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Denver TCA Main Speaker, UP"s ED Dickens

I ironlake2OGR Forum Member

Ed Dickens spoke to a large crowd on the up steam program for over an hour at the western tca show in Denver.  Very good show and the place to go if you live west of the Mississippi; He assured us he is still in charge of the program and the new guy is just a financial manager.  Everything in the steam program is worn out and has to be replaced before any engine work can be done and blaw blaw blaw he went on all to the discusting beliefs of the audience.  He had cheers and a standing ovation  and got the crowd thinking he walked on water by the end.  MAIN point he made in my estimation was no running steam this year.  They had to take the roof down as there was 3 feet of bird **** up there and was making the panels fall down.  It sounded as if the entire place needs to be torn down and built new. All new machines, a new 250 ton crane that is worn out need to be rebuilt or replaced.  Nothing is useable.  So, will us old farts get to see a up steamer run again, not in my opinion.  Thank heavens the 611 is coming on this summer according to reports.  If you believe all this then someone is telling us the former managers of the place let it go to hell.  We also have the mlw 261 all like new in a great equipted shop, The cnw 1385 is well on its way to a new steam engine, 611 ready to go this summer, A Duluth and northeastern steamer getting reflued in Duluth so steam is still healthy on other roads' Southern rr has two new rebuilt steamers running, so we will only be missing the UP program.  Forgot 4449, 765 and many other smaller engines running or getting rebuilt.  Someone make a list of all the steamers running or being rebuilt now so we can see steam is alive and well in the US.  We have just lost 844 and 3985 as 4014 hasn't run since the 50s so it is still dead in its tracks.

Hot Water can you back this up as any of it being true or is he just making excuses for no forward progress since he took over.

Hopefully there is nothing in here that offends anybody as I wrote it exactly as it took place and only editorialized the not in my lifetime part.

Last edited by ironlake2
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Keystoned EdKeystoned EdOGR Forum Member

Ironlake2 - suggest you add something about UP steam program in your title - it will generate more views on the forum.  It is sad to continue to read about a once great steam program in decline - thanks for posting. 

 

Ed Rappe

 

I'd like to see the creative advertising folks at Norfolk Southern create a TV ad featuring 611 - a sire for contemporary Thoroughbreds of Transportation. Just might give UP management stimulus to question what's going on in their heritage steam program. 

HW Hot WaterOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by ironlake2:

Ed Dickens spoke to a large crowd on the up steam program for over an hour at the western tca show in Denver.  Very good show and the place to go if you live west of the Mississippi; He assured us he is still in charge of the program and the new guy is just a financial manager.  Everything in the steam program is worn out and has to be replaced before any engine work can be done and blaw blaw blaw he went on all to the discusting beliefs of the audience.  He had cheers and a standing ovation  and got the crowd thinking he walked on water by the end.  MAIN point he made in my estimation was no running steam this year.  They had to take the roof down as there was 3 feet of bird **** up there and was making the panels fall down.  It sounded as if the entire place needs to be torn down and built new. All new machines, a new 250 ton crane that is worn out need to be rebuilt or replaced.

 

The steam shop hasn't had a 250 ton overhead crane for more than 25 years, as the UP ran it off the end of the overhead rails onto the ground, and sent it for scrap. He also complained about the drop-table needing to be rebuilt, except it was new when installed in the mid to late 1980s. His own crew members didn't know to turn on the drop pit drain pumps, so the pit eventually filled up with water and destroyed the big electric motors that power the drop table.

 

e  Nothing is useable. 

 

So he says.

 

So, will us old farts get to see a up steamer run again, not in my opinion.  Thank heavens the 611 is coming on this summer according to reports.  If you believe all this then someone is telling us the former managers of the place let it go to hell.  We also have the mlw 261 all like new in a great equipted shop, The cnw 1385 is well on its way to a new steam engine, 611 ready to go this summer, A Duluth and northeastern steamer getting reflued in Duluth so steam is still healthy on other roads' Southern rr has two new rebuilt steamers running, so we will only be missing the UP program.  Forgot 4449, 765 and many other smaller engines running or getting rebuilt.  Someone make a list of all the steamers running or being rebuilt now so we can see steam is alive and well in the us and we have just lost 844 and 3985 as 4014 hasn't run since the 50s so it is still dead in its tracks.

Hot Water can you back this up as any of it being true or is he just making excuses for no forward progress since he took over.

 

Correct. He is all about obfuscation and lies about the previous crew. In fact, there was more than one video made of his "speech", plus a one-on-one question and answer session with the man from a very large YouTube site.following. Naturally, he refused to answer directly some technical questions that were asked, on camera.

 

Hopefully there is nothing in here that offends anybody as I wrote it exactly as it took place and only editorialized the not in my lifetime part.

