I just want to live my dream!

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone. I thought I would come here and give this a shot. I am 23 years old and lived in Nebraska and tried to get on Union Pacific as a fireman oiler. I went in and took the test but did not pass. After my 6 month retake waiting period I filled out 4 different online apps with no outcome. I contacted a shortline in AZ and was hired on the track gang. (I forgot to say I have a slight stuttering impedament.) While I was on the track gang I expressed my career goal in train service to the trainmaster which never led to any oppotunities or chances. After a year and a half I left and am now at a stand still. I worked with the state and have obtained a fluency device which helps reduce disfluency. I work at my speech everyday and others have noticed a differance. I plan to go back to the state and ask for help with money to attend a railroad school in California so I may get education and training in the railroading field. I know I am ment to be a railroader andI have it in my blood. I also know I would have no problem on a radio. All I need is the right person. I would like to get on BNSF and work out of needles. I might have to work somewhere else until I can transfer. Woud you have any advice or info which could help me reach my goal? Anything will help. Thank you to all of you.

Brian

[Anonymous]

Brian,

I apaologise i cna't quite help you.. but jsut hear me out.

Your story is touching.. your persistance is amazing. I can only ever imagining meeting someone with your persistance, and believe me, that is going to help you in the long run. Don't ever let that persistance you have go.. thats my advice to you.

I wish i could do a lot more to help you, but i'm iup from Canada.. so.. i really do apologize.

have a great day,
Kev.

[edblysard]

Hi Brian,
Dont worry about your stutter, because A: I stutter when I am real tired, have done so since childhood.
B: I work for a switching/terminal railroad, we have a engineer here, who stutters so badly during a face to face conversation, you need a rain suit, and a translator, but on the radio, with another crew or a member of his crew, and the dispatcher, to whom he has to repeat instructions back to verbatium, he nevers stutters.
C: At some point, your persistence will pay off, keep knocking on the door long enough, and someone, some where, will open it.
D: keep applying on line, its free, and dosnt take that much time. But, and heres the biggest thing, if you know someone who is a railroader, pester him or her to get you a interview, it allwas works better if you have someone on the inside to pull for you. You said you had it in your blood, was a family member a railroader, if so, try to find some of their buddies, they may have a "in" for you.
Last, be prepared to never see needles, ever, thats the way it works, but be ready to go just about everywhere else they want you to, when they want you to. If you cant do that, you can get on a class 1 road, try every shortline you can find.
But dont give up trying, somewhere there is a slot for you, you just havent found it.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

I knew an engineer that worked for Bailey Yard for 30 years, another for 6 years, even the shop supervisor and another supervisor in North Platte, NE and all they said was to apply online. I must have went in that shop once a week! I really do not know anyone on BNSF.
And I do not have a family member that works for the railroad...my great grandfather did. That is the amazing part..It's not in my blood because of my famiy but because of my heavenly father.
I will keep moving on and do all I can to get to where I belong...inside a locomotive. Thanks for your replys!!

Take Care,

Brian

[Anonymous]

Good luck Brian!
I Know how it feels to be looked down on because of the way you speak. When I get excited I talk REALLY fast. So I got a job in sales. What a match! I could almost go on radio selling cars!
Keep up the search!
Icemanmike-Milwaukee

[edblysard]

UnHuh, so your the guy who does that speed of light disclaimer at the end of the radio commercials...I wondered were they found someone who could talk that fast.
Stay Frosty, and fast,
Ed

[Anonymous]

