Trainfan25 I'm not really interested in management..
I'm not really interested in management..
Yeah, but you're young yet.
Many people start out saying that, but change their minds later. I've known a guy that went into management because his terminal was losing a lot of jobs, so it was either go into management or be laid off. One of those options will help pay the bills, the other not so much so.
You're 15 - you don't have to worry about what to do with your railroad career right now. Just focus on your schoolwork and see what subjects interest you in the next year or 2. You may be surprised - it might just take one teacher in one subject to completely change your mind on how you perceive school.
Or not.
Hell, I'm almost 30 and still haven't decided if this RR thing is what I want to do the rest of my life.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
cptrainman Wow. So you want to be hog? Lots of good advice given so far but one consideration about lifestyle has not been mentioned yet (i think, i did not read all the posts here). There are one of two choices here. Choose to work the road or choose to work the yard. The road will give you a better pay check but the yard will give you better lifestyle. At first you wont have much choice, but after about 5 years you will get some choice. I choose the yard. I have a fixed time that I go to work 5 days a week and i know which 2 days i will be off every week. The days off are not always the weekend, but they are two days off. Go to college. If you ever want to be in management, then that is your ticket in.
Wow. So you want to be hog? Lots of good advice given so far but one consideration about lifestyle has not been mentioned yet (i think, i did not read all the posts here).
There are one of two choices here. Choose to work the road or choose to work the yard. The road will give you a better pay check but the yard will give you better lifestyle. At first you wont have much choice, but after about 5 years you will get some choice. I choose the yard. I have a fixed time that I go to work 5 days a week and i know which 2 days i will be off every week. The days off are not always the weekend, but they are two days off.
Go to college. If you ever want to be in management, then that is your ticket in.
zugmann John WR Finally, there will be people who will warn you that your have a romanticized idea of railroading; it is not what you think it is and ultimatedly you will be disappointed and turn away. Ignore them. Why? On this thread we have railroaders (that are interested in railroads) giving this young man some advice. Why should he ignore it? I think the advice he gets from the railroaders on here would be worth more than a railroad club or riding Amtrak. One of the only other pieces of advice to offer is be aware of your state's financial aid policies (if you need it). In Pennsylvania, if you didn't go to school in the fall immediately following your high school graduation, you would lose the opportunity for a lot of financial aid. Granted (heh) with all the turmoil in the country, financial aid and loans are getting harder to get, but still... something to think about. I know people always say "you can go back to school later". Well, that is true, but it isn't as easy as people make it sound.
John WR Finally, there will be people who will warn you that your have a romanticized idea of railroading; it is not what you think it is and ultimatedly you will be disappointed and turn away. Ignore them.
Finally, there will be people who will warn you that your have a romanticized idea of railroading; it is not what you think it is and ultimatedly you will be disappointed and turn away. Ignore them.
Why? On this thread we have railroaders (that are interested in railroads) giving this young man some advice. Why should he ignore it? I think the advice he gets from the railroaders on here would be worth more than a railroad club or riding Amtrak.
One of the only other pieces of advice to offer is be aware of your state's financial aid policies (if you need it). In Pennsylvania, if you didn't go to school in the fall immediately following your high school graduation, you would lose the opportunity for a lot of financial aid. Granted (heh) with all the turmoil in the country, financial aid and loans are getting harder to get, but still... something to think about. I know people always say "you can go back to school later". Well, that is true, but it isn't as easy as people make it sound.
Trainfan25:
I just finished surfing through this Thread. It contains some very grounded and sound advice. The only piece of advice I saw that I would question is JohnWR's above(the" Ignore it" omment.) JohnWR is absolutely entitled to his advicve and opinion, as is everyone else here!
Early on it was mentioned that you might consider getting your college under your belt. At your age 17>18 that is a pretty good piece of advice IMHO.
Once you have your college under your belt it is yours, no one can take that away from you. A college educated railroader has a wonderful opportunity with whatever railroad they work for; in whatever capacity they work in. See bio's on Hunter Harrison (CPR) and Wick Moorman (NS) to note a couple of men who climbed 'the ladder' with railroad careers.
