I need your advice and opinions! I stutter. Please ALL railroaders read this!

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,
I have written to you in the past about the fact that I have a desire (that will never die) to work on the railroad, but I do have a little stutter. For years I have never accepted the thought it would keep me from my dream. In recent weeks I have been working wth the state (who has bought me a device to help me reduce this problem) to attend the BNSF trainning school in Kansas to get hired on. I have made calls to who ever I could, sent in applications, and visited yard offices for 4 years without any luck. I am 24 years old. Now I try for this and I call the instuctor to ask a few questions, and I ask "Will my stuttering be a major factor?" He told me that It will be a factor as of passing the probation period and you have to repeat directives to the dispatcher in a fast paced enviorment and it is a factor for the safety of myself and others. Here is what I think. I believe that after getting out there and doing it I will become better each day and I do not stutter to the extreme that a single word can not come out. I know I can do it and that it will not be an issue. I have heard of others who are in trainservice and stutter. This is my dream and carrer goal and the good lord does not give us a desire without full filling it. I never plan to give up but I am tired and starting to wonder if everyone is right, that I can't do it. I have gone on enough but I will be happy to talk with any of you to show you. Just let me know but please give me your thoughts and opinions...if your a manager for a railroad, a chance. I look forward to any help and advice you all have.
Thank you and god bless.

Brian

[Junctionfan]

I'm not a professional in the field of medicine but; can you coach yourself to avoid stuttering? I think there is therapy for that too.

A friend of mine has a slight stuttering problem that he eventually has over come. Good luck and hope you can get a job with the railroad.[:)]

Andrew

[Anonymous]

Hello Brian,

I had a stutter when I was a kid. I am 61 now. With hind sight, I now realise there was a psychological element, my father!! We as a family had gone out to New Zealand in 1949 to join the old man who was out there on a construction project. In 1953 the call came to return to the UK. By this time my younger brother and I had NZ speech patterns, which irritated the old man like you would not believe. However in NZ it was less of a problem.

Back in the UK, I was marked as different when I started school in NW London. First day, first fight. Where I had the advantage however is that in NZ there was no rationing, unlike the UK so I was bigger. In NZ, kids would go out all day without parents worrying like nowadays, so we got up to all kinds of adventures, building tree houses and swings etc. The mind set then was that you stood up and fought for what was yours and boxing was how you did it. You would scrap most days and come home dirty and happy and nobody made a fuss. Kids were free to explore and play.

So there I was, early September at school with kids jeering at me. Later, I discovered that fights or "Bundles" as they were called started with kids barging one another before grappling one another. It was about signalling intentions. In NZ you put up your fists, so on this occasion the kid I went for had no clue about what was next. I stepped close and lashed out. All over! Turned round. Silence. Headmasters office.

That school was not great but I did ok. In order to fit in I consciously altered my accent and this process caused my stutter to disappear. The old man also approved up to a point, That was less important to me as by now I knew who I was. Stutters can have some physical attributes but mainly have an unconscious element. It is probably your mind playng tricks on you. The more stress, the worse the stutter, so analyse your feelings all the time. Decide how you want to feel. Smile and dump your mental reservations. Say what you want to say calmly and distinctly. Change you accent, Ennunciate. My boys are 21, 16 and 13 and have lousy speech patterns. That is what growing up in NW London will do. Estuary English. Common as muck. That is the level of some their friends, so that is how they speak. It does not do for me. My voice earns my income. I talk to people. I am a salesman. I persuade people that the idea in my head is good enough for them to use.

I know how to do what I do backwards. There is just me. My life, my family. I all depends on me talking to people who want to talk with me. Simple. Do not hassle yourself. Know what you want to say and say it. Talk only 1/3 of the time and be a brilliant listener. People love that. Smile, nod your head, be confident, look at people, make eye contact, reinvent youself and the stutter will leave. Trust me. Do this. What have you got to lose?

Well, your stutter--- obviously!

Best of British,

Perry

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your replies. Please everyone....keep them comming. Remember there might be a little boy out there who stutters that has the same dream I have and I pray for him for what he has in store in front of him. Us stutters have a big disadvantage and we have to fight for what we want.

