Engineer/conductors day

[csxengineer98]

now ill try and give you a day in the life of a road engineer..........


the day starts ..lets say....1am..you get a call that wakes you up out of a sound sleep...
its the crew caller....they tell you what train your being called for..and what time...since you get 2 hours to report for duty from the call at 1am..you are called to duty for 3am...i get up..get ready for work..pack a lunch...and pack an overnight grip..since you never know for sure if your going to be taxied back home or have to stay at the away from home terminel...i think hop in the car...and drive to the yard....when i get thier... i go in..and find my train messages on the printer..if they arent their..i call the dispatcher and have a set sent to the printer....i pull them off the printer and start to go over them..making sure first that all my system bullitins and division bullitoins are up to date...if i need any of them..i print the ones i need out....while they are printing up..i go over the train messages...writing the location of where evey slow order and work zone is in relation to the nearest signal as a land mark....i also have a job briefing with the conductor by going over the orders...we both make sure we didnt miss read or miss anything on the messages...then we go over the train profile..makeing sure that the hazmats are in thier propor place...and go over any train restrictions as far as speed or train handleing....i then take the info that us engineers need to run the train off the profile..such as train lenght...how many tons...number of cars..number of total axels... and engin numbers...after we have our job briefing..we then go have one with the yard master..find out where are train is located..and if we have any work to do such as making a double befor we leave the yard....but to make this a little simpler..we are just going to have a get on and go train.....after this job briefing..we call for a yard taxi to take us to the train...once thier... i start to fill out the paper work such as the calander day inspections and locomotive work report... and check to make sure the lead engin has the proper number of fusses..red flag..hammor airhose chisel and wrench...then i go through the locomotives making sure they are all online (if they are needed for power...or not taged dont use..but leave run) as well as knocking off all the handbrakes on them....after im done with this...while the conductor is knocking the hand brakes off of any cars that might have them on as part of the train securing rules...i start to get my office in order...put my lunch and water in the ice chest...and put my orders where i can see them..or get to them quickly....and when the conductor gets on the head end...i knock off the air brakes on the train...and call the yard master to let them know we are ready to depart and get departing instructions.... when we get our departing route and when the dispatcher is ready to handle us... we start to pull....once you get to a signal to enter main track...if its lit up for you to go..we start to pull out onto the main track..... now once your on the main..you just run under signal indication....green you go..yellow you slow..red you stop...to put it in a simply term....you run track speed for what ever speed zone your in..and you slow down to what ever the speed is for any slow orders...you call for highballs thorugh work zones... also while all this going on..you call the signal indication..the track your on.... the direction your going..the train ID..and engin number over the radio...when you pass another train..you inspect it by looking at it for anything that looks like it might be wrong..like smoke..sparks...cars that have cargo hanging out..anything that might be dragging on the ground..(cargo car..ext..) and that they have an EOT on the last car..and at night..that the EOT is flashing a red marker...
while underway... the first defect detector you come to that gives you an axel count...you check its number agins the one on your train profile to make sure you have all the cars that your supost to..on extra ones..and none missing...once you get over the road..which can take any amount of time... if you make it to the away from home termial at all...you can and do go on the law in line of road...if you make it to the away from home terminel..befor you start into the yard..regardless if the signal allows you to start to enter..i call the yard master to get our yarding instructions.... thies instructions are the route we are to use in the yard...and where any cars are to be setoff at..if thier is a setoff or pickup...after we get that..we pull into the yard...do the work if any that the yardmaster says to do...then tie the train down....and if we cant get to the yard office by walking..we call for a taxi...get to the yard office..go in and call the chieffe dispatcher to see if we are going to taxi home or go to bed..... if we are going home.. we call the crew caller to order a taxi..and when we get back home..fill out the time card..and go home..but if your going to bed...you fill out the time card..and call for a hotel shuttle to pick you up and take you to the hotel...and this starts all over agin when your rest is up..at any time...day or night...
this is what happens on a perfict day...this donst take into account being held for hours at red signals..being held out of the yard becouse of no room... problems like a defect detector gets you for a hot box or dragging equipment...held at a work zone limits becouse the track people are working and are not in the clear yet...a train breaks down in front of you...no switch or signal problems... no heavey traffic...an air hose comes apart at a road crossing and your train goes into emergancy..haveing to stop while a train with high wides gose by you..or you go by it at 10mph....and a dispatcher that dosnt knows how to run trains...
also while all this is going on..the engineer has his hands full..has to throttle up and down..dynamic brake on and off...use the air brakes at times.. blowing the horn for crossings..speed up..slow down... and do it all in a way that the train dosnt derail...or get riped into 2....
the nuts and bolts of a road engineers day
csx engineer