Personally, I am glad I was able to earn my Degree. Freshman in 1968 ( Memphis State) Senior and graduated in 2007 (Pitt State in Ks). [ In between USMC/RVN, and lotsa miles, OTR. ] Tried like hell to get on with the ICRR, but need for glasses- killed that opportunity.
Admittedly, not everyone wants to even try college, There are many other good chances to make a good living without it. It is just so much easier as a young man to continue on and get it accomplished. It is a doorway to so much more for the individual to gain opportunities.
Think about the good advice that the Professionals, and Professional Railroad men have given you, freely, in this Thread. They don't give it out lightly, or too often. I wish you smooth roads, the wind at you back. Godspeed.
Ulrich Georgia Railroader Ulrich Are there usually more applicants than positions available or is it the opposite? I've read that some railroads have had trouble recruiting qualified people.. Usually way more applicants than positions. When I attended a hiring session for NS there were about 250 of us there trying to get a job. The number of interviews to be conducted that day, 50. The number hired, 20. The rr has people lining up out the door and down the block trying to get in. Well that's always a positive sign! We haven't had that on the trucking side in some 20 years. Hiring lines to get in...unheard of.
Georgia Railroader Ulrich Are there usually more applicants than positions available or is it the opposite? I've read that some railroads have had trouble recruiting qualified people.. Usually way more applicants than positions. When I attended a hiring session for NS there were about 250 of us there trying to get a job. The number of interviews to be conducted that day, 50. The number hired, 20. The rr has people lining up out the door and down the block trying to get in.
Ulrich Are there usually more applicants than positions available or is it the opposite? I've read that some railroads have had trouble recruiting qualified people..
Are there usually more applicants than positions available or is it the opposite? I've read that some railroads have had trouble recruiting qualified people..
Usually way more applicants than positions. When I attended a hiring session for NS there were about 250 of us there trying to get a job. The number of interviews to be conducted that day, 50. The number hired, 20. The rr has people lining up out the door and down the block trying to get in.
Well that's always a positive sign! We haven't had that on the trucking side in some 20 years. Hiring lines to get in...unheard of.
It also depends on where you're at and the local economic situation. Back before the economic downturn, the UP wasn't getting the numbers of applicants it used to in certain areas. They still usually had more applicants than openings, but more along the lines of 2 or 3 for every opening instead of 9 or 10.
Jeff
I would imagine as soon as you get back from Redi.
Ok I know its a little early to be talking about this but If I do hire on at CSX and I complete my training at REDI(CSX's training facility) When would I start working ?
Trainfan25 I do realize that the railroad isn't all fun and games. I see alot of people saying the railroad isn't a place for people who love trains. To me thats like saying don't be a veterinarian if you love animals. I think that if you can do your job responsibly and safely and have a liking for trains you can be successful.
I do realize that the railroad isn't all fun and games. I see alot of people saying the railroad isn't a place for people who love trains. To me thats like saying don't be a veterinarian if you love animals. I think that if you can do your job responsibly and safely and have a liking for trains you can be successful.
For sure. I love airplanes as much as or more than trains. Have yet to come to work unhappy even in the crappiest places in the world.
Adrianspeeder
USAF TSgt C-17 Aircraft Maintenance Flying Crew Chief & Flightline Avionics Craftsman
Some railroads have gone to larger seniority districts. (The BNSF has system seniority over part of their railroad for at least one of the TE&Y crafts.) I don't know about CSX, but you could hire out where you live, but not be able to hold a job there. The only place you might be able to hold at first could be a couple hundred miles away. It could take some time to be able to hold where you currently live. I live in central Iowa, but I grew up and lived in eastern Iowa before the railroad. They actually have a yard and jobs I might've been able, and now could hold where I used to live. Still I would've moved anyway. That terminal didn't have road jobs and I like working the road.
(Even when I was 15 and knew that I wanted to become a locomotive engineer, I knew it meant moving especially to work the area that I would've liked. It's just I expected to have to move to the Quad Cities area, not central Iowa.)
