Cars Picked Up Without a Work Order Form

[Justinmiller171]

A few weeks ago I was at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum and while I was in the gift shop I picked up an Interesting Form used by Union Pacific Conductors
It was a Form for recording the activities and locations of moved without a work order. I Still don't understand it completely even though it came with instructions.

I think this would be an invaluable aid to layout owners who do not want to recheck to locations of rolling stock, before making a switch list, Because this records the location of all rolling stock that was moved without you knowing. For Example: if the switch list indicated that an industry was supposed to receive more freight cars than it can handle and some would need to be placed on a storage track, this would defeat most mix-ups that can occur in a switch list when that happens

I made a simpler version for use on a Model Railroad, I hope in comes in handy

[NJ Devils Fan]

Cars picked up, or set off "without a work order" occurs daily on railroads to this day. Let me explain:

As a conductor on train, let's say you arrive at "Industry A" to do your work. Let's say your work orders - or switch list - indicate you have 2 empties to pick up and 2 loads to place. But let's say you have 3 cars on that siding. Before you start your work, you talk with the employee at Industry A and he tells you that car #3 is now empty. This car was emptied after you departed the terminal so you have no "work order" that indicates it's status. What do you do now?

The correct way (in terms of dollars and cents) is to pull that car as well, and take it with you. The "penny pinchers" in accounting will appreciate the move because that empty car won't be sittng on that siding collecting demurrage fees. From what I understand, the customer is "allowed" so much time to unload (or load) a car before being charged by the railroad. Once a car is "released" back to the railroad, either loaded or empty, by the customer, the railroad pays for that car until interchanged back to another railroad. Assuming that car is owned by a different railroad.

Long story short, cars are always placed or pulled without "work orders". It's the railroads way of serving the customer faster and the conductor's way of getting the job done quicker. These "moves" need to be recorded on a form so that everyone knows where the cars are.

Hope that answers your question.

[Justinmiller171]

Thanks! Thats what I was thinking it meant, I assume it would also be used for cars that need repair or for bad orders.

[Ralph]

Thanks for the explanation Steve!
Ralph

[Puddlejumper]

There was a KCS boxcar sitting not far from here, on a spur off the NEC (Amtrak) for 5 years or so. The NS local switched that spur probably a hundred times since it was left there (It had been unloaded after it's last delivery and just forgotten about). I had wondered why the NS crews never pulled that car. I would have, and just done the paperwork when I got back to the yard office. A friend of mine that still works at CSX checked and it was not in the CSX or NS databases, but it was there on the spur rusting away. So he called the KCS and made them aware. A few weeks later it was inspected and pulled.

I wonder what the per diem charge was on THAT sucker!

[dave1905]

Thanks! Thats what I was thinking it meant, I assume it would also be used for cars that need repair or for bad orders.

Its not intended for bad orders. Its intended for work which was not given to the crew when they left the terminal with their paperwork.

If the car was on their work order when they left the terminal (to pick up or spot) and its bad ordered they make a not on the work order that the car is bad ordered.

The form in question is for all the moves that aren't on the work order, that the industries give the train crews when they get to the industry. If the industry wants a car moved from spot 2 to spot 5, that's a chargeable switch. That goes on the form.
anything that the industry tells the train to do with the cars that isn't on the work order is recorded and the industry is charged the appropriate switching charges.

[Brakie]

Thanks! Thats what I was thinking it meant, I assume it would also be used for cars that need repair or for bad orders.

Its not intended for bad orders. Its intended for work which was not given to the crew when they left the terminal with their paperwork.

If the car was on their work order when they left the terminal (to pick up or spot) and its bad ordered they make a not on the work order that the car is bad ordered.

The form in question is for all the moves that aren't on the work order, that the industries give the train crews when they get to the industry. If the industry wants a car moved from spot 2 to spot 5, that's a chargeable switch. That goes on the form.
anything that the industry tells the train to do with the cars that isn't on the work order is recorded and the industry is charged the appropriate switching charges.

That was under ideal conditions..Some times we would not pick up the empty if there was extra work involved because we was rush for time-remember more then likely you are tying up the main line and in the way and all the while the DS is screaming his fool head off that he has trains to run and we need to clear up..Some times we would recieve orders(by radio) not to pick up a empty car and just clear up at the next siding..I recall several times we would clear in a industry lead. :o