Crew and flagging hours from granted work windows, Flint Subdivision

The 93 work windows the Juniper Basin Railroad granted on the Flint Subdivision for Nov 2, 2026 through Jan 24, 2027 are rebuilt into crew shifts and railroad flagging calls. Under the labor agreement definitions that comes to 5,252 crew hours and 805 flagging hours, and 96% of crew hours fall at night or on weekends and holidays.

Granted work windows Nov 2, 2026–Jan 24, 2027Flint Subdivision, MP 238.6–251.2, Flint Falls, NVContractor estimating rates 2026Prepared Nov 5, 2026

Summary

Flagging

805 flagging hours, 27% over the bid estimate allowance

73 of 93 flagging calls run shorter than the 8-hour minimum billing in the railroad's right-of-entry agreement, mostly the short 12:35–3:05 AM and 11:50 PM–4:20 AM windows. The minimum adds 153 billed hours. Bid estimate Rev C allows window hours × 1.10 = 633 hours.

Action: carry flagging per call in the estimate, or ask the railroad whether short windows on the same night can share one call.

Night differential

Night differential from 10 PM moves 546 crew hours out of evening

The labor agreement pays night differential from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM; the estimating template starts night at midnight. Crews mobilize from 9:40 PM, so 546 crew hours, 10.4% of the total, are night instead of evening. At estimating rates that adds $3,300.

Weekend premium

9 Friday-night windows are all weekend time, not 70%

Windows from Friday evening into Saturday morning fall entirely under weekend premium when it starts Friday 6:00 PM, as in the labor agreement. Under the template's Saturday 12:00 AM start only 70–78% of each shift is weekend. The difference is 295 crew hours and $13,500. The Nov 27 window is holiday time either way.

Hours by category and week

Start from the labor agreement or the estimating template, or change individual limits and shift rules. Hours, cost and the timeline recalculate at once and are compared with the template. Click a shift to see its source row in the work window schedule.

Definitions

Start from
Night
Weekend
Recognized holidays

Shift rules

60 min
45 min
30 min
20 min
Crew hours0
Railroad flagging hours0
Night and weekend share of crew hours0
Estimated cost, crew and flagging0

Hours by category

Hours. Difference vs. the estimating template definitions.

CategoryCrewDiff.FlaggingDiff.

Sensitivity to the definitions

Crew hours in the category and change in estimated cost if only that limit moves. Click a row to use it.

Night fromHoursCost

    Weekend fromHoursCost

      By week

      Weekday day Evening Night Weekend/holiday

      Week of Nov 2

      Granted work window Crew shift incl. mobilization, colored by category Railroad flagman on duty Evening, night and weekend under the selected limits

      Upper lane: Flint Falls–Coyote Wash and full limits. Lower lane: Coyote Wash–CP Tolliver. A shift that runs past midnight shows on two rows.

      Work sessions this week

      Window, activity and crew hours split by category.

        Sources and method

        Sources

        • JBR_Flint_Sub_Granted_Work_Windows_Nov26-Jan27.xlsxGranted work windows, sheet Granted, one row per window with window number, date, times, limits and activity93 rows
        • Labor_Agreement_Hours_of_Work_and_Premiums.pdfEvening and night shift differential hours, weekend premium, recognized holidays, minimum paid shift and daily overtime9 pages
        • Estimating_Template_Labor_2026.xlsxBurdened crew-average estimating rates by category; the template's time limits3 sheets
        • JBR_Right_of_Entry_Agreement_Flagging_Exhibit.pdfRailroad-provided flagging billed to the contractor, billing rates, 8-hour minimum per call5 pages
        • Bid_Estimate_Flint_Sub_Rev_C.xlsxAllowances: crew = window hours × crew size × 1.20; flagging = window hours × 1.1012 sheets
        • Work_Plan_Tie_and_Rail_Renewal_MP238-251.pdfCrew size by activity, 60 min mobilization and 45 min demobilization, flagman on duty 30 min before and 20 min after each window14 pages

        Method

        1. Each row of the work window schedule was read as one window. An end time earlier than the start time falls on the next day.
        2. Windows on the same limits with a gap no longer than the selected value were combined into one work session. The gap is paid time.
        3. A crew shift is the window plus mobilization before and demobilization after. Sessions longer than the longest shift were split into equal shifts. A flagging call is the window plus the flagman's time before and after.
        4. Every minute was assigned to weekday day, evening, night or weekend/holiday. Holidays and weekend take precedence over night, and night over evening.
        5. Shifts shorter than the minimum paid shift or the minimum billing were filled up to it. The added time is split across the shift's categories in proportion.
        6. Hours times crew size gave crew hours. Hours times the rate for each category gave the cost, compared with the template definitions and the bid estimate allowances.

        Assumptions and limitations

        • All granted windows are assumed to be used in full. Canceled or shortened windows are not included.
        • One railroad flagman, acting as roadway worker in charge, per work site and call, provided by the railroad and billed to the contractor. On-track safety itself follows 49 CFR Part 214, Subpart C and the railroad's operating rules; this estimate covers billed hours only.
        • Rates are the contractor's own burdened estimating rates, not wage determinations or the railroad's published rates.
        • The flagging rate does not explicitly include the railroad's overtime, weekend and holiday billing, which right-of-entry agreements often set at 1.5 times the base rate or more. This affects the flagging cost but not the hours; confirm the billing terms with the railroad before the estimate is used.
        • Daily overtime applies after 8 hours in a shift. Where overtime and a premium overlap, the higher rate applies with no pyramiding. Weekly overtime is not calculated.
        • Recognized holidays per the labor agreement: Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Hours count in the week the session starts. Per diem, travel and hi-rail equipment are not included.
        • The weekend premium from Friday 6:00 PM and the night differential hours are the labor agreement's own definitions. Night windows are less common on freight lines, where maintenance often runs in daytime gaps between trains, so the number of night windows should be confirmed with the railroad's engineering department before pricing.