Railroading has been everything I've expected. But I also expected the hardships and the unattractive aspects, too. When I was your age I was able to get to know a bunch of Class 1 railroaders and to see how it worked from the inside in ways that in this day and age are no longer possible. My mark (expected time to go to work) tonight the last time I checked) was for about 230AM. When I tied up it was for 4AM and I'll keep watch because it could move again either way. Although I'd rather go to work at a different time, I accept that's the way the assignment I chose works. (Freight pool, AKA by some as the Chain Gang. Right now I'm alternating between a daylight round trip, then a nightime round trip.)
Most others are worried that you might find actual railroading unattractive and then what. While that's a possiblity, I'm more worried that you'll be like me at 15. You know what you want to the detriment of other plan B possiblities. I wanted to go to work out of high school too. My guidance counselor during my sophmore and 1st half of my junior year was the son of the Rock Island's System General Road Foreman of Engines, the top supervisor for locomotive engineers, for the company I wanted to work for. My GC himself had worked on the railroad during summer breaks while going to college. Everything seemed to be lining up, until life intervened.
The year before I graduated, the RI completely and the MILW mostly, quit operations. That put a lot of experienced people looking for work. Work that was becoming harder to find as the economy stalled. A few years later came the push for one, than no brakemen on most trains. (We don't have brakemen except a few locals and even most of them don't have them.) Add to that other railroad jobs also disappeared, mainly clerical ones. Throw in an economy where good jobs for people with no more than a HS diploma were disappearing, a back up plan would've been good. To be really stupid, I could've still went to college or some other trade type school, but I still had faith that I'd get lucky. So I never did.
Well I eventually did get lucky. There were a few close calls where I almost landed a railroad job beginning about 10 years after graduation (note that-10 years later) but it took a few more years before it finally worked out. I wasn't 15, nor 18 or even 25. I was 35. (There's a lot more to the story, but only a few people know everything. Maybe someday I'll tell it.) I don't completely regret the path I took, but I could've taken a different one and still got to where I am. Those 20 years between 15 and 35 could've been better in many ways. It's not that I want you to give up the dream of working on the railroad, just be prepared in case it doesn't happen on your schedule.
PS. Put me down as a confirmed railroader. I couldn't think of doing anything else now that I've been doing it for almost 14 years. Not that I don't have bad days or sometimes think I'd have been better off on a different railroad. (I could fill a couple of posts on that "Morons of Omaha" thread. Although to be fair, some things are because of Morons in DC.) Still the worst day on the railroad beats out the best day pre-railroad.
Trainfan25 Again I would like to thank you all for all of the helpful advice and answers. I just have a few more questions though How long does it take for a new hire to get used to the job? I ask that because I understand that it is a career that has to be taken seriously and any slip up could be catastrophic. A lot of railroaders on other forums that I've seen say its all about common sense on the railroad. When you do gain some seniority will you still be away from family a lot? I would like to one day start a family but I do realize that that is no easy task on the railroad.
Again I would like to thank you all for all of the helpful advice and answers. I just have a few more questions though How long does it take for a new hire to get used to the job? I ask that because I understand that it is a career that has to be taken seriously and any slip up could be catastrophic. A lot of railroaders on other forums that I've seen say its all about common sense on the railroad. When you do gain some seniority will you still be away from family a lot? I would like to one day start a family but I do realize that that is no easy task on the railroad.
What jobs your seniority will make available to you is directly dependent upon what kinds of jobs your seniority district protects. In some areas there are a high number of yard switching jobs that sort cars in the yard or perform industrial service in a terminal area as well as line of road through freight jobs moving between terminals. The seniority district may include locals at outlying points that service customers surrounding that outlying point.
Each seniority district on a Class I carrier will be made up each of these kinds of jobs in some proportion. A 'line of road' seniority district on the BNSF in Montana may be primarily point to point through freight jobs with a few locals to service one or two customers and practically no yard jobs. By contract, a seniority district headquarted in a major metropolitan area may have a high number of yard jobs to do both yard switching in building and breaking up trains as well as yard jobs that perform industrial service in switching customers. That seniority district may also supply personnel to a number of outlying locals and through freight service between terminals. When you have enough seniority, you can then hold the type of service that bests fits what you want from your life.
When the carriers volume changes because of the business cycle, additional jobs may be added if the volume increases or jobs may be abolished when the volume decreases - the carrier is always trying to match it's manpower requirements to the level of business it is handling. You may finally have the seniority to hold your 'dream' job one week and have it abolished the next because of changes in business levels.
