Hump Yards make a come back

Does this turn of events predict the potential demise of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR)?

@mark s posted:

Does this turn of events predict the potential demise of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR)?

I wouldn’t count on it. Class 1 CEO’s have spent way too much time selling Wall Street on the theoretical benefits of psr to suddenly reverse course and say hump yards are now the answer to continued profitability and increasing shareholder value.

I believe the only thing that will move psr into the dustbin of history is increased regulatory oversight of the railroads. We’re getting to that point but, we aren’t there quite yet.

Curt

Charlie,

   Thanks for posting this. The WSJ did a decent job on this article, in my opinion.  It makes one ponder...If hump yards are returning can steam locomotives be far behind?

Tom

@PRR8976 posted:

Charlie,

   Thanks for posting this. The WSJ did a decent job on this article, in my opinion.  It makes one ponder...If hump yards are returning can steam locomotives be far behind?

Tom

Just read up on PSR on UP page.  Very fuzzy explanation and without computer scheduling not probable.   If everything is perfect, cars tagged, trackers working, it works. 

Sounds a lot like "lean manufacturing".   Chrysler and Iococca found out in the early days of lean manufacturing that too lean is a problem. .  They had to backup to almost lean, extra inventory in key places.    Maybe that is what the hump yards are. 

According to the WSJ article, the hump yards are speeding up freight movement.  This is contrary to PSR theory that such "anachronisms" as hump yards impeded freight train pass-through.

Re-activating hump yards will NOT solve the current crew shortages, and mandates on train speeds.

@Hot Water posted:

Re-activating hump yards will NOT solve the current crew shortages, and mandates on train speeds.

Or the price of diesel fuel. Or ......    More to do to achieve ideal operation, of course, but I suppose every bit helps.

Anyone who thought that eliminating hump yards and going back to flat switching was a step “forward” had their eyes in backwards. This does not surprise me a bit.

Several years ago when PSR came on the scene, I read a 23-page white paper about it. The word “stockholder” appeared within the paper dozens of times. The word “customer” did not appear even once. That tells you everything you need to know about PSR, Pretty Sad Railroading.

I have to agree with Rich on this. Seems no matter what company it is anymore all you ever hear about is the Stockholders. Nothing about customers or the workers that made these companies what they are.