 

Tranz4mrTranz4mrOGR Forum Member
Ironlake
Thanks for coming to the Rocky Mountain Train Show at the Denver Mart. Ed spoke to about 100 people for about an hour and 15 minutes followed by about 20 minutes of questions from the seated crowd. He had Bob Kreiger (retired up steam shop employee) answer one question on oil versus coal firing.   After that he took at least 2 hours of individual questions one on one up front. The first half hour was similar to last year about moving 4014 to Cheyenne.  After that he talked about shop upgrades, repairs to the drop table, current work on 844, 4014 and the status of 3985. I did get to talk to him privately before the show while setting up the room. He was hoping to get 844 running late this year. One of our TCA members got it all on video but it might take a while. I skipped recording the beginning but did get the newer part of the presentation on tape. Eventually I'll get it up on YouTube.
electrolinerelectrolinerOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by Hot Water:
Originally Posted by electroliner:

I get the sense that this soap opera doesn't have an expiration date. 

Not until after the first court date in July, anyway.

It won't end there as human nature is much more reliable than project completion dates. I see that the earlier more confident pronouncement of steam up and running by this summer has been pushed back to a maybe by Fall, and so this episodic and predictable melodrama has plenty of back pressure to push it down the road.....The court date episode once it's aired..will just be another plot twist. And so it goes...

 

jmiller320jmiller320OGR Forum Member

"The steam shop hasn't had a 250 ton overhead crane for more than 25 years, as the UP ran it off the end of the overhead rails onto the ground, and sent it for scrap. He also complained about the drop-table needing to be rebuilt, except it was new when installed in the mid to late 1980s. His own crew members didn't know to turn on the drop pit drain pumps, so the pit eventually filled up with water and destroyed the big electric motors that power the drop table."

 

Sounds like some of the old crew you continue to praise were also a part of the problem.  You old crew mates that keep you informed should have stepped up and prevented the flooding.  It seems they have plenty of mouth when it comes to bashing Ed.  Same with the overhead crane. Destroyed long before Ed Dickens came to Cheyenne.

HW Hot WaterOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by jmiller320:
Originally Posted by superwarp1:

Does sound like Trains mag is in love with the guy.

Maybe they don't have an axe to grind like a bunch of former disgruntled employees that have to use this forum to vent their hate.

OK, you're right. Of course it doesn't matter that no steam locomotive has operated on the UP since July 2013, does it?

I ironlake2OGR Forum Member

Obfuscation, a word Hot Water used in his 1st comment means" obscuring the original facts by word switching and in my terms "talking in circles to confuse the listener"  Wikepedia goes on to say to mix up the facts so you do not know what was really said.

Good word Hot Water and improved my vocabulary by a new word.

The root word is obscure.

Last edited by ironlake2
I ironlake2OGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by electroliner:
Originally Posted by ecd15:

"vent their hate" or state the facts?

I am as tired of the disgruntled types as I am with UP. When wheels start rolling on something, Ill tune back in. Its a pedantic bunch of blah, blah, blah from both sides. 

If you work for the up, what is the general feeling about the current  state of the steam program from the employees.

HW Hot WaterOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by ironlake2:
Originally Posted by electroliner:
Originally Posted by ecd15:

"vent their hate" or state the facts?

I am as tired of the disgruntled types as I am with UP. When wheels start rolling on something, Ill tune back in. Its a pedantic bunch of blah, blah, blah from both sides. 

If you work for the up, what is the general feeling about the current  state of the steam program from the employees.

Where did you get the idea that electroliner "works for the UP"?

RickORickOOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by electroliner:
Originally Posted by ecd15:

"vent their hate" or state the facts?

I am as tired of the disgruntled types as I am with UP. When wheels start rolling on something, Ill tune back in. Its a pedantic bunch of blah, blah, blah from both sides. 

This whole disgruntled thing cracks me up EMD is/was Hot Waters "bread and butter" anyway.

 

I've said it a dozen times, but I appreciate his (and others) who know some real knowledge about these things and posting it here. Its the only time when there isn't some happy go lucky, rumor ,nonsense, because it "feels good" information..... "we're waiting to see the big choo choo run again,don't hurt our feelings" type stuff.

 

I guess its similar to the "everybody gets a trophy mentality" put it kids heads these days.

 

BTW......what about the reamers????

Last edited by RickO
HW Hot WaterOGR Forum Member
Originally Posted by RickO:
Originally Posted by Hot Water:
Originally Posted by RickO:

BTW......what about the reamers????

 

OK, what "reamers" are you referring to?

All of those reamers and various other tools Ed was explaining on that video was posted a week or two ago..........facinating.........

Oh, well I don't watch any videos of him anymore, since he rarely tell the truth about anything. The video I'm really looking forward to, is the one where the guy from that model railroad YouTube site interviews the current manager directly after his presentation in Denver. The interviewer asks specific questions, which according to some witnesses, the current manager totally beats around the bush and sounds exactly like a government politician, without actually answering anything or providing incorrect facts.

 

I understand that this "interview" video will be posted on his Youtube site next month. Can't wait to see that one.

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