Trainmaster

[wilmette2210]

Hi, I would like to know what a railroad trainmaster dose? Dose he supervise crews, agents, and yard masters? Finally do most hire off the street or promoted from with in?  Please let me know thank you. 

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Well, I suggest that you input "trainmaster and sectionid:111" - that's the Trains.com 'code number' for this General Discussion Forum - into the "Search our Community" box over in the right margin, and you should get about 119 pages of 1,188 referenced posts that contain the word "trainmaster" - such as -  

 http://cs.trains.com/trccs/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=trainmaster+and+sectionid%3a111&o=Relevance 

- one of which is captioned as "The Trainmaster's Duties" from this past April of 2010, which has 31 posts from 4 members, etc., as follows -  

  http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/172589/1894320.aspx#1894320 

That should be a good start for you.

- Paul North. 

 

[nbrodar]

My posting from the above referenced link, as well as, two other links to treads discussing trainmastering...

New to the Industry

Trainmastering

wslc8:

First, what is the primary responsibility for the Trainmaster? Does it vary depending on the Railroad?

The 1st or 2nd level field supervisor (depending on how you define the Yardmaster).  You are usually the lowest level company "officer"  The Trainmaster is responsible for EVERYTHING that happens on his territory during his tour of duty:

• On time departures
• Right car Right train
• Crew performance
• Locomotive utilization
• Customer service
• Crew starts and overtime
• and anything else you can think of

 

What skills are needed for a Trainmaster?

 

• the ability to lie (say what you want, the Trainmasters primary duty is to lie)
• you need to know the Rule Book inside and out
• know how switching is preformed
• good communication and interpersonal skills
• big shoulders - because everything is your fault (from both the crew side and the upper management side.

What situations can a Trainmaster find themselves in? What are the day-to-day operations of a Trainmaster?

What don't you find yourself in:

• giving rules classes
• diffusing crew conflicts
• handling customer issues
• responding to derailments, injuries, trespasser strikes, etc
• monitoring performance metrics  
• making sure you have enough locomotives and crews to run your trains
• you are also likely to be the company's "face" at a grade crossing accident or high profile derailment
• conducting company investigations - read trials.

Are there any current or former Trainmasters on this list that offer some insight?

If there is anything more one could add to this type of position or just tips on interviewing for the railroad I would really appreciate it.

Thanks for the help.

 

Run!  Fast!  and Far away!  Trainmaster was the worst job I had.

Direct hiring as a Trainmaster is probably the worst thing you can do...

• You have nothing to fall back on if you screw up...I have both yardmaster and train service rights, and ended up falling back on my yardmaster rights, after refusing to take a transfer.
• While there are always exceptions...direct hire Trainmasters are generally ridiculed and despised by the crews - you know nothing but the Rule Book, and can't switch a car to save your life.
• Be prepared live on the railroad...I worked 12 and 14 hour days five and six days a week. There were many a time my phone rang at 3am, because the Trainmaster on duty needed back up. But this is railroad life in general. 
• Think about your family...expect a transfer every two years or so.   Be prepared to spend a lot of time away from them. My wife threatened to divorce me, if I took the transfer to Twin Sticks.

 You can probably guess, I'm not enamored with being a Trainmaster.   However, service as a Trainmaster is almost always a prerequisite for any higher level position.  If you ever want to hold a position above the Terminal level, you have to do your time as a Trainmaster first.

Nick