work'n on the Railroad

[coborn35]

One of my friends just got hired by the BNSF.

[Rodney Beck]

Route rock yes I work out of Galesburg and beyond on the Chicago division. Yes a 90% is required to pass all the Engineer exams as well as sims. E mail me [e-mail]

Rodney

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob-Fryml

The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I've had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, "In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!"

Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I've ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company's requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But "Haulin'-the-Mail" at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don't forget the requisite cigar) ain't none too shabby either. And always, the money's been good.

If you're from the Chicago area and want to railroadin', think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers more regular hours, regular rest days, and pay that is often just as good.

An old head office engineer on the Western Pacific in San Francisco told me one time, "Kid, the only way you'll ever get ahead in this world is to find your life's work and stick with it - through thick and thin." Those words have sustained me through a lot of bad weather, midnight runs when I was pretty tired, "piston-in-prarie" moments when a unit has failed, and dispatcher snafus that left me pretty disgusted. I may be preachin' to the choir, but you can do a lot worse in this world than becoming a railroader!

After 40 years on the SP & UP I could NOT have summed it up any better than the above post.

Virlon
save your ticket..... the P.E. will rise again.

[Bob-Fryml]

The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I've had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, "In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!"

Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I've ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company's requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But "Haulin'-the-Mail" at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don't forget the requisite cigar) ain't none too shabby either. And always, the money's been good.

If you're from the Chicago area and want to railroadin', think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers more regular hours, regular rest days, and pay that is often just as good.

An old head office engineer on the Western Pacific in San Francisco told me one time, "Kid, the only way you'll ever get ahead in this world is to find your life's work and stick with it - through thick and thin." Those words have sustained me through a lot of bad weather, midnight runs when I was pretty tired, "piston-in-prarie" moments when a unit has failed, and dispatcher snafus that left me pretty disgusted. I may be preachin' to the choir, but you can do a lot worse in this world than becoming a railroader!

[railfan619]

Yeah I hope to work for The Up someday and I would think it would be a great job to have. And actully. I would not mind working weekends and hoildays because i figure the more i work the more experince. I'LL get [:D]

[CShaveRR]

I work for UP.

Still have to work some holidays, even after 34 years (yes, I worked the Fourth, too).

My job is great, in spite of some of the people we have to work for (and with).

The pay is never enough.

I still look forward to going to work, though (at which point I'm ready to go back home!).

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by blaze

I work for CSX. the hours are long, the schedule is odd, but the pay is good.
Lot of responsibilities, many rules to remember. All in all I like it. Being new, you work most holidays. I'm typing this from a hotel right now, so no cold beer and fire works for me. but hey, it can't all be perfect. if you're thinking about a career with the railroad, go for it. you'll never know how it's gonna turn out till you do it.

thats my thinking, go for it, cuz i would rather say i did, than say i wanted to and not know what happeend...

[route_rock]

Hey Rodney you out of Galesburg? Plus BNSF here as well! Military background adnda transportation background helps! Hours are weird but I havent had a bankers hour job since I was 20 (33 now) Looks like all RR will be hiring a lot of people over the next 5 years.
HR told us (the newbies) that 22,000 employees are looking to retire in the next 3-5 years, and that we are on the verge of being high in seniority sooner than expected. However I will believe it when I see it.
One more question for Rodney, How was the engineer training? Still a 90% pass kinda test? And do they take you ona trip t see how good you are at running?

[spbed]

Congrats to your cousin. Tell him that safety is job 1[:p][:D]

Originally posted by trainster1073
[

Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR  Austin TX Sub

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