Treacherous Railroad Monopolies: All Deaths and Derailments Lead to U.S. Presidents and Congress

“When monopolies succeed, the people fail;…when a legislature is bribed, the people are cheated.” – H. D. Lloyd

Sen. Thomas R. Carper said to CEO of Norfolk Southern (NS), “It’s a trend that is troubling to me.” Carper, what is troubling is seeing YOUR NAME, “Tom Carper, First State PAC $5,000” on

“NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORPORATION GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES AND POLITICAL COMMITTEES JANUARY 1 ‐ JUNE 30, 2022”

Tom, may wish to do as I advised Friedberg, the SOB who sold out to MONSANTO, take your campaign $ and run.

Citizens of East Palestine, follow the $ starting with Ohio: Troy Balderson, Shontel Brown, Bob Latta, Dave Joyce…

Norfolk Southern “legislators who receive our financial support”? Here’s a partial list of CONTRIBUTIONS TO CANDIDATES AND POLITICAL COMMITTEES from 2022.

Hundreds of politicians getting paid are from several States but a shit load from Illinois!

SC Murrell Smith$1,000, US Republican Governors Association$10,000, DE Bethany Hall‐Long$400  Lt. Governor DE Bud Freel $250, DE Debra Heffernan$250, Delaware Democratic Party$750, DE Delaware Republican State Cmte$750…GA Brian Kemp $7,600, Governor GA Brian Prince $500, GA John F. Kennedy$750… GA Will Wade$500, US Republican Governors Association$5,000… IN Travis Holdman$1,000, IL Aaron Ortiz$500,IL Amy Elik$500, IL Bill Cunningham$1,000, IL Celina Villanueva$500, IL Christopher Belt$500, IL Cristina Castro$250… IL Cristina Pacione‐Zayas$250, IL Dan Caulkins$250…………………..

CSX don’t be jealous. I didn’t forget you. CSX POLITICAL AND TRADE ASSOCIATION EXPENDITURES AS OF JUNE 30, 2022, STATE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS.

Here’s more CSX Contributions starting with Payee:  Stephanie Murphy for Congress… Friends of Mark Warner… Ben Sasse for US Senate Inc… Tim Ryan for Congress… Alaskans for Dan Sullivan… Texans for Senator John Cornyn Inc… JOBS FREEDOM AND SECURITY PAC, Honoree, Ted Cruz…Nadler for Congress… Pete Aguilar for Congress… Norma Torres for Congress… Kevin McCarthy for Congress… Tim Scott For US Senate… Impact, Honoree, Charles Schumer…McConnell Senate Committee… Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Congress……….

Congress’ Motto: “We serve others best while at the same time we serve ourselves.”

Self-righteous bastards and wenches. In the times of the Commodore, your heads would be served to the People.

Will the People discover too late that the failures and political corruption that led to 9/11 can also bring about “Speeding Time Bombs → “Runaway” and “Unstoppable” Trains”

Strike: Railroad Workers’ Principle Economic Weapon (PEW)

“Gentleman and ladies: It is time to use the authority that is yours. The time for studies (as in the last spending bill) has passed. I ask you to take charge of this situation. If extreme greed is like an addiction, it is time for an intervention. If the SEC should have stopped Madoff; the STB and the FRA should stop Precision Scheduled Railroading, PSR.” – Matthew DeLay, Class I Locomotive Engineer Ames, Iowa

On June 25, 1992, facing a recession the country also faced a National Railroad Lockout.

Ted Kennedy (D) Massachusetts: “After four years of negotiations and mediation, after four years without a pay raise… let us be clear, this is…a national railroad lockout…Their attitude is, profits first, workers last, and the economy be damned…”

Howard Metzenbaum (D) Ohio: “It did begin as a limited strike by 1,400 machinists against one carrier… CSX Corporation…We’re in this mess because of a calculated effort by the railroads to impose conditions on their workers…sticking it to the unions…workers make something like $20,000 a year…

Biden administration failed to pick up where Democrats left off 30 years ago. As Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) said today, “they suck.” Damn skippy!

