if your T&E service...
pros...
beats working in a factory or an office all day...each trip is differnt even if your going over the same miles of rails time and time agin...
the money isnt to bad for just needing a high school deploma or GED as the min educational reqirements
most and i stress MOST of the time you are left to do the work..without bosses beathing down your neck...
haveing thousands of horsepower at your fingertips and being able to safely control the largest moving land vehical on the planet is a nice rush...
benifits package isnt bad...
retierment pention isnt bad so far
cons...
never knowing when your comeing and going to work being on call just about every day of the week 24 hours a day... (yard jobs locals and some assigned pools aside.. if you have the senority to hold one of them..then you have a set work scheucal)....
not being able to kick back and have a alcohoic beverage of some kind due to not knowing when your
working in all kinds of weather at all times of the year.....
being stuck at a hotel at the other end of the road getting bed sores becouse the powers to be put you to bed to protect a train that is days way....
haveing to worry about breaking some obscure opporting rule and being suspended...
have to have 30 years of service and 60 years of age to get a full pention when you retire...
missing out of alot of family and personal functions due to haveing to work....
will wreck your social life..see above agin...
those are just a few i can think of off the top of my head
csx engineer
Working on a railroad isn't that bad. Without getting into specifics about certain jobs (yard switcher, road jobs etc... not conductor vs engineeer) I'll give you a brief run down...
The BEST pro, by far, is the retirement. You don't have to worry about Social Security, but investing in a private retirement for yourself outside off the RRB is a good idea. Off the top of my head, it's something like 90% of the first 710$ you make, then 35% of anything over that amount and under another, etc. RRB is going to be sustained for atleast another 25 years, and that's fine with me You do get to travel alot depending on the road you work for. Working for a short-line you may only see the same stretch of track each night, unless there are multiple jobs out of your home termnial. The sunrise and sunsets are beautiful, and you cann see alot of "scenery" during the summer if you catch my drift..
Two of the hardest things that you'll encounter as a RR employee are the work schedule and the weather. The last few nights for me have been nothing but POURING RAIN. I'm not talking light rains or the occasional shower, but full-blown DOWN POURS. And no, there's not getting out of the work. It has to be done by someone.
The scheduling can suck. If you've got crew-callers that need you RIGHT AWAY after your rest, well, don't look for any time off. The first three months I worked for a railroad I was on-off-on-off consecutively that whole time with only one or two days off a month to do "my stuff".
Now the next two points are the ones you should follow, closely.
When I first started with the railroad, my engineer was an old-hog that had been around the block many years. He worked for the CV while under control of CN, the NECR, and now for my current employer. A direct quote from him, and it stands true today, "You're an idiot if you think you want to make a career in train service. There are hundreds of better jobs in the industry, and being a train service employee is not one of them".
This applies to the leaches trainmasters, bloodsuckers Operations Managers, etc. There are many other jobs that you'll get farther in without having to spend time below someones desk to get promoted... or to have a job that everyone hates you for.
And part two... Working for the railroad is exactly that, work. Don't mix "work" and "pleasure" (model railroading). There's always that one guy who has to carry around the Walthers catalogue with him, and takes photos of EVERYTHING he encounters. All you hear from him is talk about model trains or what type of engine Train XYZ used and the difference between yours, etc. KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF. A model railroader? No problem. But don't mix work and pleasure. You're gonna get some ribbing if they find out... "Oh you buffy" or "FNT" (Effing Train Nut).. etc. Be ready for it.
But if you have to be one of these guys that has to go standing on the platform of an engine and take pictures of yourself wearing your railroad ball cap, safety glasses, and ear plugs... Well.. don't bother. If you're going to be more concerned about getting to "play engineer" like certain young railroad employees that post on various internet forums, then don't bother... That stuff will make you a joke.
This space reserved for SpaceMouse's future presidential candidacy advertisements
Yikes..the best part of the job is the retirement? I hope not....It is so sad to see people marking time for the day they nolonger have to work..That day may never come. The best part of the job should be the day to day activities... if not..then it is time for another career.
That wise old engineer who said that train service is not a career has it wrong...Not everything can be about promotion and getting ahead. Some people can be happy without aiming for the next rung on the ladder... BE HAPPY with or without the promotion because in the end we all croak and that promotion doesn't matter.
The T&E guys have done a great job pointing out the pros and cons of railroading in the field. As for dispatching....
