump" and
> > blames everyone for everything that happened
> and
> > he comes out Mr Clean? Stay tuned. April
> Trains.
> > His book comes out late March.
>
> You mean Obama
>
> Chris

No.......... Trump

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 16:44
Re: Krebs
Author: RollinB

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Read in Trains that Rob Krebs will talk about the
> dark days of the SP. Excerpts from his upcoming
> book? A sit down where he does "The Trump" and
> blames everyone for everything that happened and
> he comes out Mr Clean? Stay tuned. April Trains.
> His book comes out late March.

Don’t look for it to be that kind of book. Self deprecating and factual. Honest and lots of helpful background and detail. Definitely not Trump.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 16:56
Re: Krebs
Author: WAF

LOL, okay Rollin. Ordering my copy

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]
Date: 02/03/18 17:44
Re: Krebs
Author: czephyr17

Already ordered mine - looking forward to it!

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]
Date: 02/03/18 18:06
Re: Krebs
Author: fbe

I wonder if he will have mention of trying to starve out MRL.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 18:26
Re: Krebs
Author: SanJoaquinEngr

I just checked Amazon. Cost of the book is $45. Hardback. Discounted to $ 39.17. The title is Riding the Rails..

Posted from Android

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]
Date: 02/03/18 18:31
Re: Krebs
Author: CarolVoss

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just checked Amazon. Cost of the book is $45.
> Hardback. Discounted to $ 39.17. The title is
> Riding the Rails..
>
> Posted from Android


Apparently not on Kindle — yet.
C

Carol Voss
Salinas, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/18 18:32 by CarolVoss.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 18:43
Re: Krebs
Author: bradleymckay

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Read in Trains that Rob Krebs will talk about the
> dark days of the SP. Excerpts from his upcoming
> book? A sit down where he does "The Trump" and
> blames everyone for everything that happened and
> he comes out Mr Clean? Stay tuned. April Trains.
> His book comes out late March.

Wes, it wasn't necessary to bring President Trump into the discussion...

With that said, Krebs gets mixed reviews from me so I'll be buying the book and see if it changes my impressions of him.



Allen

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 18:46
Re: Krebs
Author: WAF

bradleymckay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Read in Trains that Rob Krebs will talk about
> the
> > dark days of the SP. Excerpts from his upcoming
> > book? A sit down where he does "The Trump" and
> > blames everyone for everything that happened
> and
> > he comes out Mr Clean? Stay tuned. April
> Trains.
> > His book comes out late March.
>
> Wes, it wasn't necessary to bring President Trump
> into the discussion...
>
> With that said, Krebs gets mixed reviews from me
> so I'll be buying the book and see if it changes
> my impressions of him.
>
>
>
> Allen
Allen, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree..

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 19:08
Re: Krebs
Author: tomstp

You have to wonder if Krebs will talk of his hot temper chewing out of underlings he was noted for?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/18 19:09 by tomstp.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]
Date: 02/03/18 19:29
Re: Krebs
Author: Zephyr

Hmmmm...seems there is some air of negativity around some of you who had the distinct opportunity to work with Rob. From my humble perspective, based upon my own personal interaction with Krebs on the SPRR, I found him to be one driven by what he deemed best for the SPRR. If he thought you were not totally dedicated to making the best happen, you might experience the "angry" Krebs and subject to what I term "Lacy Intimidation", because there was no one who could intimidate better than Bill Lacy. On the other hand, if Rob thought or knew you were doing the best you could and you could show that with facts and figures, he often could be polite and mild mannered. Maybe it depended on which side of the bed he got up on that day, I don't know. Bottom line, I found that he drove the SPRR to better results when I was part of the organization. Maybe we should start a separate thread in Railroaders Nostalgia with our Krebs stories. There are many!