Joe, when dealing with the Railroads, Metzenbaum was clear but you did not heed his words.  Did you blow it or did you blow it?

“Many of the unaffected carriers are capable of providing services to shippers who would normally have been served by C S X… The list of alternate carriers includes Norfolk Southern…. Let’s face it.  Railroads don’t have different kinds of tracks. They all run on the same kinds of tracks and other carriers were prepared and were in a position to move in and carry that freight. ..Their strategy is to make any real labor dispute into a national emergency… in order to deprive workers of their principle economic weapon. The workers right to strike is what brings management to the table.”

Biden failed to heed the words of Kennedy and Metzenbaum. He failed the workers.

State and Corporate greed race in Northern & Southern pursuits through the heartlands of America as it does in the ancient land of the great minds of Greece.

Democratic idea and Republican concept stem from Greeks and Romans. But the “Hellenic” image of being Greek remains in name alone. Having long lost its “Hellenistic” influence, the aftermath of 2008 appears to have once more placed it under Roman control.   

Ghost of Detroit is now the picture coming into sharp focus of the Railroad Industry. Western car industry’s “Big Three” could not compete with the long standing markets of the East. So in cutting workers, pay and benefits, their once standing ‘brick and mortar’ buildings crumbled.

And now we find Railways are following suit in Car Industry’s dirty path where on railroads

 “Ghost Trains Ride Alone – “Railroad #OhioChernobyl” and Greece Deadly Crash.”

NS, looking to get into the mine industry? Explains the long haul of dozens of trains. And you want it ‘quick and dirty’? We remind you, U.S. is no Australian outback. 

NTSB, on your investigation, I’m happy to be of assistance. Time to plug away or better still visit the “Plug and Play Tech Center.” Under Supply Chain & Logistics, you will findNorfolk Southern  and Canadian National Railroad. And stakeholders like Georgia Pacific and global partners like “BNSF Logistics, …a Berkshire Hathaway…”

Norfolk’s March 6, 2023 ‘Six Point safety plan’ sounds oddly familiar. Norfolk’s webpage NS Rail Tech has links to 2018 and 2019 tech articles. I found they provide a ‘blueprint’ of what Norfolk as other companies (i.e. CSX) may have had in mind when devising their business model.  Of course, whether the intent was safety still remains to be seen.

Did NS idea of quick and driverless railroads ‘open the doors’ to derailed and “runaway trains?”

Answer in “Speeding Time Bombs → “Runaway” and “Unstoppable” Trains.” But here’s a sneak peek:

→NTSB, did you find at incident involving NS a “mobile app to aid first-responders at derailments”? Also, it appears that an override of the PTC may not be conceivable. Note “Grounded: Boeing Max 8” referencing 737 MAX of 2018 and 2019 flights equipped with MCAS system.

Both crashes were attributed to Boeing’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) activated. Impetus for the Max? “Improve efficiency and performance.”

NTSB investigation found MCAS not included in operational manual for pilots on bequest of Boeing and approved by FAA. Adding to this failure, MCAS provided No Fail Safe.

*Special Note – Boeing Max 8” two fatal air crashes of 2018 and 2019 coincide with tech articles posted on Norfolk’s Website.

‘Ides of March’ – Rise of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) and End of its Pioneer

“Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin’ at the rain
A little out of touch, little insane
It’s just easier than dealing with the pain

Runaway train never goin’ back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here nor there…”

Aye, once again, the Ides of March are come but not gone. Yet, the story of the beginning of the end of Hunter Harrison, who “pioneered-and is famous for – known as precision scheduled railroading” PSR, appears to go back to 2012.

Word on The Street, “Harrison’s installation as CEO at Canadian Pacific and a turnaround that helped Canadian Pacific’s Toronto-listed shares climb nearly 190% during his tenure.”