When it comes that the volume of business decreases to the extent that there is too much manpower currently 'working'; a force reduction will be made, it will be implemented in the reverse of seniority order - the youngest in the craft will be furloughed and will no longer have a job working on the railroad and they will have to file for RRU (Railroad Retirement Unemployment) and look for other work to support their families. If you have attained seniority and become a promoted engineer, your furlough would then force you back to the Trainman's board and you would be working as a conductor rather than a engineer. This would continue until either business picks back up or attrition in the craft requires more manpower to fill the vacancies that attrition has created.
The downturn in the level of business from the recent 'recession' caused thousands of employees on all carriers to be furloughed. Historically, 80% of those furloughed have returned to rail service when recalled. For my carrier only 20% returned and this created a severe manpower shortage as business levels picked up. Employees returning from furlough can be productive almost as soon as the return to duty; hiring people to fill the needs of service means it will be 6 to 8 months until you have a minimally productive 'body' filling the needs of service.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
As Zug pointed out, the older you are in service time, the better the job you can bid on.
Everything is based on the day you hired out; the longer you have been there, the more seniority you have.
Let’s say you hired out last year, and you bid on a yard switching job as foreman….and a guy who hired out 2 years ago also bids on that job…the guy with 2 years in get the job.
Extra boards and pool service work on the first in/ first out basis, as soon as you have made your Federal rest time your name will go on the top of a list to be called to fill in vacancies, or make up an extra crew to move excess trains.
(by the way, they are called “boards” because this list used to be posted on a big chalk board at the terminal so guys headed home could see at a glance how far away from being call they were, nowdays you call a computer on your phone)
At a busy terminal, you may find you are called out for two job starts in a 24 hour period, when that happens, the second call or job is paid all at overtime rates.
And because we work under a national contract, overtime is accrued based on an 8 hour work day, so once you have 8 hours in the rest of the day is at overtime, regardless of how many hours or days in a week you worked.
We have guys out here with a 40 hour straight pay week and 30 to 40 hours overtime in that same week, big bucks if you are not married.
Extra board guys can rake in the cash, but they pay for it with zero home life.
Your seniority date is your hire date, so the sooner you get on, the sooner you begin to acquire seniority, and the sooner you can begin to bid on jobs you like.
There are two types of “jobs” out here, “extra” or pool service jobs and assigned jobs.
Assigned job are just that, they have assigned start times, the same every day, assigned days off, and normally have the same crew working them…if someone on an assigned job takes a day off, his job is filled or “covered” by a person off the extra board list.
Let’s say I get tired of yard switching, and decide I want to work a job that spots and pulls an industry.
I check the seniority date of the foreman on that job, and discover he hired out one a year after I did.
I can “exercise” my seniority and “bump” or displace him from that job, and take it as my own…this in turn forces the displaced person to “bump” someone with less seniority than himself, or bid on any of the jobs that are vacant at the time, maybe he decides he needs a lot of overtime and places himself on the extra board list.
.As you can see, the sooner you hire out, the sooner you begin to accrue seniority and the sooner your able to hold jobs that you want.
I was lucky, I came into this industry at a time when they needed a lot of people, and the retirement requirements changed a few years after I hire out, so a lot of the “old heads” left all at once,
I went from the last page on the roster to being able to hold all but a few jobs in 6 years, now after 15 years there are only 28 people ahead of me, and 23 of those are engineers, which places me at number 5 on the conductor’s seniority roster…not too shabby for 15 years.
If you hire out at CSX, you will be placed on the brakeman’s extra board, and expect to work everything from over the road trains to midnight yard switching as the switchman helper…somewhere along the line you will get your foreman’s rights and bid on yard jobs foreman’s positions.
Conductor rights follow, and again, you are the youngest conductor (in service time) out there so it’s back to the conductors extra board list till you get time in and gain seniority…then the same will happen when you are promoted to engineer, back to the bottom of the engineers extra list.
I assume CSX has the same forced promotion as other Class 1 roads, you have no choice but to accept the position, in your case, that’s your goal, but a lot of guys like myself don’t want to be engineers.