Pete Baumhefner

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 19:31
Re: Krebs
Author: WAF

Zephyr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hmmmm...seems there is some air of negativity
> around some of you who had the distinct
> opportunity to work with Rob. From my humble
> perspective, based upon my own personal
> interaction with Krebs on the SPRR, I found him to
> be one driven by what he deemed best for the SPRR.
> If he thought you were not totally dedicated to
> making the best happen, you might experience the
> "angry" Krebs and subject to what I term "Lacy
> Intimidation", because there was no one who could
> intimidate better than Bill Lacy. On the other
> hand, if Rob thought or knew you were doing the
> best you could and you could show that with facts
> and figures, he often could be polite and mild
> mannered. Maybe it depended on which side of the
> bed he got up on that day, I don't know. Bottom
> line, I found that he drove the SPRR to better
> results when I was part of the organization.
> Maybe we should start a separate thread in
> Railroaders Nostalgia with our Krebs stories.
> There are many!
>
> Pete Baumhefner

Good idea

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 19:59
Re: Krebs
Author: railstiesballast

At a time (1982?) when SP revenues from the traditional markets (produce, autos, forest products, iron ore) were rapidly declining and 40% of the main lines were slow-ordered he had to shake things up.
For the engineering department perspective he got behind a plan to consolidate almost all the capital budget into (wait for it!) rails, ties, and ballast. Really. Ed Wong, Gene Reilly, and some of the other clever engineering people put together a three year plan that would buy 300 miles of new rail and a huge number of ties and ballast and do it through three-year contracts. The tie producers and steel mills were about to flat-line due to the same pressures that affected the SP and the thought was that they would bid at prices that would just keep their plants open. It turned out that the costs for those procurements were quite favorable. He kept the bean counters from cutting any of that budget for three years.
If at the same time he had some less than amiable social traits, I don't care.
An unanticipated benefit from this program was that operating employees on the trains and out on the line (at least in Texas, where I was) saw that things were getting better and management was giving them some hope for the future; morale improved. Remember this is in the confusing days of Rock Island and Milwaukee liquidations and Conrail rescue of several railroads. The SP turned away from that fate.
I can't wait to read the book.
Mike McGinley

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Quote ]

---

Date: 02/03/18 20:40
Re: Krebs
Author: spnudge

Hearing that from RDB, I too will have to order the book. RDB was one person I worked under and I respected in my years with the SP.

I never really went one way or the other with Krebs until Lacy & his gang stopped us on the Coast one night. Krebs was with him. I knew how Lacy acted and presented himself. I was really surprised with Krebs. He was not nice. Period. He talked down to the crew along with Lacy. Didn't greet us with a handshake, just came into the cab like a bull in a china shop with the same attitude to boot. (I felt sorry for the officers that were with him and the crap they had to go through)

They both would hammer me, my fireman and head brakeman until they were flustered. ( I had dealt with Lacy once before below Wat. Jct. on one of his "Raider" stops.)

I just took an internal "Chill Pill" and slowed way down on my answers, etc. I was not going to lose my temper because of these two. I turned on all the lights and even opened the covers over the engine numbers so there would be plenty of light. I spread out paper towels on the control stand. I got out my rule book, special instructions, timetables, train orders and my watch card. I also laid my pocket watch there, protected by a towel from my grip. I stood up so I could talk to them eye to eye. Well, here comes the 20 questions. Every time either one would ask a question, I would look it up in the book and read them the answer, word for word. (Lacy loved to catch you in trying to do it from memory and screw it up) The fireman caught on and so did the head man. They asked, we answered, in a controlled situation where they calmed down a bit.

After a bit is when the fireman pointed to his watch, unseen by the raiders. That shook me loose and I started to think about my job as an engineer. I looked at my watch and I woke up, so to speak. Before we got the 2 guns and the tiny yellow flag, I figured we we would go to double track at West Santa Barbara for the "Medfly" a First Class passenger Train. Well the gang had eaten away anytime I had. I looked at my timetable and figured we couldn't even make Goleta, the next siding before DT. I waited and few more minutes then spoke. I said, "Mr. Krebs, do you have an automobile here?" (I could see no less than 4 white autos in my headlights.) The answer was, "What concern of that is it to you?". Well, I said in a slow voice, " Well sir, I need your car to take my head man to the west switch at Goleta, in order to flag a first class train. We are on his time and not going to be able to clear in time. Well, it hit the fan. Everyone fled the cab, my head man went off in a white car and the fireman and I started laughing. I called the "Medfly" and told him we had problems and would he please stay back of the switch at the west end of Goleta.

Pretty soon my head man called me and said I was lined in at Goleta and to pick him up at the switch. We got there and no sign of anyone. No, Lacy was a given, everyone knew his track record. That night Krebs showed me why the SP had problems, right from the man who I believe caused a lot of them.



Nudge

---