PAL in kentucky, 25 years and counting

Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR · August 29, 2011, 10:18:10 PM

We are celebrating our 25th year at the PAL, a quarter century since we bid farewell to the "mainline of mid-america" here in most of kentucky. I've been here half of that myself (12.5 years), and I've learned a thing or two. I remember being a young brakeman and hating this place and the old IC guys because of how they were treated (so it seemed), many a day I pondered just throwing my radio down on the table and walking out, until an old trainmaster explained that he was only sure of three things: the sun was gonna rise and set and this railroad was gonna run tomorrow (and even in my youth I had enough sense to know that meant with or without me). For better or worse this place has stayed when nearly all the other IC spinoffs have been bought out, we have our weekly rumors of who's buying us this month, bnsf, up, cn, ns...etc etc..but it at least hasn't happened so far. Seems like our business stays up, the morale stays down, but the paychecks keep showing up in the mail so I keep answering the phone. I know some of you are IC fans and fans of ours so I thought this might be of interest to a few guys on here. I will say I've always liked our IC heritage which is obvious in our logo, and think as far as regionals go we're fairly interesting to observe, I've seen several of you out here before and hope to see a few more. Any time you guys need some heads up on our line just inbox me. I think after 25 years we've solidified our place in kentucky railroad history win or lose.

lwjabo · August 29, 2011, 10:45:30 PM

Adam as a old and now retired Conductor on Southern most who work on the rails think they get the short end of the stick. It just part of the load we haul. I saw a lot and did a lot. What I can say now is I enjoyed some of it and now the best part I'm retired and can look back on it. You be careful. Want be long and you can retire also. The last few years went by fast.

Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR · August 29, 2011, 11:21:50 PM

I've still got several years myself, I'm almost halfway, but the longer I stay youre right it definitely goes by faster.

Ed Fury · August 30, 2011, 01:12:59 AM

Every time I have been over to watch the PAL the employees have been friendly. I would like to catch a road train one day instead of just watching them build the train in the yard. I saw some of the summer rail photos when the train was in front of that cement plant way out dixie highway and thought that was just about a near perfect RR scene.

csx6900 · August 30, 2011, 09:38:06 AM

Quote from: adam w. on August 29, 2011, 10:18:10 PM
I've seen several of you out here before and hope to see a few more. Any time you guys need some heads up on our line just inbox me. I think after 25 years we've solidified our place in kentucky railroad history win or lose.

Hi Adam-

Congrats to you on 12.5 years and congrats to PAL on 25! All I can say is think about it this way: You could go sit in an office in a tiny cubicle in a tiny chair staring at a computer screen all day. Enjoy railroading! I'm working on getting my foot in the door at G&O right now by working their Three Rivers Rambler train out of Knoxville. I've been told that it's a good way to get a paying job with them.

On a side note, does PAL happen to be a coal-hauling railroad?

-Thanks,
Evan

Full Service · August 30, 2011, 09:47:44 AM

Mr. Wells, Congrats on you and your companies longevity

The way things are right now on most class 1's (and even a few smaller operations), if you have been there 8 or 10 years and have worked more or less steady without being furloughed, suspended or fired, count yourself lucky.

In today's economy and the "safety culture" of the carriers, I would not recommend a RR job to anyone. They hire in mass, just to have enough folks left working when they go head hunting. Its a great job IF you have enough time in to not have to worry about such things, but you will be dam lucky if you ever make it that far.

You want a RR job, go for it..just make sure the phone number for "plan B' in your pocket, as sooner or later, you WILL need it.

Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR · August 30, 2011, 12:18:13 PM

Evan, yes we haul a lot of coal, I'm actually on a coal train myself, we have one that runs six days a week to lge millcreek, and mine runs three to for days a week to cane run. Full service, yeah I dont recommend this place to anyone I care about, we take spells where it's ok for awhile and then we'll get a new sheriff in town and the firing spree is on. They do however make sure you work here thats really not been a problem for awhile, I got furloughed two or three times when I first started. Evan, I've heard good things about the G&O, I've emailed them a few times myself and they seemed very friendly, if you get that job you'll have a pair of mine and Emmetts old buddies to take care of, the CTC 4 and the 1007. We grew up around those two here in lawrenceburg, I'm def gonna make a trip to see them soon, maybe we'll get lucky and you'll be on the payroll by then and you can get paid to show me around the place.