M&As and five years later, Harrison leaves Canadian Pacific and appears to ‘hit the ground running’ as CEO of CSX. But if 2017 started with a bang in March it ended with $4 billion lose in December as was announced by the Wall Street Journal noting that “CSX Chief Hunter Harrison Has Died.”

Yet, what was overlooked was that in those five years prior to this death, Canadian Pacific (CP) while under Harrison’s leadership had reportedly put two offers on the table for an M&A: One to CSX in 2014 and another to Norfolk Southern in 2015. Both rejected.

Then in 2016, after one proposal after another had gone ‘belly up,’ CP appears to have conceded:  

“We have long recognized that consolidation is necessary for the North American rail industry to meet the demands of a growing economy, but with no clear path to a friendly merger at this time…” Canadian Pacific CEO E. Hunter Harrison.

Question is why did “Canadian Pacific ends attempt to take over Norfolk Southern.” Seems NS wasn’t buying. But was it for the reason put forth by NS?  “Norfolk Southern had repeatedly asserted that a merger would draw intense regulatory scrutiny, saying there’s a good chance it would have been rejected.” But with politicians in many CEO pockets, regulatory seems unlikely.

Better still, why didn’t CSX buy into the deal?

As my Grand Papi would say, “Why buy the cow when the milk is free.” Hmm, two for the price of one CEO and PSR?

Appears CSX made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. In March 6, 2017, word on The Street was that “In the deal, CSX agreed to install Harrison with a four-year contract…”

Still, ‘you can’t take it with you,” Harrison. Nine months later, it appears the Ides of March came calling.

However, while all this ‘wheeling and dealing’ had been going on and still today, the country’s presidents, Don and Joe had either been slashing and burning railroad regulations or making deals with CEOs. And it appears that last years’ dealmakers are seeing the consequences.

East Palestine may well remember when “Biden scores deal on rail strike, but worker discontent emerges.

“Dozens of railroad workers took to social media on Thursday to air their rancor toward their own union leadership, which agreed to a single additional paid day off, which they said did little to address their concerns about working conditions.”

Adding insult to injury, former President Trump, who took to the ole ‘slash-and-burn’ of railroad regulations that were meant to protect workers and communities from manmade disasters, shows up with plastic water bottles. Gee, thanks.

For excellent in depth reporting by David Sirota, Julia Rock, Rebecca Burns & Matthew Cunningham-Cook, read The Lever February 8, 2023 article “Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment.” Recall similar shenanigans also occurred in 1992 when workers were pushed to their limits.

Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D) Ohio addressing working conditions, “From the worker’s perspective it’s about wages, work rules, and health benefits…The Presidential emergency boards recommended $35 a day for three meals and lodging for track maintenance workers who spend their work week on the road…force these workers…to live out of their automobiles…assigned to work hundreds of miles from their home.”

“So tired that I couldn’t even sleep
So many secrets I couldn’t keep
Promised myself I wouldn’t weep
One more promise I couldn’t keep…

Can you help me remember how to smile?
Make it somehow all seem worthwhile
How on earth did I get so jaded?
Life’s mystery seems so faded…” – “Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum

Thirty years later, nothing has changed. According to Matthew DeLay, Class I Locomotive Engineer, Ames, Iowa, “There is no human being I know who can take being called at 7 PM for a 9 PM job, and go through this to finally arrive at the hotel at 2 PM, without an impact on their wellbeing. It is brutal.”  

Today, as U.S. leaders engage in trade wars and Wall Street smiles, we see the catastrophic consequences of railroad companies “slashing workers” as recent as 2020. “More than 20,000 rail workers have lost their jobs in the past year, the biggest layoffs in rail since the Great Recession.”

