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Hi all. I have been reading the topics of various forums with great interest. I have gained alot of insight to the railroading world today. Very enlightening. I am the wife of a road freight conductor of less than 2 years. It is the best job he has ever had. He worked 5 years retail management and did 4 years in the Military. He has tried hard to learn all he can and do the safest, most effective job he can. For the old heads-------You cant just start working for the railroads anymore----the times have changed. We paid large money for him to take a course that covered HazMat/Signals/Regulations and FRA Laws. We did not get reimbursed the $4250.00 course fee, nor did he get paid for the 5 weeks that it took for him to take the class. (There was no time left in the day for him to work another job. There was also NO guarantee of a job when he finished-just an interview) He worked for 4 months at substantially less than he was making as a retail manager and was gone for days at a time training. He is now a road conductor and is gone all the time and still doesnt make full pay. We figure that going to work for the railroad cost us about 30k (cash out of pocket in course fees and lost wages) . What did that money get? A competant conductor that is committed to his job and company. He may not know all the old ways, but he is knowledgable about what he needs to do and how to do it safely. Are all new heads like that? Probably not. You are always going to work with jerks and fools but in this job they dont survive long do they? Some of the old heads give the new heads a hard time figuring they have not paid their dues. We paid. RAILROADING IS STILL A GOOD, HONEST, RESPECTABLE, EXCELLENT PAYING JOB. I am proud to be a trainman's wife. Thanks....now kick the soapbox out from under me. RRWife
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