I work for a Class 3 road, and our contract makes engineer positions as a voluntary position, the carrier can’t force you to accept the promotion…which is how I have managed to stay a conductor/switchman for 15 years and have an engineer who is young enough to date my 19 year old middle daughter!
The reason the railroaders here are tossing the crap at you is twofold…you are already being tested in a manner of speaking, we are looking to see if you are serious about this, and we want you to be prepared for the lifestyle change that this job creates.
While it looks fun from the outside, where all you see is the crew waving at pretty girls at the road crossings, the reality is you work in the worst conditions imaginable…out at 1 in the morning in driving rain trying to replace a broken knuckle is a miserable thing to do.
Railroading is inherently dangerous, you will be around large heavy moving equipment that cannot stop quickly and has no conscience, the loose rolling boxcar will run over you and keep right on rolling…the knuckle coupler will take off a finger or two and still couple up like nothing happened.
The romance and masculine myth of railroading is the sole creation of fiction writers and film makers, the truth is this is a job that will consume you and all of your time, it requires 100% dedication to the craft, and it forces you to be on your toes all the time.
The one time you slip up and take it easy is the one time everything goes wrong, and that’s how guys get killed out here.
Check the FRA’s website and look over the manner on which guys get killed, that alone might change your mind.
For those of us who still do this, the danger is an acceptable risk, one we acknowledge and do our best to avoid.
Almost this entire job is nothing more than mental preparedness, you always have to think 2 steps ahead and be ready to change your plan of action in a heartbeat.
When I hired out, I was told that 95% of the time I would be bored out of my mind, 3% of the time I would have fun and enjoy the job, and 2% of the time I would be scared to death…yup, that pretty much it!
It’s what you do in that 2% situation that can make the difference between going home with all your fingers and toes, and going to the morgue instead.
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Georgia RailroaderThere really isn't much else you can do to prepare for life on the railroad. There is no book or magazine article that will do it justice. It's one of those things you have to experience for yourself, and only then will you know if it's right for you.
Very wise statement!
So, keep your options open. Might be worth pursuing some post-HS education so that you have something to fall back on if it turns out train service is not for you.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Trainfan25 My reasons for wanting to be a railroader are because of the fact that I like trains, the salary, I like traveling and doing outdoor work, I want to be able to call myself a railroader and hopefully share my stories with my children or grandchildren one day, and even though I hear a lot of people talk about the negatives of the railroad I atleast want to try it before trashing the whole idea. I realize that its not an easy job that you will love every second of. Also can you please give me an idea of what being on call 24/7 means? I've never really grasped the idea of what that means. Another question:What jobs are considered better than others on the railroad and when should you start to gain some seniority?
My reasons for wanting to be a railroader are because of the fact that I like trains, the salary, I like traveling and doing outdoor work, I want to be able to call myself a railroader and hopefully share my stories with my children or grandchildren one day, and even though I hear a lot of people talk about the negatives of the railroad I atleast want to try it before trashing the whole idea. I realize that its not an easy job that you will love every second of. Also can you please give me an idea of what being on call 24/7 means? I've never really grasped the idea of what that means. Another question:What jobs are considered better than others on the railroad and when should you start to gain some seniority?
Well, I like trains too, but believe me - you can get tired of them pretty quick on some days. A few people are able to keep their job and railfan hobby, but many lose the latter real quick-like. But that's not all bad - you will discover new hobbies to waste your time and money on.
As far as on-call 24/7: you will most likely start out on an extra list. An extra list is what is sounds like. You will be on a list of people being called to work extra jobs or to fill in vacancies as needed. For example, you work a job and go home. The minute you get done and sign off, you begin your 10 hours of federal-required rest. The minute that 10 hours is up, the railroad can call you whenever. It may be 1 minute past your 10 hour rest. Or it may be 30 hours later. It all depends on how many people you share the list with, how many are ahead of you, and what the needs of the railroad are. You will figure it out pretty quick, but there's always surprises. You may think that you have at least a good 24 hours off and you will get called in 10. Why? Well, 4 people on the list marked off, 2 miscalled, 3 took temps, and so forth. Or you may sit out first out on the list (the next one to be called) for a whole day. THAT is aggravating. Easy solution for that is just try to go to bed. The minute your head hits the pillow the phone will ring.