All this comes after years of layoffs as Norfolk Southern is said to transition to PSR. “In order to achieve an operating ratio of 60% by 2021 (currently at 65.4%)…”

Speaking of PSR, the words of Matthew DeLay, Class I Locomotive Engineer, of April 2022 say it best:

“It is time for the FRA to examine satellite reports and back-office servers in these investigations. While that may be much harder than drawing a blood sample out of my system, as if I were a veterinary specimen, it needs to be looked into, by the government, along with these extreme PSR practices.”

Greece-Italy Connection

Who’da thunk it back in 2008 that a financial crisis would lead to deadly others? Surely, not the companies and countries that seized on ravishing and buying out Greek treasures and transportation.

In 2016, according to Railway Gazette International, “Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane submitted the only binding offer for a 100% stake in Greece’s national passenger and freight train operator Trainose…”

So how much did the Greeks get? SiliCON Valley Entrepreneurs, hold on to your $ 6million Ferretti Yacht. “Athens accepted the group’s 45 million euro (£37.5 million) bid.”  Looks like Italians made them an offer they couldn’t refuse. Ciao Italia, nice example of crisis=opportunity.

But like recent protestors, not all were celebrating in Greece. Perhaps they too saw the writing on the wall: CAUTION: DANGEROUS ROAD AHEAD. SaysEuronews, “Rail workers have been on strike for almost a week protesting against the sale.”

Seven years later, grows.” Voices heard: “We are angry at the company, at the government and past governments that did nothing to improve conditions in the Greek railway,” said pensioner Stavros Nantis in Athens.”

But other voices appear to have been shouting loud and clear a year ago. Voices that appear to point to Kostas Karamanlis and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Right, the same Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis who “resigned over the crash, saying he would take responsibility for the authorities’ “longstanding failures” to fix a railway system that was not fit for the 21st Century.” Adding insult to injury Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis suggestion that “‘tragic human error’ was to blame has caused anger.”

So who was voicing concerns?

“ΣΥΡΙΖΑ:  Ας αφήσουν τις μετονομασίες κι ας δώσουν εξηγήσεις”

In addition, “Νίκος Παππάς, για την αλλαγή του ονόματος της ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ.

«Η άγονη θητεία Καραμανλή και οι καταστροφικές επιλογές της κυβέρνησης Μητσοτάκη στον σιδηρόδρομο δεν μπορούν να κρυφτούν πίσω από χαμόγελα και φιέστες», δήλωσε. 

«Η ελλιπής συντήρηση και η αδράνεια στην αναβάθμιση του δικτύου, το “πάγωμα” κρίσιμων σιδηροδρομικών έργων, οι καθυστερήσεις, οι ακυρώσεις αλλά και η πολύμηνη διακοπή σημαντικών δρομολογίων, η έλλειψη προσωπικού και οι εκτροχιασμοί αμαξοστοιχιών αποτελούν τη νέα πραγματικότητα επί Μητσοτάκη- Καραμανλή. Καλά, λοιπόν, τα βαφτίσια, καλύτερα τα έργα και τα δρομολόγια», τόνισε ο κ. Παππάς και συμπλήρωσε προκύπτουν «πολλά ερωτηματικά» από τη σύμβαση δημοσίου- ΤΡΑΙΝΟΣΕ.” 

Accountability for Greece train crash? I imagine people could go to Hellenic Train. Or, Contractors listed under Safety. Webpage notes the following below:

Policy, SAFETY QUALITY ENVIROMENT HEALTH & WORK SAFETY for INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, Confirmation of compliance with Group principles required: no

Endorsed by: CEO HELLENIC TRAIN

General Objectives of the Unified Management System

“➢to  achieve  zero  accident  rates,  taking  into  account  the  evolution  of  legislation,  technical  and scientific progress and giving priority to the prevention of serious accidents.”

What is the Greek government’s response? In an interview with BBC Stephen Sackur on ‘HARDtalk,’ Greece’s Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi referred back to 2017 when Hellenic Train was private, questioning “why the network had not been upgraded.”