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by foureasy

CSXENG: do you have speed restrictions on certain cars,certain places? Do you have a cellphone?who contacts shipper/reciever to open gates etc.at certain locations,you or yard personnel?You mentioned a foremann,i take that to mean the yard foreman,now what does the conductor/switchman do while all this is going on.I understand that it seems hum-drum too you.I know when i was driving i thought man this is so boring,but looking back it really had its good points which certainly out wieghed the bad. Anyway thanks all,.Jim

only 10mph max alowed on the yard tracks...we dont have cellphones..we have 2 way radios...the yard im at..i dont deliver anything to any customers..we are a switching yard..we take blocks of cars that come in on inbound road trains..switch them to build locals...the locals go out and work the industrys... but most of the time the gates to the industrys are locked with a railroad lock...if they arnt ...the conductor or the yard master will call the industry that is going to be worked to tell them we are comeing and unlock the gate....and we also take cars that the locals bring back and switch them out to build blocks of cars that outbound road trains will pick up .....thier is no conductor on a yard job...conductors are on road trains and locals....the yard forman is what i mean when i say forman..he runs the yard job... he is a switchman..not a conductor...now thier is another switchman that can be assinded to help you..he is known as a utiltiy man...when he is assined to your crew..he works as part of your crew untill you releace him...the forman and the utility man are lining switchs..make ties..makeing cuts...give kicks.. watching shoves....putting on and knocking off hand brakes on cars....they have a switchlist for a track..its called a track list...it has all the cars that should be on that track..when you pull the track to be switched... on this list..thier are notes from the yardmaster that tell you where to put the cars...all the engineer dose on a yard job is follow instructions from the forman and utility man....
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

ok..ill start off with a yard day... since im in yard service for the time being...and when i get a few mins later today ill try and come back and give you the lowdown on a road day

i leave for work around 2200 hours...and drive to be at work by 2300....i arrive at the yard..and park the car...go inside the office...put my grip down out of the way..take my coat off... and grab a cup of coffiee...i go over to the computer and check to see where other people i work with are..and what trains and jobs are out working.....then i sit down...and drink my coffiee... and when the carman comes in..or another engineer that i know...we sit down and play Gin and talk shop and just poke fun at eveyone in the office...and b&$@h about the yard master not getting our lists to us by 2300.....about 2310 or so..i go into the yard masters office and see if my train bullitins came over the printer yet...if they didnt..i call the dispatcher to get a set issued.....and i look over the yard masters shoulder to see how the lists look...
then i go back to the crew room if i have the messages...and play more Gin while waiting for the switchlists...if the train messages didnt come yet..and after i call..i hang out in the YM office untill they are done printing...between hands of Gin... i look over my train messages...remembering if anything on them pretains to what im going to be doing....around 2340 or sometime till 0001 the yard master will come over to the crew room with the switch lists...and gives a job brieffing and a power assinment to the engineers...after the job brieffing..i gather up my stuff..and head out to my power...once on it...i fill out the required paper work like a calinader day inspection and the locomotive work report and airbrake slip..knock off the hand brakes..and i sit and wait for the forman to come out...when he gets on..we head into the yard....
once in the yard... its stop...back up....3 step...releace 3 step..give me a strech...go west any number of cars...stop...back up 4 to a pin....kick....stop.... pull west...bla bla bla bla bal...( you get the idea) this goes on for as long as we have work to do...once in a while we get a call from the yard master telling us a road train is comeing into the yard..and we need to get into a clear track..and to tell him when it is ok to run the road train past our location so it can do its work in the yard....
after the road trains..if any leave..we go back to work....with the stop 3 step kick pull west..shove east...ext ext ext.....and when we get done switching we call the yard master to find out how we are getting back to the office..and where the power is going to put...when we get that..we start back to the office..and when we get to where the power is going to sit..i tie on hand brakes..test them... gather up my grip..and head back to the office...where if we can go home..i go home...or if we have to stick around for a little bit..we play Gin..drink some more coffiee...and make fun of everyone in the office..(i get picked on too) is just not me doing all the picking..lol......and b&$@t about the yard master for haveing us do some stupid moves..talk shop some more.....and when we are released...go home
this is the nuts and bolts of a day in the life of a yard engineer lol
csx engineer

Is belt pack coming to your terminal?

it has been rummored..but thats it so far..just a rummor..nothing deffinet yet..and i hope they never do!!!!
csx engineer

Nice to hear that some yards are still conventional, pretty hard to find a non-beltpack yard here in Canada.