Some places have an assigned rest day for the extra list - I don't know if CSX does.
What jobs are better? Depends on what you like. Some people like road work (hotels, but less physical work usually) while others like yard or local work (more physical work usually, but no hotels). Some people like big yards, while others like small yards. Myself? I liked small yards and industry work. Although my terminal had assigned 4 axle power, so we didn't get all the cool new widebodies and foreign power to play with. Again, there's always tradeoffs.
As far as gaining seniority? Depends on where you hire out. Some guys spend years on extra lists, while others can walk into a regular job as soon as they mark up. But figure a couple years before you hold a job that you will want. The better the job, the older you will have to be to hold it.
The physical aspect of the job, will be the ability to pick up a dropped knuckle, about 90lbs.
Tying hand brakes and lining switches.
Of course the physical stamina to remain standing for long periods of time, and walking sometimes 2 miles or so.
Most folks can handle all of that without a problem.
Eyesight is not much of a problem anymore, if it can be corrected close to 20/20 with glasses.
The hardest part of the whole thing is going to be the lifestyle…it is nothing like you or your parents ever experienced, you will be on call 24 hours a day, for a long long time until you achieve enough seniority to hold a scheduled job, and most of those are yard jobs, switching and such, and local jobs like yard to yard transfers.
There will be times when you lose track of what day it is, and it can be very mentally challenging.
As for loving my job, well,, I am a ground pounder, (yard switching foreman) and have been for 15 years, there are still a few days where I am amazed they pay me to do this….and there have been days when I wonder what the heck I was thinking when I signed on!
Put it this way, after 15 years, I find it a little harder to remember what I did before I went railroading, I actually have to think about it before I can remember,
As one poster pointed out, don’t let the romantic stories and the myth of railroading sway you too much, it is a hard, dirty job at times, boring beyond belief, terrifying at times.
In T&E service, you will start out at the bottom and work up, which means at some point, you will be a conductor.
Keep in mind that’s the guy who is in charge of the entire job, the engineer is in charge of how the train is handled, but the conductor is the boss, so if engineer is your goal, you will end up taking orders from the conductor, so think long and hard if that’s something you can put up with, trust me, there are a lot of conductors out there that aren’t worth the time spent training them, so…
From your writing and the skill you showed there, it is pretty clear you’re an intelligent young man, so apply your skills and think this through as much as you can.
As one poster pointed out, research the job as much as possible.
Lastly, the work rules are nothing like normal businesses…you will most likely become a member of one of two major unions, the UTU or the BLE…(all Class 1 roads are union shops) and we work under a national contract.
The normal work rules applied out in the real world don’t exist here, a chewing out by a TM here would get any manager out in the world fired in a heartbeat, but here it’s just a part of the job.
As for applying at 17, I doubt they would accept your application for liability reasons, you can’t enter into a binding legal contract at 17 in most states.
I work for the PTRA, and we have hired 18 year olds in T&E, so it isn’t impossible for you…good luck with it!
Trainfan25 Thank you for all of your answers as this is greatly appreciated. Another question I want to know:Should I start to build my body up a little(working out). Also if I ever do get an interview, instead of saying that I like trains and I'm a railfan what should I tell the interviewer? And thank you to the person who praised my spelling ability as I take pride in that.
Thank you for all of your answers as this is greatly appreciated. Another question I want to know:Should I start to build my body up a little(working out). Also if I ever do get an interview, instead of saying that I like trains and I'm a railfan what should I tell the interviewer? And thank you to the person who praised my spelling ability as I take pride in that.
You dont have to be Tony Atlas to work on the railroad but being in decent physical shape is a plus. You will be required to change coupler knuckles that weigh 75-85lbs. You'll also be required to hang on to the side of a car for miles at a time in some occasions. Walking, yea you'll do a lot of that too. Weight lifting is fine at your age just dont over do it and get hurt, it doesn't take much to do so.
