Member Info for Scampthedog

Type into the Search Engine: 'Network Rail' -- click on website -- click on 'media' on right handside of header bar -- click on 'National and regional news'

Page 1. 'Yorkshire's first new electric railway in 25 years...'
Page 2. 'Massive investment energises Scotland's railways electrification ambitions.'

There are approximately nearly 1500 pages stuffed full of news concerning upgrades and improvements...and yes that includes the South West also.

As for your question, AngerSharkz: "Are any of Royal Mail’s competitors using or planning on using the rail in their operations? If not, then I’d suggest that the trains will be a massive strategic advantage for Royal Mail in the future….?"

Just type 'Euston Station' into the page's search box, click on page two...and you will get your answer: "Passenger trains converted to deliver parcels to city centre".

You will notice underneath the main headline the following. Region & Route: North West & Central | North West & Central: West Coast Mainline South.

And all electric trains that run out of Euston. Royal Mail has started using this service (they run onto the North West mainline into Warrington Rail Terminal)...and so, unfortunately for us, have our competitors.

Karl Watts, chief executive officer for Orion, said: “Orion High Speed Logistics represents a revolution in the way we deliver goods into city centres. Using converted, electrically powered passenger trains, Orion is able to deliver goods into terminal and other principal railway stations where electric road vehicles complete the final mile transportation into city centres.

“The shift from road to rail transportation delivers economic, environmental and social benefits. Each 8-car train removes 24 diesel powered vans from our roads thereby reducing congestion, lowering carbon emissions and improving inner city air quality.”

So, Instead of people on here engaging mouth before brain...I would suggest they employ a little due diligence and easy to access information first. Enough said.

You are just further compounding your nonsensical argument by trying to put words into my mouth Dynamofc.

I was commenting on Royal Mail's network before you start posting regularly on this board. My comments regarding Royal Mails rail network speak for themselves. They never have been or will be intended to be misleading.

The fact remains: the greater majority of Royal Mail's soon to be greatly expanded rail network will be executed using electric powered engines...not diesel.

And therein lies the heart of the green agenda. More electric trains doing the longer distance hauling, and less lorries used over those longer distances.

And that's it in a nutshell.

Nothing here but diluted water...but plenty of gas. The non-combustible type unfortunately.

Directors seem to be doing okay though.

Let us most fervently pray there is still enough oil left for one big, last splurt. Enough that is to quickly shove the s.p up high enough for us all to make a decent crust and move quickly on. And what a blessed riddance it will surely be at that.

Two of your latest comments.

1."Angersharkz, as for the green aspect of the changes, I think that is a red herring, the amount that is moved by plane is minimal and some of the proposed rail movements especially from the South West will be by diesel engines. I think this excuse was put out by one director; when he was put on the spot and was then just blurted out."

2."They use electro diesels or diesels It's quite simple really, they switch between the 2 when the line isn't electrified. Not dismissive just fact."

Regarding comment 1.
A. Why is the R.M's green agenda a red herring?
B. Are you stating that the majority of R.M's present or proposed rail services are or will be powered by diesel engines?

Regarding comment 2.
A. Are you now conceding that the South West rail tracks do have some electrified lines that R.M electric trains could possibly use?

In summary. Are these comments of yours not misleading? And, is it not a fact that Royal Mail train engines will be mostly electric when looking at the rail network in general?

Because you seem to be giving the impression that the greater amount is to be transported by diesel engines not electric. Which is not true of course.

Rather a dismissive reply to my questions, Dynamofc?

So it's covered by diesel engines. And?

The Royal Mail trains that run up and down the main West coast line are all electric...and that's a fact.

So why should the South West operators be unable to provide electric trains?

Is it because the South West have very few electric lines available?

Would be interested to hear you expand further as to why it should be the case that diesel's would, in the main, have to be used there instead of electric.

will be by diesel trains?

Why would that have to be the case then, Dynamofc?

Are electric trains not always available for transporting the mail out of the South West area perhaps?

A rather puzzling comment to make.

"This means that all mail would have to be transported in the UK by road or rail both of which require the use of diesel at some point. Anyway, ignoring that minor point he wants 'green'."

The engines that pull the Royal Mail rolling stock are electric not diesel.

They do use diesel trains...but only for retrieving broken down electric trains; electric trains don't have the pulling power of diesel and would struggle to pull another electric train, pulling 8 brakes, fully loaded. A diesel engine is many times more powerful than an electric one.

It would seem we have further good news on this 'green' front: Royal Mail have recently purchased more rolling stock with a view to operating at least 5 other services to start very soon. Hopefully.

dans la jambe de PH's. Woof woof!!"

"No? ...au contraire...indulge yourself old fella!"

"After all...it's another pay day for us soon." "Oink, oink!!"

All very predictable.

I would think that Royal Mail will wait until the ballot is in...counted and the result announced before making another move.

Patience required here...sit on your hands.

downgrades Royal mail to: F-ck-d!! New target price: clueless.

Footnote: anyone fancy a guess?

Not as weird as you lot...you had the perfect opportunity to rid yourselves of a totally incompetent Board...and then went and refused it.

I would rather think that was 'WEIRD' myself.

He has to be careful though, at $4,500 per lb you don't get much for $1.2 million...Beluga caviar that is.

Just enough, perhaps, to give him and his mates a couple of spoonfuls per day, each, for the next 12 months or so.

Should nicely compliment the freshly washed, crisp, newly picked mediterranean (with black olives of course) salad, pate de foie and garlic bread somewhat.

Although I believe the lobster was a bit of a disappointment...unfortunately.

Board members really can deserve far better.

this hot weather can play havoc with your chosen magnum of champagne.

And the lobster can be a bit tricky sometimes.

As you say, JBTHISTLE, the Hub is being 'monitored to death'. There is an in-house team of engineers, as you rightly comment on, (supplied as part of the contract by the people who installed the machine) who will be there for at least 12 months before they will be released. By the sounds of it they have their work cut out for them.

As for how the trouble-shooting is going at present? ...hard to say.

One hears conflicting tales...as one always does.

They have had a lot of problems...and not just scanning the barcodes.

1. Parcels sticking in the upper sections of the shoots.
2. Smaller parcels and packets missing the receiving yorks waiting to catch them at the bottom of the shoots.
3. Thousands of items beings scanned incorrectly and ending up in the wrong yorks.
4. Thousands of items that just refuse to scan whatsoever.

I can understand what may cause the problems concerning problems 3 & 4: crumpled postage labels on crumpled bags and packets that cannot be read in their entirety.

I am also led to believe that because the belt on the machine rises up and down over different levels, that this too is causing problems.

They have another problem as well...although this should be easy enough to resolve. The yorks are tipped automatically onto the belt by a giant robotic arm that is situated inside a cage (for obvious reasons): the yorks are placed onto a track -- transported into the cage and up to the arm -- the arm graps the york -- and tips the york upside down onto the moving belt.

Problem is, beacause the silly sausages are attempting to use spring-loaded (red sleeved canvas) yorks, when the robotic arm lifts up the york and tips...guess what?

Correct! The bottom of the canvas sleeve folds in on itself, and aided by the tension of the springs at the base of the sleeve, grabs hold of half the packets -- and then refuses to let go! Even when a giant 12 foot mechanical arm is attempting to shake the living **** out of it. Absolutely farcical!!

Well here is a suggestion for them: why not use the new rigid-folding-mechanical ones that were designed (or so I was informed several years ago) for just such the job?

Thick? You could not make it up.

Even if the share price should tumble another 60 pence you will still see a very handsome return here in a year or two.

Would not buy again yet though at this very moment...strike ballot papers are being sent out tomorrow to all the CWU represented posties...I believe that is about 120,000 members.

Once the result is announced on the 19th of July (and it will be a massive 90%(+) YES vote) then the s.p will slide a long way down from where it is now.

I reckon it could go as low as £2.20 quite easily on the threat of a strike.

Be patient...and watch how things unfold over the next month or so. Also, visit the CWU's site on Facebook every day or other day for the latest updates...it will keep you well informed.

The reason the share price ran out of upward momentum is to do with the same reason it had upward momentum earlier in the week...just like it does every month leading up to the 15th: the day the posties have their shares bought as part of the 'Share Purchase Scheme'.

A look at the weekly chart will quite ably demonstrate this; it happens every month as we approach the 15th: a rise over a couple of trading sessions...followed by a pullback. Sometimes quite a sudden drop in price over the session...sometimes, as in the last couple of sessions, over a day or two.

Same thing each month.

Ballot papers for strike action will start being posted on 21st (Tuesday) of June.

Result will be announced on 19th July.

Company must be given at least a week's notice of impending strike.

Earliest strike action could be initiated? 26th July.

As for the new North West Hub in Warrington?

It was officially opened last Monday with Simon Thompson, the local MP and Mayor, plus more assorted local dignitaries.

I wonder if they told the CEO that they are still having monumental problems with the machine regarding the scanning and sorting?

Errrr...doubt it.

This new Hub is supposed to be going fully operational (operating across all shifts) on the 4th of July (or thereabouts).

It will not, however, be running on full capacity (or be fully staffed)...the volumes, unfortunately, are rather lower than were to be expected at this moment in time.

Indeed, a lot of part time staff who were promished full time employment have now, to their bitter disappointment, been informed that they will remain part-time for the time being.

Not a particularly satisfactory state of affairs presently it has to be said.

P.s Just in case some people on here might consder now is the time to be buying in...I would leave it a while myself.

Its not they refuse to accept it, AngerSharkz, its more likely because, even though letters are declining over the longer period, they understand better than most other people just how much revenue, for R.M, letters and D2D (junk mail and fliers/magazines, etc) still generates.

They are right when they make the point that it is not all about parcels.

R.M is not just a parcel company that is obliged to also deliver letters...it is a delivery company that delivers both parcels AND letters. And it will be for a long, long time to come.

This company was never intended to be anything remotely resembling a 'company' as we all might know it...it was nothing more than a huge government department that was designed to be at the very heart of the country's commerce...as indeed 500 years ago it was originally brought into existence for that very same reason: to help greatly speed up the exchange of all and any information...especially that concerning all business and legal matters.

That is not to say that it was never interested in turning a profit...but it was not until the mid-Victorian age when more efficient postal rates and a more refined service was eventually proposed and acted upon that this started to happen

Even then I think it is fair to say that Royal Mail was always regarded by those who where most responsible for it as some sort of 'problem child' that had to be handled with kid gloves...most took the opinion it was just a quango with almost bottomless pockets. A necessary evil that had to be tolerated whatever the price.

In short it was never designed to operate, financially speaking that is, in the manner in which it is now expected too: an efficient company that generates good profits to provide for reinvestment, regular wage increases and shareholder dividends; and the all important ever increasing return and added value on their, the shareholders, initial investment.

Why should it be expected to do all of that in 9 short years? But it seems we do.

This is NOT like any other company. Unless you have worked as a postie for R.M, then you cannot truly appreciate just how unique in many different ways to any other company it truly is.

And for better or worse...it just is a fact.

What's the answer then? A little more discourse between the board and the posties might help. If we had regular worktime learning sessions, can't remember when I last had one, that made an effort to explain the company's objectives. If we had a profit sharing scheme. If we had other incentives. If how the stock markets worked and how share value was increased were to be explained in detail to the workforce. If how inflation comes about. How the government and company intends to try and contain it. Then, possibly, a lot more posties might be more sympathetic towards the company and its longer term plans.

But there is none of this...just the same old rehashed, meaningless (to most people) rhetoric.

Shame. Much wasted opportunity. And it just does not have to be this way.