Meet your next Remote Qualified Conductor........

[Anonymous]

Hello all!

Just thought I'd update you with my new endeavor. Being that my wife is pregnant and our first child will be due in mid January I have been looking for a way to be closer to home. Fortunately there were bids open on RCO training at my local terminal. I start class Monday morning and will train for a few weeks. Then I can work in the yard and be home every day/night!!!!! I'm not a fan of remotes, but it may be the only way to survive the winter furlough. Now it's time to go to my basement and start practicing on my layout and do some switching, LOL![:p]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

Hello all!

Just thought I'd update you with my new endeavor. Being that my wife is pregnant and our first child will be due in mid January I have been looking for a way to be closer to home. Fortunately there were bids open on RCO training at my local terminal. I start class Monday morning and will train for a few weeks. Then I can work in the yard and be home every day/night!!!!! I'm not a fan of remotes, but it may be the only way to survive the winter furlough. Now it's time to go to my basement and start practicing on my layout and do some switching, LOL![:p]

You need to do what is right for you and your family. Don't worry about others...

Based upon my own very limited experience with RCL, be careful with it. Go slow and learn it right. Don't hurry yourself...

LC

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

Now it's time to go to my basement and start practicing on my layout and do some switching, LOL![:p]

Throttle momentum switch - ON!

[Anonymous]

I did RCL training in 2003 on BNSF. I was forced to it , so I had no choice. I do not like it and I relocated 700 miles to hold a road position so I would not have to do it. Be carefull with it. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Stephenson,
Good luck and be careful. Yep. Do for the family first. Having kids made me get off the railroad entirely (amongst other reasons.)
I don't like the notion of remote control account there's no one to tell jokes to or call names!
Mitch

[JoeKoh]

Good luck.(and congrats by the way)
stay safe
Joe

[csxengineer98]

taking another job from an engineer....thank you UTU...
csx engineer

[Rick Gates]

Nathan, congratulations on your expanding family! Do what you have to do workwise; you can't raise a family by remote. Does this mean that come January we will reply to "D Stephenson" (Daddy)?[tup] Keep up the good work . I wish you the best in you continued training also.

[edblysard]

Nat,
Congratulations, do you guys know if it a boy, or a girl?
Or you just going for "pot luck"?

Do what you have to as far as the RCO, if it keeps you employeed and close to home, great....

Good luck, but man, I hope you and your wife know what you in for!!![:0]

Ed

[wabash1]

another scab.

[cherokee woman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

Hello all!

Just thought I'd update you with my new endeavor. Being that my wife is pregnant and our first child will be due in mid January I have been looking for a way to be closer to home. Fortunately there were bids open on RCO training at my local terminal. I start class Monday morning and will train for a few weeks. Then I can work in the yard and be home every day/night!!!!! I'm not a fan of remotes, but it may be the only way to survive the winter furlough. Now it's time to go to my basement and start practicing on my layout and do some switching, LOL![:p]

Congratulations on the baby-to-be!! Like the others have said, do what you have to
do for the good of your family. May God bless you with many blessings, and may you
all be happy and content. [ange]

[ValleyX]

You just got turned loose as a conductor recently and now you're going to operate remote control. I know that's the way it's done but it still isn't right, I'll never be convinced, even though I know you are doing what you have to do, know all about having a child on the way and working the road. At my best, I hope you don't make the headlines!

[CSXrules4eva]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

Hello all!

Just thought I'd update you with my new endeavor. Being that my wife is pregnant and our first child will be due in mid January I have been looking for a way to be closer to home. Fortunately there were bids open on RCO training at my local terminal. I start class Monday morning and will train for a few weeks. Then I can work in the yard and be home every day/night!!!!! I'm not a fan of remotes, but it may be the only way to survive the winter furlough. Now it's time to go to my basement and start practicing on my layout and do some switching, LOL![:p]

All man Congrats All the WAY!!! I hope eveything works out w/ ur RCL training. I personally haven't used the RCL since I don't work for a rr YET. I've been told it's by numorous engineers dat it's dangerous. So. . . be careful u family needs ya. I think it would be pretty kewl to opereate the RCL, it'll be like a computer game or something, exciting. GOOD LUCK.

[Anonymous]

To answer a few questions and comments....

We're leaving the gender of the baby a suprise, so yes Ed it will be "pot luck." Thanks everyone for your well wishes, as I am very nervous about being a father, heck I'm not that far out of the nest myself!!!!! In about a year to a year and a half my wife and I planning on moving to Indianapolis. I can hold about 17 of the 23 extraboard spots at Avon Yard. I can hold a couple road spots too, anybody know much about the Indy area or what the road/yard jobs are like???

As for the Remote Critics,etc. I know it's dangerous as I have been witness to several accidents already!! I'm only doing this out of neccessity more than anything else! I'd prefer working with an engineer any day, as I did Friday night in the yard. As I do with any work on the rails, I take it slow and I double check everything!!! If I don't get the work done, the next shift will. I'd prefer Remotes not be in existence, but at the moment I see it as a neccessary evil.

[Junctionfan]

Congradulations, best wishes to your family.

Remote control eh....sounds like a really cool but more expensive DCC layout.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Your willingness to use a new tool, even if reluctantly, is refreshing. I will concede that I work at a desk job, but even I had to have new work practices virtually forced down my throat. We all get too comfortable in the old methods and resist change.

Congratulations on your upcoming new arrival.

[Anonymous]

Over the past five days all our yard jobs (which are remote) have been coverted back to conventional jobs. I found out that one of the remotes down south went nuts and a yard cut with the remote attached took off on its own and no one could get it stopped so CSX temporarily suspended the Remote Program until the bug is fixed. I don't know if anyone else heard about that????

[csxengineer98]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

Over the past five days all our yard jobs (which are remote) have been coverted back to conventional jobs. I found out that one of the remotes down south went nuts and a yard cut with the remote attached took off on its own and no one could get it stopped so CSX temporarily suspended the Remote Program until the bug is fixed. I don't know if anyone else heard about that????

this is the first i heard of it...but that dont suprise me...csx buries bad information on RCLs so deep..that it takes an act of god for the details to come to light
csx engineer

[Anonymous]

Congradulations-

your going to have big thumbs after this!

[Anonymous]

Well, it's been a week on the Remote Training and I'm starting to get the hang of things. By no means am I fluent in remote operation, but I am having fun working days in the yard. Plus I get some more experience switching cars in the yard. Here's a link to the engine that we have hooked up to the Remote Unit, which is a converted flatcar with a hammer-head look to it with the remote equipment protected in a tower at the front end. This picture is of "Pearl" a GP-15 that has been refurbished and tuned up. She has some 3 inch Flowmasters put in and she really purrs, can pull about 4,000 tons on her own. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=59420

[Anonymous]

Here's a pic of the only caboose we have left at Danville that one of our remote jobs takes with them when they work the local industries.... http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=59415

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by n_stephenson

Here's a pic of the only caboose we have left at Danville that one of our remote jobs takes with them when they work the local industries.... http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=59415

Why would they tack a caboose on a remote controlled train? Cabooses were only there for accomodating train crewmembers, weren't they?

[ValleyX]

Caboose is there for a riding platform for long shoving moves. Not that rare to see a remote control operator riding a caboose platform.