EDGEMONT, S.D. -- Even as some furloughed employees hoped to return to the train soon, the railroad has made additional cuts, the Edgemont Herald Tribune reported.
In the past week, nine conductors and three engineers have been furloughed. The furloughs are based o_n seniority in each category. Number of positions cut is determined by average miles traveled by the trains (system wide). The snow in the Powder River Basin in the past few weeks halted trains for several days which brought the miles down.
Currently, approximately 98 conductors and 100 engineers are based out of Edgemont (operate trains northwest out of Edgemont).
There are about 53 employees currently furloughed out of Edgemont, but the total number of conductors and engineers is similar to what it was a year ago because so many employees have bumped here from other locations in the BNSF system.
(The preceding article was published April 16, 2009, by the Edgemont Herald Tribune.)