Brian, Needles is hard to hold over the winter. I couldn't hold there this past winter. The BNSF is hiring alot this year. Supposed to be two more classes in KC this year (July and August). Be ware! Alot of these classes are furloughed right outta class! I would be willing to bet that these last classes in KC won't work more that a month or two this year. Do not, I repeat do not try to hire on the MOW on any RR. The foot in the door idea doesn't work. If you hire on MOW and plan on a craft transfer, you will start all over in seniority. A few numbers may make the difference between holding and being furloughed. MOW furloughes a good part of the year, even for guys with good seniority. Not trying to discourage, but, it is a hard gig. Not the work as much as just trying to stay marked up and working. I'm still waiting for this mass exodous from the 30/60 retirements that they keep talking about. I just don't see it happening. As far as working, if you hired out today on the BNSF, I would anticipate that you would be furloughed at least 4-6 months outta the year for at least the first 5 years (getting less each year). Sad, but true. They don't tell you this in the hiring sessions. Be ready to move too. Your best bet is in a larger terminal hiring session. I hired in a small town and was up against brothers, friends and cousins that were shoe-ins. If you do get an interview, preach safety and how safe you are! Also, dress up! No blue jeans! I spoke with the H/R guy after I was hired and he said that this means alot. Also make it clear that you are willing to relocate. They wanna hear that. Portray that you are a "team player," that is also important. Don't come across as a foamer. Come across as a hard working guy that is looking for a good career. (I don't know how much of a good career it is anymore). That's my 1.5 cents. Good luck.
Ken

[wabash1]

And here i come with the contradictory statements. It is true what ken says but in some situations its the only way, I know of 2 engineers who started out one in MOW and the other in the bridge department. they got their foot in the door due to the fact that they was working for the railroads. it dont matter how you get their just get their. yes when you switch your senority starts over again but not total senority. as all time working for the railroad goes to retirment.

as far as the stuttering goes out in the virginia area there is a conductor (maybe engineer by now) who stuttered so bad you could not switch cars took to long and could not understand him. the railroad got him to a therapist and just like mel tillis he would sing his moves. perfectly and clearly. his performance of a track warrent bring tears to your eyes. if you want it bad enough there should be nothing getting in your way. railroading is a great life for some others not so much.

[Anonymous]

I also want to work on the railroad when I get out of school. I want to become a train engineer working for BNSF or Union Pacific. Are you guys saying that working on the railroad isn't a good career anymore? Do companies hire you if you went to a railroad school. Theres a school out of California and they have a engineer class so would a company hire you if you take that class as a engineer. I just want to know if its a good career.

Josh Money

[wabash1]

The career is great for some. and not for others you haft to be willing to work and for some that is not possible cause they want to be a kid and party and not take responsibility. you can go to school for this but you wont get hired by a class one railroad. they do the training themselves. when hired by the railroad you will start out as a condutor and must work one year as a condutor before going to engineer school. they wont hire you off the street as a engineer. and somewont hire you even if you worked for another railroad.

[edblysard]

Hi Josh,
No, what both I and I think j were saying was it either the career you always dreamed of, and your willing to give up just about everything to go railroading, or its the worst job you ever had.
You will know if its the second answer about a week into training.
If you married, you better make darn sure your wife can stand you being gone for weeks at a time, if your not married, and you go railroading, most likley you will never get married.
You start out at the bottom, switchman or brakeman, and work your way up. If your lucky, what ever railroad you work for has a large number of older guys about to retire, so your seniority increases somewhat quicker, if not, its going to take years to get a engineers license. But like I said, if its really what you want to do, you will know a week into training.
I can tell you this, I have never seen anyone work at it for a year, and then quit. If you do this, and it sticks, you never look back. Its been almost 7 years for me, and I almost cant remember the last job other than railroading that I had.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

Brian [:)]

I know how you feel. This last Sunday afternoon I submitted an online app with UP. They have train service listed in North Little Rock where I live. One of our quality control inspectors is now in class learning the rules and such. I talked to him during his last few days at work and he told me that the railroads like people who came from aviation so I am hoping to get on with them. The aviation field is either feast or famine and unforunately right now it is famine. My hours have been cut to only 32 a week. So I really would enjoy the change of pace and also the job as a whole. And I am sure the money situation would not be down and up as much as in the aviation field. Like most every young boys dream--I too wanted to be an engineer.

