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1st Week of training..my thoughts...long

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All of your "training" is really the result of some yahoo in a pine-panelled office dreaming up some humbug to justify his phoney-baloney job. When I went braking over 30 years ago, I took three student trips and was marked up. That was IT! From there it was on-the-job training. Of course back then, there were two switchmen, an engineer, a foreman, and even a fireman on occassion. There were plenty of people to keep an eye on the "new guy". BTW, they let you get on/off moving equipment once or twice; that's no where near enough. I've seen new guys get off with their back facing the movment! That's a sure way to end up on your keester. Or worse. Know that most of the time you will be alone on the ground, depending on your engineer, and maybe with a trainee following you like the proverbial shadow. You're quickly going to figure out what is really important from your training, and what is "humbug". There is an excellent chance your engineer will have only a little more experience than you. Your instructors may be trying to make you feel like "railroaders", but you have quite a ways to go before you get there. Don't be ashamed of your inexperience, and don't pretend to know more than you do; the worst mistake you can make is to present yourself to other crewmen as more knowledgable than you are. If they don't know you, they may take your word for it. From there it's trouble for all of the crew. You're green; tell them you're green. But after all that, I hope you have a long, prosperous career in the railroad industry. It's been very good to me.
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