Do Train crews travel around a lot???

[Anonymous]

I am just curious if once a train conducter is hired for a certain location to work a certain route, is that pretty much his home terminal for his entire career with the railroad, or is it common for him to get moved around to different routes or terminals depending on the railroads needs? Or lets say as a conducter you want to live in Whitefish and work the Kootnei Sub(Using BNSF as example), but when you hire on with the railway they have no openings for the specific route or lcation you want, is it possible to hire on and work a different terminal and then transfer to the location you want when a position becomes available and then would you have preference over people who have not yet been hired by the railroad for that location? Thanks for any help on answering these questions.

[Anonymous]

I am just curious if once a train conducter is hired for a certain location to work a certain route, is that pretty much his home terminal for his entire career with the railroad, or is it common for him to get moved around to different routes or terminals depending on the railroads needs? Or lets say as a conducter you want to live in Whitefish and work the Kootnei Sub(Using BNSF as example), but when you hire on with the railway they have no openings for the specific route or lcation you want, is it possible to hire on and work a different terminal and then transfer to the location you want when a position becomes available and then would you have preference over people who have not yet been hired by the railroad for that location? Thanks for any help on answering these questions.

[Anonymous]

I dont know about freight train crew's, but when i was on amtrak,the crew, i had on coast star light, north from L.A.,. to seattle ,was crew # 4, & if I asked when i made my next trip, i could fine out when crew # 4 was working from seattle to L.A., The number one passenger conductor, for amtrak's whole system, works,from L.A., to someplace in north california,then gets off & waits for sourth-bound train,this was in,middle of 2000.

[Anonymous]

I dont know about freight train crew's, but when i was on amtrak,the crew, i had on coast star light, north from L.A.,. to seattle ,was crew # 4, & if I asked when i made my next trip, i could fine out when crew # 4 was working from seattle to L.A., The number one passenger conductor, for amtrak's whole system, works,from L.A., to someplace in north california,then gets off & waits for sourth-bound train,this was in,middle of 2000.

[Anonymous]

When I hired on at CN Rail. If you could not hold at your terminal you could go on shortage to another terminal. To get the terminal you want to work at you had to build enough seniority to hold there. Hold is how much seniority one has. Seniority list are established at the terminal leave and regional list with everone who is a member of that union. The main union are UTU and BLET( formerly know as BLE). Those who are working as locomotive engineer currently, but in the future do not have enough seniority drop back down to working as trainmen or conductor paying (maintaining due to UTU).

[Anonymous]

When I hired on at CN Rail. If you could not hold at your terminal you could go on shortage to another terminal. To get the terminal you want to work at you had to build enough seniority to hold there. Hold is how much seniority one has. Seniority list are established at the terminal leave and regional list with everone who is a member of that union. The main union are UTU and BLET( formerly know as BLE). Those who are working as locomotive engineer currently, but in the future do not have enough seniority drop back down to working as trainmen or conductor paying (maintaining due to UTU).

[Anonymous]

I thought this is how it worked, a crew would drive a train to one end of the line, then they would stay at a hotel/motel, then they will get on another train and drive it back to were they live.

[Anonymous]

I thought this is how it worked, a crew would drive a train to one end of the line, then they would stay at a hotel/motel, then they will get on another train and drive it back to were they live.

[jeffhergert]

It is possible to transfer from one seniority district to another under certain conditions. I don't think it happens a lot because you start your seniority for bidding and bumping purposes in most cases.
When one district is short, and another district may have people cut off (furloughed) the railroad may offer permanent transfers. Sometimes they may have temporary "borrow outs" to short handed districts and usually you have to return to your home district in about 6 months or they consider you transfered to the new district.
You also may find someone who wants to trade seniority. In this case you don't start all over at the bottom of the list, but I'm not sure if you just trade spots. I've read different versions and all of the above depends a lot on the railroads and the labor agreements.
Also, at least where I work, the seniority districts are bigger, consolidated from years past. My district on the UP in Iowa covers the road/yard terminals of Boone, Clinton, Des Moines, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Eagle Grove, Marshalltown plus the yard terminal of Beverly/Cedar Rapids. The last is the only one not to originate any road jobs. Crews operating trains to Beverly/Cedar Rapids usually taxi back home or to the respective away from home terminal.
When the UP places ads saying the respective home terminal, you may not at first be able to hold the terminal you interviewed and were hired at. It depends on seniority and where the big need is at the moment.
Jeff

[jeffhergert]

It is possible to transfer from one seniority district to another under certain conditions. I don't think it happens a lot because you start your seniority for bidding and bumping purposes in most cases.
When one district is short, and another district may have people cut off (furloughed) the railroad may offer permanent transfers. Sometimes they may have temporary "borrow outs" to short handed districts and usually you have to return to your home district in about 6 months or they consider you transfered to the new district.
You also may find someone who wants to trade seniority. In this case you don't start all over at the bottom of the list, but I'm not sure if you just trade spots. I've read different versions and all of the above depends a lot on the railroads and the labor agreements.
Also, at least where I work, the seniority districts are bigger, consolidated from years past. My district on the UP in Iowa covers the road/yard terminals of Boone, Clinton, Des Moines, Mason City, Fort Dodge, Eagle Grove, Marshalltown plus the yard terminal of Beverly/Cedar Rapids. The last is the only one not to originate any road jobs. Crews operating trains to Beverly/Cedar Rapids usually taxi back home or to the respective away from home terminal.
When the UP places ads saying the respective home terminal, you may not at first be able to hold the terminal you interviewed and were hired at. It depends on seniority and where the big need is at the moment.
Jeff