Teamwork Displayed During 'STORM OF THE CENTURY’ in New York

A winter storm that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called a “storm of the century” blanketed western New York toward the end of 2022, and Buffalo took the brunt of it.

During four days of the storm as well as the days that followed, the teams at South Buffalo Railway (SB) and Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad (BPRR) remained calm, worked safely and watched out for one another.

“BPRR and SB teams are accustomed to dealing with significant snow,” says Dan Pavick, vice president of G&W’s Great Lakes division, which includes BPRR and SB. “However, the Christmas snowstorm was particularly challenging because it came with frigid temperatures, high winds and four feet of snow. In some areas, there were 12-foot snowdrifts.”

In New York

Pavick says that the teams successfully mitigated the storm by planning for it and emphasizing safety in all briefings. Second, they worked as a team – with nobody going out on the tracks alone. Third, they reinforced empowerment to stop work if necessary. Fourth, they recognized their limits and asked for assistance or additional resources (for example, a bulldozer was rented).

“This is a proud team,” he says. “Their safe and efficient approach to managing a storm of the century is awesome.”

General Manager Jarrod Hutcheson noted that many came in during vacation to assist with snow removal. “It’s a testament to their team spirit,” he says. “In addition, members of the leadership team shoveled snow and helped move crews around.”

Hutcheson further noted that SB has six employees total and were able to get the operation up and running as fast, if not faster, than Class I railroads with a larger pool of resources. While operations halted due to the storm, service was restored within four days.

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Crews Overcome Effects Of Persistent Flooding On Cfnr

Heavy, persistent rain plagued California Northern Railroad (CFNR) throughout January, causing operational issues on the Tracy and West Valley subdivisions.

“We seemed to have one washout after another with a lot of our culverts plugging up,” says CFNR General Manager Scott Boyter.

While some customers experienced service delays, Boyter says, “Our crews worked safely, efficiently and diligently to mitigate the damage and repair the affected areas.

I’m proud of our team for pulling together during this unprecedented weather event.”

Floodwaters undermine a CFNR bridge in January.

DESPITE BRUTAL WINTER, CSCD CHISELS OUT FIFTH CONSECUTIVE ZERO AND ZERO

Cascade and Columbia River Railroad (CSCD) employees battled one of the toughest winters in recent memory for the North Cascades mountain range and emerged with a prize: their fifth consecutive year achieving zero reportable injuries and zero human factor incidents (HFIs).

Trainmaster Craig McCoy has vivid memories of the grueling test he and his Omak, Washington-based team faced. “We went from basically summer to winter overnight,” he says. “We had our first snowfall, about 16 inches, on November 1. Typically, that’s about as much snow as we get in a year here. To make matters worse, we had two more snowfalls within that same week.”

Plummeting temperatures with wind chills that measured 30 degrees below zero followed.

“We had to use a pickaxe on the ice at all the crossings,” says McCoy, who notes that the area also experienced two rockslides and two mudslides. “It became a lot to deal with.”

Through it all, CSCD maintained communication with its customers and ran off-plan operations to expedite freight as employees worked to reopen the main line. They did so without incurring a reportable injury or HFI.

Rcpe Outfights Prolonged Blizzard To Restore Service

Mother Nature delivered a one-two punch in December 2022, as it hit western South Dakota with sleet, heavy snow and up to 60 mph winds in some locations. About 55 miles east of Rapid City in Wall, South Dakota, there were reports of 22 inches of snow.

The combination disrupted operations at Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCPE), but its employees weren’t the only ones stuck at home.

“Most of our customers were also affected,” says Assistant General Manager Michael Kellar. “They had to shut their operations down as they couldn’t get their employees back into work for days.”

When highways were deemed safe, RCPE employees set out using a wedge plow, which had sat idle for two decades, to open about 85 miles of main line from Rapid City to Philip, South Dakota. However, another three-day blizzard struck the area, stranding a train near Wall and disabling the wedge plow as well as the locomotives pulling it.

A team of heavy equipment operators were recruited to clear the snow and free the rolling stock. After a multiday effort, the wedge plow and its locomotives resumed their journey east toward Philip. A 20-foot drift, however, formed in its way, requiring another 24 hours to dig it out.

Eventually, RCPE employees’ perseverance prevailed, with normal traffic and customer service restored by December 27. The entire response to the two-week ordeal was carried out without reportable injury or human factor incident.

The line of road near Wall, South Dakota, received a reported 22 inches of snow the week of December 12, 2022.

Toys for Tots campaign.

Middle: Huron and Eastern Railway (HESR) held its event on December 11 at Crooked Creek Golf and Banquet in Saginaw, Michigan.

Bottom:Grand Rapids Eastern Railroad (GR), Michigan Shore Railroad (MS), Marquette Rail (MQT) and Mid-Michigan Railroad (MMRR) held their party on December 3 at Kat’s Alley and Tomahawk Lanes in Ravenna, Michigan.

Holiday Parties Help Spread Cheer And Goodwill

Five G&W railroads in Michigan had holiday parties in December. Grand Rapids Eastern Railroad (GR), Michigan Shore Railroad (MS), Marquette Rail (MQT) and Mid-Michigan Railroad (MMRR) held theirs on December 3 at Kat’s Alley and Tomahawk Lanes in Ravenna, Michigan.

Huron and Eastern Railway (HESR) held its event on December 11 at Crooked Creek Golf and Banquet in Saginaw, Michigan.

Activities between the two parties included bowling, pool, darts, hatchet throwing, video games and watching the Detroit Lions. A catered dinner was provided. Santa made an appearance at both parties and brought gifts for employees’ children. Those gifts included board games, Nerf air guns and age-themed items for younger children.

A drawing for items such as air turkey fryers and Craftsman tool sets was conducted for the adults.

Derick Mann, general manager of HESR, GR, MQT, MMRR, MS and Tomahawk Railway (TR), says that team members were invited to bring donations of canned food or dried food items to be distributed to local food pantries. Between the two parties, 575 pounds were collected.

In addition to toys being provided to Santa to distribute, toys were donated to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign.

“It was our first real family day since COVID,” says Mann. “It was a great bonding experience. One of the nice things was getting together to share our life experiences beyond the railroad.”

Mann gives credit to Daniel Crow, assistant general manager of GR, MS, MQT and MMRR, as well as HESR Assistant General Manager John Chesny and HESR Roadmaster Chad Heinz, for spearheading this effort.

“They were my party planners,” says Mann. “They handled the coordination and logistics, designed the invitations, ensured an accurate head count and conducted the safety briefings to begin each event. I really couldn’t do it without them. Everyone had fun, was entertained and had a good time.”