And what of the “2019 signed amendment to contact”? When Sackur says to Mitarachi “No trust in your government,” I wonder if they overlooked Italia.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans” it is said. However, if you want to go the Top, take note as to their policy on “SAFETY QUALITY:

“Confirmation of compliance with Group principles required: no”

Who is this ‘Group’? It appears to be that listed under Freight, “The FSI group” or Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.  More importantly, who heads it?

It’s a Ladyboss, better known as Chairwoman Nicoletta Giadrossi. Accordingly, she’s the Chair of the Board of Directors of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane Group since May 26, 2021. Of course, one glimpse at her CV and you will know not to confuse her with those in Europe or U.S.

One could say she is liken to powerful Silicon Entrepreneurs with global connections BUT one who plays to win. As a past Egyptian Queen and her legions, one may find all the Queen’s men report to her alone.

Amidst Western Republics marked by uncertainty intensified by overwhelming geopolitical forces and rising culture wars, Empires of the modern era have risen with few at the top in control. And discount not the ultimate power and influence that is the Vatican.

“The cat must be killed or belled”

“Dare to reimagine what our industry can and will be, with an aspirational – yes, even audacious – vision for its future.” – James A. Squires, Norfolk Southern Chairman, President, and CEO

James, dare all you want and all you or it will live to see as its Past-Present. Reimagine and visualize all you want, grasping the future is as futile as touching the horizon. 

James, the Commodore has long been laid to rest in the past as has CSX Chief Hunter Harrison who is said to have forged the model for the PSR. Industry too is of the past, a reality Norfolk seems hard pressed to accept. 

On Government Relations, says Norfolk Southern, “NS has a voice on Capitol Hill.” East Palestine, do Railroad Executives, Shareholders and Electoral Recipients represent you? American voters, time to stand your ground and make your voices heard. Vote out the SOBs!

All the talk of looking to the future and tech savvy, railroad companies are still living in the past. No, they did not ‘fall behind.” They took a wrecking ball and gutted the workforce along with safe and smart policies. You call this progress, modernization and innovation?

U.S. is fast becoming an “Australian outback” treating their rail freight like dangerous mine cargo. Situation is urgent. As Matthew DeLay writes, “We are human, we are exhausted. It is getting worse. People are leaving.” 

Greed and power are what make these engines run at the cost of workers and public safety.  

In their immediate moment of need, the citizens of East Palestine were abandoned by the EPA, DOT, and their President who decided instead to pay Ukraine a visit.

Not surprisingly, disputes and strikes arose. But instead of supporting railroad workers and unions whose jobs are critical and essential, Joe failed them.

Alan Shaw, CEO Norfolk Southern, what you got right were these words, “We will be judged by our actions.” You bet your greedy ass.

Shaw, take notice of Murder and Murdaugh’s recent guilty prosecution. Shines light on how even the powerful pay for their past misdeeds, and in the most sweet poetic way, end those they breed. 

H. D. Lloyd, American Journalist’s words of March 1881, are powerful and prescient. Lloyd begins in The Story of a Great Monopoly. “These incidents in railroad history show most of the points where we fail … to maintain the equities of ‘government’—and employment—‘of the people, by the people, for the people.’”

 “When monopolies succeed, the people fail; when a rich criminal escapes justice, the people are punished; when a legislature is bribed, the people are cheated… The nation is the engine of the people… The States have failed. The United States must succeed, or the people will perish.”

“The cat must be killed or belled.” – H. D. Lloyd, American Journalist, March 1881

 “Bought a ticket for a runaway train
Like a madman laughin’ at the rain
A little out of touch, little insane
It’s just easier than dealing with the pain

Runaway train never goin’ back
Wrong way on a one way track
Seems like I should be getting somewhere
Somehow I’m neither here nor there…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum

Writer/s: David Pirner
Publisher: DistroKid, Songtrust Ave, Spirit Music Group, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind