If you came here for the VRL links, try hitting the VRL button. Oops, ya jes passed it!
(6/19/2003 - Just started the VRL site. It'll be a few days before I'm finished, so please be patient. 10-Q)
(Feb 2004 - Miller Brewing, which has recently been purchased by a South African business group, has decided to quit the VRL game. Can you say La Vee? (joke!)
..."the Mongoose".
(no connection to the legendary drag racer, Tom "The Mongoo$e" McEwen - just a fan!)
(You can call me Herb.)
OK!!! Here Goes.
Well, I guess this is my Home Page away from home. Allow me to introduce myself: My
name is J.Herb Kerekesch, a.k.a.
..."the Mongoose".
(You can call me Herb.)
.....GUESS THE YEARS?.....
I was a Conrail (or is that "GONE-Rail!!!) employee of 25+ years and started my railroad career (Aug.'74!) under the last gasps of the Penn Central Railroad.
My original plan was to work a few years and move on to something "better". Then I got involved with a few employees and Union officers who believed that the Union was there to serve the members. I'm not bashing, mind you, but I soon saw too much of the "What's in it for ME?" attitude and I decided I could make a difference.
I was transformed into an ACTIVIST!, not always the most popular word around.
UPDATE December 6, 1999 -- I've since been "forced" to move on, if only to another railroad and another career. I am no longer a "clerk". Life's little twists and turns have helped me decide on a change. I am now a Yardmaster for the Norfolk Southern Railroad - you know, the one that decided they just HAD TO HAVE their share of the Conrail pie. NS now "owns" 58% and they were kind enough to give the CSX Railroad the other 42%. There was a little bit of Conrail that they could not agree on - that became known as the "Shared Assets" and is still being run by "Conrail", with the NS & CSX sharing costs and revenues by the above named percentages.
Waiting to see what other twists life has in store for me. The rest of this site remains pretty much the way it was in the end of 1999.
UPDATE December 19, 2002 -- Looks like I've been "forced" to move on again. It seems that my new employer has decided that I needed to look at my life from a different perspective. After 28 years in railroad service I have been given the opportunity to see what it's like to look for work. Yep, been laid off!!! Not even an "official" notification to that effect. Conway Yard, affectionately known as the "Mother Yard" of the former Conrail/Penn Central/Pennsylvania RR is now being reclassified as an unnecessary expense by Norfolk Southern railroad executives. Half the yard (which was designed as a 2 Hump yard - one Eastbound, one Westbound) has been shut down.
Can you say "Merry Christmas"?
Don't know what the future holds.
Well, here I am, at last!
This is just the first step in the journey of many miles.
(I just hope I'm in shape!)
I'm just a newbie and this is just the start!!!
The end is nowhere in sight!
Congratulations! You are welcome visitor #
to stumble upon my site
since it was created on March 23, 1997!
If you are a railroader who is concerned that the
corporations AND the government are trying to legislate your
job and benefits out of existence, click on "RLAC"
(please) to find out what we are doing to help you and
how you can help yourself and your co-workers.
P.S. RLAC is Dead. The corporations AND the government have won...for now.
"What have you got to lose beside your job, your car, your home, your savings, and your family?"
This is a new link (July '99) for "former" Conrail employees.
Please check it out, register, and check back from time to time to keep in touch.
"SPLIT DATE" was June 1, 1999. Things haven't been quite the same since.
Question:
What's the difference between this place and the Titanic?
And if that's not enough (or, maybe too much!), here's a little News Ticker that you can play with!
Just 'click' on the Ticker when something strikes your fancy.
If you missed it, be patient. It'll be back around!
This page is under construction by a 1-man crew and it's break time!
My dad (rest his soul) was a builder of homes for those who
needed shelter.
RLAC is a builder of strength and unity for our future.
Even though the medium is different, the idea is the same !!!
(c) 1997-2004 - Please address any email and inquiries to:
jherb@ccia.com
A Founding/Charter Member of RLAC - the Railway
Legislative Action Committee.
RLAC is Sponsored by TCU - Transportation Communications
International Union.
These web pages and their contents are provided at NO COST to TCU or it's membership
............. (excluding myself!)
.
Please bookmark this page for future reference. I sincerely thank you!
And now,
for something completely different...
a word from our sponsors!
(No, they're not really sponsors. That was just another dumb joke!)
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by a 1-man crew and it's break time!
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