PROS:
Climate controlled office with an 8hour work shift and a minimum of 15 hours between shifts unless you're on a Chief's job.
For strategy/logistics geeks like myself dispatching is fun and challenging at times trying to make everything work.
There's a lot of power/control at my fingertips. I point on the screen and can throw switches, line signals, and determine how to make train meets and who gets preference.
Just like T&E, each day is different and something unexpected has a way of popping up out of nowhere.
Working with a great group of T&E, Signals, and MofW folk that make it possible for me to do my job of moving trains; without these great professionals nothing would move.
CONS:
Being stuck in the middle of the never-ending fight between operations management and maintainence of way. The OPS officers want me to move trains and basically never stop them. However, there's this thing called keeping the physical plant in operable condition. I tend to side with the MofW guys and let them look at the track, change rails, weld, etc. as much as possible. I'm not worried about delaying locals and freights for a little bit to make sure they stay on the rail.
Dealing with yardmasters who think that the mainline is an extension of their yard. When it comes to yardmasters in my experience, they are either great or a pain in my rear. Some yardmasters seem to be able handle anything thrown their way, while others will stop the world for pesky stuff. The biggest thing for me is communication. The more the yardmaster is willing to talk to me and work with the better off things are.
Mental stress is a biggie. Everyone handles this one differently. Some dispatchers get bent out of shape over everything and need the chief's help for everything. Other's quietly work their way through the nastiest of messes and don't even act phased by it. I'm definitely in between. I would say I get frustrated more than stressed. Locomotive breakdowns are WAY TOO COMMON, and can really twist my RR into a knot quick.
Overall,
Working for the RR has been the best career move for me. I take pride in my work and am paid very well for what I do. I have great benefits, and other than a little problem here or there I couldn't be happier.
I've been a railroader for 10 years. Conductor, RCO Operator, Training Conductor/RCO Operator, Yardmaster, and Trainmaster.
It's a tough life. I've missed countless Birthdays, Thanksgivings, and Chirstmases. I've had rocks thrown at me, and been shot at. I've walked trains, in the dead of night, blazing sun, pouring rain, and driving snow. I've seen 2 co-worked injured so baddly, they can't return to work. 10 others had time-loss injuries, but have returned to work. And worst of all, I've buried one co-worker killed on the job.
I've also made a lot of money. For the most part, I work with a great bunch of guys, who when the chips are down, will give you the shirt off thier back. We really are a family. And there's nothing like the feeling of seeing the little kids waving as you go by.
Be wary of your reputation. Railroaders gossip worse then old women. Not everyone will know your face, but everyone, and I mean everyone will know your reputation.
You don't have to kiss the Yardmasters, Trainmasters, and Dispatchers tooshies. But being on good terms with them can prevent a lot of headaches.
Know your rules and union agreement. And know what the jobs do. If you don't know, don't be afraid to ask questions. Better to look stupid by for asked the question, then to do something really stupid, because you didn't know and didn't ask.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
You know Nick, my Dad could have written your post! He was an engineer when he retired in the early 80's after 40+ years of service. He is having his 91st birthday this September. So obviously the hard work on the railroad didn't kill him.
He had a good reputation through all those years, said he always became a railroader because it was the best job pay-wise in the 40's (he was 2nd generation) but was very glad to retire and get away from the day-to-day strain of working on the railroad.
His life and philosophy mirrors yours.
Mookie
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
MTB wrote:Hats off to you folks that work for the railroads. How in the world do you make and keep appointments? (doctor.dentist, car repair, etc)
I am a engineer the pros are the pay for the amount of work i do not do (I used to work in a steel mill), I work a assigned 6 day a week job which means I know all 6 days when I go to work.
cons see above.
Rodney
I just finished a 30-year career yesterday and will have a good pension. For what it's worth, the CPR/D&H at Saratoga, NY was an excellent, and is still a good place to work, with good employees, at least half of whom like trains as a pastime. Best job and best people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. It will be a bit hard to gain seniority past the extra board now, but they are planning on hiring a couple of more classes. See the official CPR website. CPR is not the best organized outfit on the block, but their mistakes will always fill your pockets with money.
For anyone who is interested, don't delay. Seniority is the name of the game and the more you have, the happier you'll be. And from a past bad experience, I would not work for non-union railroads (commonly called scab railroads by we union workers), where new people off the street often get better jobs and make more money than those who have been there 20 years or more.