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by macguy

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

ok..ill start off with a yard day... since im in yard service for the time being...and when i get a few mins later today ill try and come back and give you the lowdown on a road day

i leave for work around 2200 hours...and drive to be at work by 2300....i arrive at the yard..and park the car...go inside the office...put my grip down out of the way..take my coat off... and grab a cup of coffiee...i go over to the computer and check to see where other people i work with are..and what trains and jobs are out working.....then i sit down...and drink my coffiee... and when the carman comes in..or another engineer that i know...we sit down and play Gin and talk shop and just poke fun at eveyone in the office...and b&$@h about the yard master not getting our lists to us by 2300.....about 2310 or so..i go into the yard masters office and see if my train bullitins came over the printer yet...if they didnt..i call the dispatcher to get a set issued.....and i look over the yard masters shoulder to see how the lists look...
then i go back to the crew room if i have the messages...and play more Gin while waiting for the switchlists...if the train messages didnt come yet..and after i call..i hang out in the YM office untill they are done printing...between hands of Gin... i look over my train messages...remembering if anything on them pretains to what im going to be doing....around 2340 or sometime till 0001 the yard master will come over to the crew room with the switch lists...and gives a job brieffing and a power assinment to the engineers...after the job brieffing..i gather up my stuff..and head out to my power...once on it...i fill out the required paper work like a calinader day inspection and the locomotive work report and airbrake slip..knock off the hand brakes..and i sit and wait for the forman to come out...when he gets on..we head into the yard....
once in the yard... its stop...back up....3 step...releace 3 step..give me a strech...go west any number of cars...stop...back up 4 to a pin....kick....stop.... pull west...bla bla bla bla bal...( you get the idea) this goes on for as long as we have work to do...once in a while we get a call from the yard master telling us a road train is comeing into the yard..and we need to get into a clear track..and to tell him when it is ok to run the road train past our location so it can do its work in the yard....
after the road trains..if any leave..we go back to work....with the stop 3 step kick pull west..shove east...ext ext ext.....and when we get done switching we call the yard master to find out how we are getting back to the office..and where the power is going to put...when we get that..we start back to the office..and when we get to where the power is going to sit..i tie on hand brakes..test them... gather up my grip..and head back to the office...where if we can go home..i go home...or if we have to stick around for a little bit..we play Gin..drink some more coffiee...and make fun of everyone in the office..(i get picked on too) is just not me doing all the picking..lol......and b&$@t about the yard master for haveing us do some stupid moves..talk shop some more.....and when we are released...go home
this is the nuts and bolts of a day in the life of a yard engineer lol
csx engineer

Is belt pack coming to your terminal?

it has been rummored..but thats it so far..just a rummor..nothing deffinet yet..and i hope they never do!!!!
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

CSXENG: do you have speed restrictions on certain cars,certain places? Do you have a cellphone?who contacts shipper/reciever to open gates etc.at certain locations,you or yard personnel?You mentioned a foremann,i take that to mean the yard foreman,now what does the conductor/switchman do while all this is going on.I understand that it seems hum-drum too you.I know when i was driving i thought man this is so boring,but looking back it really had its good points which certainly out wieghed the bad. Anyway thanks all,.Jim

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

ok..ill start off with a yard day... since im in yard service for the time being...and when i get a few mins later today ill try and come back and give you the lowdown on a road day

i leave for work around 2200 hours...and drive to be at work by 2300....i arrive at the yard..and park the car...go inside the office...put my grip down out of the way..take my coat off... and grab a cup of coffiee...i go over to the computer and check to see where other people i work with are..and what trains and jobs are out working.....then i sit down...and drink my coffiee... and when the carman comes in..or another engineer that i know...we sit down and play Gin and talk shop and just poke fun at eveyone in the office...and b&$@h about the yard master not getting our lists to us by 2300.....about 2310 or so..i go into the yard masters office and see if my train bullitins came over the printer yet...if they didnt..i call the dispatcher to get a set issued.....and i look over the yard masters shoulder to see how the lists look...
then i go back to the crew room if i have the messages...and play more Gin while waiting for the switchlists...if the train messages didnt come yet..and after i call..i hang out in the YM office untill they are done printing...between hands of Gin... i look over my train messages...remembering if anything on them pretains to what im going to be doing....around 2340 or sometime till 0001 the yard master will come over to the crew room with the switch lists...and gives a job brieffing and a power assinment to the engineers...after the job brieffing..i gather up my stuff..and head out to my power...once on it...i fill out the required paper work like a calinader day inspection and the locomotive work report and airbrake slip..knock off the hand brakes..and i sit and wait for the forman to come out...when he gets on..we head into the yard....
once in the yard... its stop...back up....3 step...releace 3 step..give me a strech...go west any number of cars...stop...back up 4 to a pin....kick....stop.... pull west...bla bla bla bla bal...( you get the idea) this goes on for as long as we have work to do...once in a while we get a call from the yard master telling us a road train is comeing into the yard..and we need to get into a clear track..and to tell him when it is ok to run the road train past our location so it can do its work in the yard....
after the road trains..if any leave..we go back to work....with the stop 3 step kick pull west..shove east...ext ext ext.....and when we get done switching we call the yard master to find out how we are getting back to the office..and where the power is going to put...when we get that..we start back to the office..and when we get to where the power is going to sit..i tie on hand brakes..test them... gather up my grip..and head back to the office...where if we can go home..i go home...or if we have to stick around for a little bit..we play Gin..drink some more coffiee...and make fun of everyone in the office..(i get picked on too) is just not me doing all the picking..lol......and b&$@t about the yard master for haveing us do some stupid moves..talk shop some more.....and when we are released...go home
this is the nuts and bolts of a day in the life of a yard engineer lol
csx engineer

