I'm taking another trip...this time to McDonough, GA...

[Nora]

I got my letter in the mail today.

At the end of this month, I'm heading down to Georgia to start in the NS conductor training program. Wish me luck, I'm sure I'll need it!

Advice (other than "Don't do it!") is welcome...

[Anonymous]

Hey, good luck Nora. Where will you be headed after school?

LC

[shrek623]

Nora,

Good luck. I have found(to this point of my training), that if you respect the people around you and listen to their advice, they will respect you. If you are not sure about something, ask them, they will listen and help you. Lastly, learn to adapt, because every day(during the OJT portion at least), you could be working with a different person and personality. Overall, everyone I have worked with so far has been great, different people every day but with the same goal, which is to go home at the end of the day.

Good luck and be safe,

Shrek

[Dough]

Well hey that's cool. I'm sure you already know that Atlanta is full of good stuff, but if you have the chance there is a small collection of shortlines over here in NE GA that have many fallen flag geeps. (CNW, Rio Grande, B&LE(SD7), Conrail, Chessie, C&O, SC, RF&P) Might be worth a trip if they don't keep you too busy. But regardless, have fun!

[locomutt]

Nora,
The VERY best of luck to you,and congrats on pic of the day,that ia great one![:)]

[Allen Jenkins]

Good Luck, Nora, God Bless You with Saftey. Dough, Where are the short line loco's?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Nora

I got my letter in the mail today.

At the end of this month, I'm heading down to Georgia to start in the NS conductor training program. Wish me luck, I'm sure I'll need it!

Advice (other than "Don't do it!") is welcome...

Lucky Duck. [:D]

Best Wishes for A Safe and Happy Career [;)]

(Send me pics [:p] )

[Allen Jenkins]

Nora, the Training Center, Is a trip. The track along side is the former Central of Georgia Railway. President Roosevelt's body traveled throught that route. The route, is on computer simulation, taken from the front of a locomotive, at the cost of $500USD per mile. You'll get a timetable, TC-1, to study. Check out the Stop Board Ellizabeth, at the road crossing, and how many engineers run, without stopping at this crossing.
You'll ride an Illinois Institute of Technology built TS-3 Training Simulator, built out of a LaGrange built SD-60 Cab, installed on a helicopter trainer base. All in a five million dollar facility. There are two non-motion sims, The Powhattan Arrow, and The Southern Cresent. Study all your timetables, as you'll call signals, on the routes you run, and your six miles behind the slow frieght taking the siding at fourty-five miles and hour in front of you, and six miles behind you, (six minutes) is a Triple Crown Intermodal, running sixty miles per hour, as opposed to the fifty mile per hour slow freight in front. Know, where you are.
However, You will always know where you are, and most trains use the wide cab engines, though you will ride in long-hood forward configuration, from time to time. You Go Girl! ACJ.

[csxengineer98]

DONT DO IT. RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!! RUN CHILD..RUN!!!!!!
csx engineer

[JoeKoh]

Well she let the cat out of the bag[:)]
All I can say is go for it and stay safe!!!! will be getting the mattmobile ready for pennsylvania!!![;)]
stay safe
Joe and Matt

[CShaveRR]

There, now, isn't waiting until the end of the month a little easier than it would have been without the letter?

I had no doubts that you'd make it this far.

Bust of luck from Pat and me!

Carl

[Nora]

Thanks everyone!

LC, I will be working out of Conway, PA. That's all I'm sure of so far...

Dough, thanks for the info but I'm not really planning to do much other than go to school, study and sleep while I'm down there! [:)]

Shrek623, Allen Jenkins... thanks for the advice and info.

csxengineer98.... [{(-_-)}] I can't hear you...

[Mookie]

See - I am gone for the weekend and everyone goes and moves around!

Congratulations Nora! Can I have your old job?

Keep us informed and someday write an article for Trains about it!

Mookie

[rrnut282]

Good luck in making your career follow your hobby.

Remember, you are entering the real world of railroading, it may not be as friendly as the forum, and it definitlely isn't as safe as the forum. Like ACJ says, know where you are and where everything else is and expect it to move. Don't stand in the gage unless you absolutely have to and before you do, have a clear understanding with everyone around.

Keep us posted on your progress, and remember some foamers are your friends.

[ValleyX]

It won't be as friendly as the forum and you probably already know from hauling them around that you'll meet the wide assortment of characters. Some will be more helpful than others, some might even try to lead you astray but don't let them. Do it the right way and that way you won't have to worry about it. Never forget, harsh as it sounds, this job can kill you or maim you and if you follow the proper rules and procedures, it is far less likely to ever happen to you.