If I get the job it would be switching at first and then as the opportunity arose over the road train service. I am hoping, and praying.

I wish you the best of luck. Keep us posted.

Don't be afraid to email me I love hearing from railroaders and railfans.

[JoeKoh]

Jim
keep us posted as well
stay safe
joe

[Anonymous]

Jhhtrainsplains and automobiles: Look at BNSF's website. They are STILL hiring! Last count was 18 terminals. I can't hold half of these terminals right now, but, so what. Transfer closer to home. Be ware of primary recall locations!!!! You will be married to that local for 5 years.
Ken

[jrw249]

What do you mean by saying you cant hold half these terminals?

[Anonymous]

I know about the aviation industry's feast or famine. During one of the famine times, I hired some engineers that had been laid off from the industry. They were excellent engineers and I had them in responsible positions. Then came a feast time and these guys were gone in a flash leaving me flat. At the next famine time, I was once again bombarded by resumes, they all went in the round file. I've never hired out of the aviation industry since.

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Scottydog

I know about the aviation industry's feast or famine. During one of the famine times, I hired some engineers that had been laid off from the industry. They were excellent engineers and I had them in responsible positions. Then came a feast time and these guys were gone in a flash leaving me flat. At the next famine time, I was once again bombarded by resumes, they all went in the round file. I've never hired out of the aviation industry since.

Pops is right. Those aviation types are worthless....and I should know, my wife's married to one.

[Anonymous]

Scottydog

Trust me if I get on with the railroad I'm staying there. I either want to retire railroading or win the lottery, whichever comes first.

[Anonymous]

Hey Mr Harmon, I didn't say they were worthless, they were some of the best I ever had but I guess designing power plants is not as exciting as dreaming up the next fighter or space shuttle or even the next giant passenger plane. So you see, your wife had the right idea, at least she has a stronger hold on her aviation guy than I had with mine.

[Anonymous]

JRW249, what I mean is that they are hiring guys now that are well over 1200 seniority spots behind me. For example, they just hired in Edgemont, SD. I cannot work there, they have guys above me furloughed. The latest hires there are approx 1100 people behind me in seniority. You cannot work in a terminal if there is somebody ahead of you in seniority furloughed. That means that I cannot hold there. There are some of these small terminals that I can hold, but it is only by a few spots. So if they were to cut any boards at all, I would be cut off. Now the bigger terminals are a different story, I can hold quite well in most. The reason that I mention the problem with smaller terminals is to warn these guys trying to hire in them that the likelyhood of them working there after class is poor. They would most likely have to transfer to work. Hope that I explained this well.
Ken

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Scottydog

Hey Mr Harmon, I didn't say they were worthless, they were some of the best I ever had but I guess designing power plants is not as exciting as dreaming up the next fighter or space shuttle or even the next giant passenger plane. So you see, your wife had the right idea, at least she has a stronger hold on her aviation guy than I had with mine.

So offense taken......If I can't poke fun at myself, who else would? The Navy needed pilots real bad and I'm a real bad pilot. Or as flight engineers like to say.."Bad pilot. no banana."[:D]

[Anonymous]

I can't believe you're a bad pilot, you're still alive. When I was in the Navy they had a saying "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots" I would say I'm wondering about your sanity though. I once went thru' a carrier landing and immediately thought, "Guys who do this for a living must be nuts".

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Scottydog

I can't believe you're a bad pilot, you're still alive. When I was in the Navy they had a saying "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots" I would say I'm wondering about your sanity though. I once went thru' a carrier landing and immediately thought, "Guys who do this for a living must be nuts".

Ahem, that would be egotistical, self centered, narcissitic, good looking nuts to be correct. The mirror in our survival vests is not for signalling.

[edblysard]

See!
See!
I just knew someone else had the mirror!
Ed

[Anonymous]

One of the neat things about being a 'bubblehead', survival vests didn't count for much.

[wallyworld]

Don't give up.