Is belt pack coming to your terminal?

[csxengineer98]

ok..ill start off with a yard day... since im in yard service for the time being...and when i get a few mins later today ill try and come back and give you the lowdown on a road day

i leave for work around 2200 hours...and drive to be at work by 2300....i arrive at the yard..and park the car...go inside the office...put my grip down out of the way..take my coat off... and grab a cup of coffiee...i go over to the computer and check to see where other people i work with are..and what trains and jobs are out working.....then i sit down...and drink my coffiee... and when the carman comes in..or another engineer that i know...we sit down and play Gin and talk shop and just poke fun at eveyone in the office...and b&$@h about the yard master not getting our lists to us by 2300.....about 2310 or so..i go into the yard masters office and see if my train bullitins came over the printer yet...if they didnt..i call the dispatcher to get a set issued.....and i look over the yard masters shoulder to see how the lists look...
then i go back to the crew room if i have the messages...and play more Gin while waiting for the switchlists...if the train messages didnt come yet..and after i call..i hang out in the YM office untill they are done printing...between hands of Gin... i look over my train messages...remembering if anything on them pretains to what im going to be doing....around 2340 or sometime till 0001 the yard master will come over to the crew room with the switch lists...and gives a job brieffing and a power assinment to the engineers...after the job brieffing..i gather up my stuff..and head out to my power...once on it...i fill out the required paper work like a calinader day inspection and the locomotive work report and airbrake slip..knock off the hand brakes..and i sit and wait for the forman to come out...when he gets on..we head into the yard....
once in the yard... its stop...back up....3 step...releace 3 step..give me a strech...go west any number of cars...stop...back up 4 to a pin....kick....stop.... pull west...bla bla bla bla bal...( you get the idea) this goes on for as long as we have work to do...once in a while we get a call from the yard master telling us a road train is comeing into the yard..and we need to get into a clear track..and to tell him when it is ok to run the road train past our location so it can do its work in the yard....
after the road trains..if any leave..we go back to work....with the stop 3 step kick pull west..shove east...ext ext ext.....and when we get done switching we call the yard master to find out how we are getting back to the office..and where the power is going to put...when we get that..we start back to the office..and when we get to where the power is going to sit..i tie on hand brakes..test them... gather up my grip..and head back to the office...where if we can go home..i go home...or if we have to stick around for a little bit..we play Gin..drink some more coffiee...and make fun of everyone in the office..(i get picked on too) is just not me doing all the picking..lol......and b&$@t about the yard master for haveing us do some stupid moves..talk shop some more.....and when we are released...go home
this is the nuts and bolts of a day in the life of a yard engineer lol
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Yeah, big difference between road and yard.... my last road trip we hit a 6-point buck at 60mph, and in the yard we run over a raccoon at 4mph. Guess what??? Raccoons act just like chickens do when they are decapitated, something I really, really, really didn't want to learn first hand.

[csxengineer98]

well..befor i can realy give you that nuts and bolts of an engineers day from start to finsh..i need to know this...what kind of day do you want...a road day..or a yard day... big diffrance between the 2 of them
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by ericsp

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

ill respond after i get in from a shift.... way to much to type out in the short amount of time i have befor i got to go tonight
csx engineer

Will unusual hours be on the top of the list?

I can't imagine so......

I thought trains only ran during the day?

[ericsp]

QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98

ill respond after i get in from a shift.... way to much to type out in the short amount of time i have befor i got to go tonight
csx engineer

Will unusual hours be on the top of the list?

[csxengineer98]

ill respond after i get in from a shift.... way to much to type out in the short amount of time i have befor i got to go tonight
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Some of you engine men tell us about your day.Normal or otherwise. Like a blow by blow account from start to finish.Do you or are you required to keep hours total etc.?Where do you start from Etc.?Do you converse(talk) to other passing crews?