[Anonymous]

My mom studered when she was younger but she is 54 now and she does not even studer. She was a secratary when she was younger and that got her to stop. If you can not work for the railroad right now try to work for another company that you have to talk some and then when you have accomplished not to sturder as much take a shot for the railroad. Hope you accomplish your dream and work for the railroad. I have the same dream for when I am older.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!

I have been in contact with a engineer who runs out of Needles, CA and he has said the stutter will have no impact what so ever. He has to work with guys who speak fine but freak out on the radio. Some conductors have the engineer talk to dipatch for them.
Right now I am waiting for BNSF to hire in a location other than LA! If nothing comes up I will go to their training school in Kansas...FREE paid by the state of AZ.

[Anonymous]

Congrats RailroaderBMeyer, glad its working out for ya.

[Fergmiester]

Brian

Don't let the stutter get in your way I know and have known several people who stutter and they are in some pretty lofty positions. The Mayor of Halifax for one, one of our senior Fleet Chief Engineers, who's also spent time as Fleet Safety Superintendent is another. He has a severe stutter that he has never overcome, yet he's one of most respected and highly thought of people. The next time you here "This is CNN" and you recognize the voice of Darth Vader, remember, he too use to have a stutter.

All the best, because you're not alone as many a good and even great person has had a disability they overcame.

Regards
Fergie

[Anonymous]

Don't just focus on train service with BNSF. If you get your foot in the door in any position you can easily transfer to trainservice when an opening occurs. Employees who currently work for the railroad would have first opportunity to work in train service over new hires. So find out if anything is available that you might qualify for and consider those jobs as well as the one you are seeking. I know of several people that entered train and engine service that have worked in clerical and rail gang positions.

Also, I wouldn't focus on the stutter when talking to the railroad. It's good to be honest but you shouldn't let the good qualities you have get overlooked by the stutter. Just let them know that with time the stutter should not be a hinderance to the job you are required to do and that you are capable of working on reducing or eliminating the deficiency over time. A positive outlook will go a long way at the interview. Mention that you are aware of the long hours, hard work, days away from home, assignments out of town, potential layoffs, all of which you can handle with ease.

Some guys just don't like using the radio at all, so I would think you would find that like them, there are ways to get around frequent use of transmitting from the cab. Most engineers will work with their conductor. Yard service might be a little tougher, but you will find a way to work it out.

Engineers out of Needles work the road in both directions with Barstow to the west and Winslow to the east and with the CTC double track rarely have need to ever get on the radio unless something unusual comes up. That's true of most of the BNSF double track lines. With the BNSF spread out over so many states there are several division points that offer great working conditions for train employees.

[joseph2]

I am 52 and have stammered since I was 10. I guess I do it less now then when I was young ---perhaps in my old age I have forgotten i am supposed to do it. I work in a grain elevators rail yard,normally as a brakeman or engineer. I stammer less on a radio or phone then in real life.It helps if I sound my way thru a word . What the other workers don't like are our two brakeman who talk so fast we have to keep asking them to repeat their message. Joe G.

[Anonymous]

railroaderbmeyer, call me whenever possible. 361-633-9515. Would you be willing to work in Texas or Minnesota? T.R.Pool

[Anonymous]

I have a friend who is a police officer. He stutters slightly. The only time it becomes a factor is when he's stressed, such as during a chase or high-risk scenario. When I say " a factor" I only mean it becomes a bit more pronounced. It does not hinder him from doing his job effectively. He has worked to overcome it by practising. It's really not an issue in his work. Conversely, I know some guys who get so worked up just using the radio they become blathering idiots. Pursue your dream and good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Check this website. I don't know if it's of any use to you. I just saw it advertised.
http://www.stutteringcontrol.com

[Anonymous]

UPDATE!!!! OCT.23,2004
The device on stutteringcontrol.com, I have. I got it through the state. Very expensive. My main thing is getting over a 20 year habit! I just applied for a trainservice job in NE. I will keep you all posted.
Thank you for all the help. Us rail fans have to stick together.

[Anonymous]

BMeyer, I'm glad you're getting help here.
Just a thought, but have you ever played around with CB radios?
It might be an inexpensive way to practice just the kind of communications the RRs would require.