Bob Yarger
I'm not a railroader (yet) but one con I was told when Job Shadowing, is this (and it was told to me about as bluntly): That one day, your going to kill someone. In the line of work, your likely to kill several people. And whether or not it's your fault, the question is how you cope.
-Morgan
Ulrich wrote:Yikes..the best part of the job is the retirement? I hope not....It is so sad to see people marking time for the day they nolonger have to work..That day may never come. The best part of the job should be the day to day activities... if not..then it is time for another career.
I agree.
bobyar2001 wrote: I just finished a 30-year career yesterday and will have a good pension. For what it's worth, the CPR/D&H at Saratoga, NY was an excellent, and is still a good place to work, with good employees, at least half of whom like trains as a pastime. Best job and best people I've ever had the pleasure to work with. It will be a bit hard to gain seniority past the extra board now, but they are planning on hiring a couple of more classes. See the official CPR website. CPR is not the best organized outfit on the block, but their mistakes will always fill your pockets with money.For anyone who is interested, don't delay. Seniority is the name of the game and the more you have, the happier you'll be. And from a past bad experience, I would not work for non-union railroads (commonly called scab railroads by we union workers), where new people off the street often get better jobs and make more money than those who have been there 20 years or more. Bob Yarger
I'm a 13-year veteran with CPRS (plus 1 1/2 years with IAIS). For me, the big con in the first few years was the lack of seniority and working on 3rd shift both Saturday and Sunday night. Coming into downtown Minneapolis on Saturday night and seeing people out having fun while you were going in to work was tough sometimes. These days, I'm lucky enough to be holding a regular Monday thru Friday job with normal hours in Accts. Receivable.
Bob, FWIW, all those Saturday and Sunday nights on 3rd shift (plus 2nds on a lot of weekdays) I normally worked the NEUS (D&H) desk while I was in the Customer Service Team and knew a lot of the guys out in Binghamton and Saratoga.
This is second hand but my parents thought RR work was the best.
Mom was 3rd generation Frisco, worked in General Office as a keypuncher and she got paid better than any woman working in office outside the RR industry. She quit when she married my Dad, who started out as freight handler, then yard clerk and then inside clerk. He never finished high school and had a good paying job that he loved. He died before he had a chance to retire, but Mom lived 20 years longer on her small RR retirement check and widow's benefit from Dad. Together, she made considerably more than SS would have paid.
It sounds like conditions are tougher today. Dad died in 1973 when Frisco was still alive & well. A classmate of mine just retired as switchman and he saw many changes, mostly downhill. Constant yard supervision and not the relaxed pace it was when his dad worked there.
I work on the engineering side on system gangs. Generally I work 8 days on with 7 days off although the days off can be misleading if I'm working 1,500 miles from home because I spend too much of my off time driving to and from the work place. I might only have four real days off AND I'm putting 6,000-7,000 miles on my vehicle every month and I'm only getting 25 cents a mile when the national average is 48 cents a mile.
We like the money and the benefits are very good. My wife has had three surgeries in the last 20 months and we've paid almost nothing for them. However, I was also on the road for all three of her surgeries. When I'm close to home the days off are like having two vacations every month. I miss a lot when I'm traveling because I'm on the road more than half the year, but when I'm home it's a lot longer than the weekend that most people get. You also have to work and travel in all kinds of weather. It's not fun sitting on an unheated machine and being unable to move for hours on end in January when the wind chill is -20. Working in the rain is no cup of tea either.
You also have to be able to get along with other people because you will work all sorts of different types of people. You'll work with every type of person imagineable and some of them ARE going to offend you. You have to let things slide if you want to survive.
Depending on the type of gang (Along with the foremen and supervisor) the work can be extremely easy or it can be extremely hard. Some gangs go easy on their guys and some gangs try to work their guys to death even though machines can do most of the work. Of course the older I get the harder the work gets for a me. I'm certainly not going to leave the railroad because the money and benfits are too good to give up.
I enjoyed every minute of working on the railroad. I hired as a trainman and was promoted to a road conductor in freight service after two years. After many years in freight I flowed over to passenger service with Amtrak where I retired as a conductor in 2012. The worst part of working freight was sleeping in the bunk houses in the early years and being on the extra list.
I left freight and went to passenger service so I could be home everynight. I spent the first 15 years of my career on the extra list which I enjoyed.
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