From personal observation and 2nd and 3rd hand reports of other offices. The mail is still running. The flow of mail coming out of the processing centers to the affiliate offices is irregular. This is difficult to quantify, as the mail flow normally fluctuates. It is fluctuating more than usual. Officially there is no comment. "Through the grapevine", there have been "some" computer problems.

2nd hand report from worker at railroad here in N Tex. Critical systems seem to be functioning, but inventory/monitoring systems are having problems. "Cars are showing as delivered to a customer when they are not." "The computer shows that a car in the yard is in Canada."

-- MegaMe (CWHale67@aol.com), January 08, 2000

Answers

Thank you for the update. Wondering if things will get worse before they get better or if we have "turned the corner" on these kinds of problems.

-- J Wheel (motherof5@wellprepared.noregrets), January 08, 2000.

Systemic problems like these have been plaguing much of the RR industry since the recent series of major mergers began in 1995.

1995 Union Pacific (UP) and Chicago Northwestern (CNW)

1995 Burlington Northern (BN) and Atchison Topeka Santa Fe (ATSF)

1996 Union Pacific (UP) and Southern Pacific (SP)

1996 Canadian National (CN) and Grand Trunk Western (GTW)

1998 Conrail (CR) and CSX or Norfolk Southern (NS)

1999 Canadian National (CN) and Illinois Central (IC)

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 09, 2000.

Just so, Tom. That's one factor that bolstered the theory that y2k glitches might be the straw that broke the railroad camel's back.

So far, they don't seem much more screwed up than normal, though.

Godspeed,

-- Pinkrock (aphotonboy@aol.com), January 09, 2000.