01-25-2009, 09:42 AM
I'm not sure but in my experience with working on refrigeration equipment on the U.P. railroad at least, I don't think a person could get through to the dispatcher to let them know about something like that. Every time I got called out to work on a refrigerated rail car on the U.P., I would get a personal cell phone number for the dispatcher on duty that day, if I was lucky. A couple of times I was called out and tried to get through to the dispatcher and a different one was on than I had dealt with before, and I couldn't get hold of anyone. I just set up my blue flags and tried to get the work done before anyone came by to work the siding the car was on. In one instance, I went to work on a car, called the dispatcher, and was told I had it clear to work on the car for five hours. Apparently that dispatcher then went off duty because 1 hour later, a train crew showed up to pull the cut with the car I was working on and wanted to know who set up blue flags on the siding they were sent out to work!