Now, what do you tell the interviewer? Tell them you want a career, a place to retire. Outdoor work is your preference, you dont like being stuck indoors. You like to travel(better start liking it LOL) I'm sure there is something I'm leaving out but I'm tired from putting in a long 12 hour day today. Just dont mention the fact you love trains and your dream is to be an engineer, that will crush your chances quicker than most anything.
There really isn't much else you can do to prepare for life on the railroad. There is no book or magazine article that will do it justice. It's one of those things you have to experience for yourself, and only then will you know if it's right for you.
Is it possible to apply at 17 in your last semester of high school? I could have sworn I heard that somewhere....
At this point, the best thing you can do to enhance your chance of being hired by a railroad is to stay out of trouble. A rap sheet is the best way to be asked to leave a hiring session. I hired on with NS in 1999. I am not a college graduate, I am not a tech school graduate, I am not a military veteran. I simply had a stellar work history, solid work references, and no police record. I was also 49 years old, one of the oldest new hires on the Piedmont Division. The youngest in our hiring class was 18. Don't let anyone discourage you.
Physical condition has never hurt any 15 year old to grow to manhood.
Hireing out in Train service you will be expect to perform a number of physical actions, such as handling a coupler knuckle that weighs in the 75/80 pound range; making the step up to the stirup to mount a car (most carriers have made mounting moving equipment a violation of safety rules these days - it wasn't always that way), maintaining 3 point contact on a car side for a extended period of time when controlling the lead end of a long shoving move, the routine need to walk and inspect equipment for 4 miles (on Main Track ballast in the middle of the night with a brakemans lantern in the rain at 33 degrees with a 25 MPH breeze to freshen things) when your train has a emergency brake application.
Maybe also contact the railroad directly to make sure you're aware of ALL their hiring criteria... When I was15 I too wanted to work for the railroad...should have informed myself of their requirements...didn't know about their eye sight requirements until I was 18.
Trainfan25- We have a son graduating college next spring, a son who is a junior in high school, and a son who is an eighth grader, so I find your thoughts about the future interesting. Have you considered, that maybe you're simply in love with the romantic *idea* of being a locomotive engineer, and not much more? Now, I'm not pickig on you. When I was 15, I didn't have a real clear picture of what I was going to be when I grew up. (At 51, the picture is still sometimes a bit hazy as well.) I'm now watching three sons go through the same thing I, and everyone else on this board, went through, to try and see into the future. At one point, I wanted to be a residential architect. I was in love with the idea of designing people's dream homes, and making big dollars. I didn't however, do any kind of research into the education required, and what the dreanm job actually entailed. In the end, I got an AA degree in Architectural Drafting. That lead me to a sales job. I sell lumber and building materials to builders. I also work with architects, and now realize that I would not have been cu out for, nor enjoyed that kind of work. If I were in your shoes, I'd be doing two things: 1) Learning all I could about the railroads, the engineer's job, and the railroad lifestyle. 2) Taking every kind of occupational influence test I could find, and researching the nuts & bolts of every type of occupatiuon or field of work that might show promise. I have to give you a great amount of credit for one thing. Being 15, you're writing is certainly at a higher level than what I see from most high school students, and a lot of adults. I take that to be an indicator that you excell in communications. Don't overlook what possibilities that might open up for the future.Good luck.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
mmmmm.....this is a good way to get informed about what it takes to be a railroader...the people who should know this are right here.
I went into healthcare in pretty much the same way the OP did..by asking people who were in that sector.
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
Trainfan25 Georgia Railroader zugmann John WR Finally, there will be people who will warn you that your have a romanticized idea of railroading; it is not what you think it is and ultimatedly you will be disappointed and turn away. Ignore them. Why? On this thread we have railroaders (that are interested in railroads) giving this young man some advice. Why should he ignore it? I think the advice he gets from the railroaders on here would be worth more than a railroad club or riding Amtrak. One of the only other pieces of advice to offer is be aware of your state's financial aid policies (if you need it). In Pennsylvania, if you didn't go to school in the fall immediately following your high school graduation, you would lose the opportunity for a lot of financial aid. Granted (heh) with all the turmoil in the country, financial aid and loans are getting harder to get, but still... something to think about. I know people always say "you can go back to school later". Well, that is true, but it isn't as easy as people make it sound. THIS.^^ There is nobody on this forum or anywhere else that is more qualified to give advice to someone who is interested in a career on the railroad than actual railroaders. We have something that not everyone does, it's called real world experience. You can choose to ignore our advice if you want to, but we'll be straight with you. I wont sugar coat anything, ask me a question about this crazy world we call the railroad and I give you a straight honest answer. What do recruiters look for? They want someone who is looking for a career, not a summer job. They want commitment. They do look at job history, and how long you spent at this job or that. Now coming right out of high school you wont have much job experience but dont let that discourage you. I know several guys who hired out at 18 and 19 with next to no work experience. Shift work experience is a big plus as you will work all hours of the day and night. Safety Safety Safety. That's what they beat into your brain from the moment you hire on. If you are fortunate enough to land an interview safety is your first priority. Tell them about how important it is to you. Safety is a condition of employment.(Get used to hearing this) My best advice is keep your nose clean. Stay out of trouble and you'll be fine. I have a question if you don't mind. Do you or did you enjoy your career as a railroader? On different forums I've seen railroad employees say they hate their job but love the paycheck that they recieve. Do you take pride in being a railroader?
Georgia Railroader zugmann John WR Finally, there will be people who will warn you that your have a romanticized idea of railroading; it is not what you think it is and ultimatedly you will be disappointed and turn away. Ignore them. Why? On this thread we have railroaders (that are interested in railroads) giving this young man some advice. Why should he ignore it? I think the advice he gets from the railroaders on here would be worth more than a railroad club or riding Amtrak. One of the only other pieces of advice to offer is be aware of your state's financial aid policies (if you need it). In Pennsylvania, if you didn't go to school in the fall immediately following your high school graduation, you would lose the opportunity for a lot of financial aid. Granted (heh) with all the turmoil in the country, financial aid and loans are getting harder to get, but still... something to think about. I know people always say "you can go back to school later". Well, that is true, but it isn't as easy as people make it sound. THIS.^^ There is nobody on this forum or anywhere else that is more qualified to give advice to someone who is interested in a career on the railroad than actual railroaders. We have something that not everyone does, it's called real world experience. You can choose to ignore our advice if you want to, but we'll be straight with you. I wont sugar coat anything, ask me a question about this crazy world we call the railroad and I give you a straight honest answer. What do recruiters look for? They want someone who is looking for a career, not a summer job. They want commitment. They do look at job history, and how long you spent at this job or that. Now coming right out of high school you wont have much job experience but dont let that discourage you. I know several guys who hired out at 18 and 19 with next to no work experience. Shift work experience is a big plus as you will work all hours of the day and night. Safety Safety Safety. That's what they beat into your brain from the moment you hire on. If you are fortunate enough to land an interview safety is your first priority. Tell them about how important it is to you. Safety is a condition of employment.(Get used to hearing this) My best advice is keep your nose clean. Stay out of trouble and you'll be fine.
THIS.^^ There is nobody on this forum or anywhere else that is more qualified to give advice to someone who is interested in a career on the railroad than actual railroaders. We have something that not everyone does, it's called real world experience. You can choose to ignore our advice if you want to, but we'll be straight with you. I wont sugar coat anything, ask me a question about this crazy world we call the railroad and I give you a straight honest answer.
What do recruiters look for? They want someone who is looking for a career, not a summer job. They want commitment. They do look at job history, and how long you spent at this job or that. Now coming right out of high school you wont have much job experience but dont let that discourage you. I know several guys who hired out at 18 and 19 with next to no work experience. Shift work experience is a big plus as you will work all hours of the day and night.
Safety Safety Safety. That's what they beat into your brain from the moment you hire on. If you are fortunate enough to land an interview safety is your first priority. Tell them about how important it is to you. Safety is a condition of employment.(Get used to hearing this)
My best advice is keep your nose clean. Stay out of trouble and you'll be fine.
I have a question if you don't mind. Do you or did you enjoy your career as a railroader? On different forums I've seen railroad employees say they hate their job but love the paycheck that they recieve. Do you take pride in being a railroader?
I still enjoy what I do, and I absolutely take pride in my job. Now in 20 more years who knows how I'll feel. Hopefully I wont be burned out and miserable like so many of my co workers.
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