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/)
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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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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Jeff
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.
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..
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
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.
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 ?
I would imagine as soon as you get back from Redi.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I'm not really interested in management..
Trainfan25 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.
When I was fifteen, I thought that the best thing ever was to be a railroad conductor, particularly in passenger service. Three years later, after I had finished high school, two of my brothers (both college graduates) told me that I was going to go to college--which I did, with help from one of them. I ended up in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, and enjoyed most of my time there--and have not lost my desire to know more about railroading nor my desire to travel by train.
It may be that you will achieve your current desire--and, again, you will find a different direction in your life, Whichever, I hope that you will enjoy learning about railroading and when you reach my age (76), you will be able to give younger people knowledge of how it was 50-60 years ago. Who knows--you may even, when traveling by train, meet a woman who shares your love of railroading (my wife and I met on the City of Portland in April of 1971).
Johnny
Trainfan25 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. I'm not really interested in management..
Me neither. However, being a trainmaster is much more hands-on than it used to be. Especially with EHH coming over to CP, the trainmasters are not behind the desk too much anymore.
I have a question for all of the engineers here. Is running a locomotive like rocket science? Is it something that you get used to doing after a while or is it really hard? Is it fun for lack of better words?
Rocket science, lol. I always tell my crew members that railroading is NOT rocket science. At first being an engineer was difficult. There is a lot multitasking going on and there are a lot of considerations when trying to operate a train smoothly. I remember i was always thinking about what i was doing and planning my next move. By the end of a shift I would be exhausted. Now I am always thinking, but I have noticed that I am thinking of the same things over and over again. It has become routine.
The most important thing I teach new engineers is to plan your next move. How are you going to get from a to b and more importantly, how are you going to get stopped. What are your restrictions? Do you have room for error? I like it when we shove a cut of cars into a clear track with lots of room. I can open her up and let her go, it doesn't matter if I go a car length or two too far. On the other hand, if we are shoving to a derail or a switch against us, I am going pretty slow with enough automatic to get me stopped within about 10 feet.
"Reduce your risk" is my common saying. Keep out of trouble.
zugmann 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.
I'm 46 now and when i started, one of the old hogs told me I was a lifer. There's too much invested into it now to start over again. The 4 weeks vacation, soon to be 5, and all the pension time. I'm in it to the end.
cptrainman zugmann 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. I'm 46 now and when i started, one of the old hogs told me I was a lifer. There's too much invested into it now to start over again. The 4 weeks vacation, soon to be 5, and all the pension time. I'm in it to the end.
Good point CP Trainman...why give up what you've worked hard to earn.
Please consider some sort of education whether it be college, trade school, or the military because the odds of being hired straight out of high school are very much against you. If you are even called to be interviewed you will be competing against a large large number of people and many if not most of them will have a work and/or educational history for the railroad to check on. Believe me, the carrier will do a background check on potential hirees and they will want a record that they can look at AND verify.
You need to have something to fall back on in the very likely case that you don't get hired. Trainfan25, I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want you to be prepared because there are way more job seekers than there are hirees. It's basic math. You have to have a plan B because if you put all your eggs in one basket and things don't work out with the RR you're going to be very disappointed with your options.
I know it's still three years out, but good luck to you!
Out of all of the things you said the military is more likely for me. I don't think I can afford college or the student loan/financial loan debt. I guess if the railroad doesn't work out for me I'll try the military.
Trainfan25 Out of all of the things you said the military is more likely for me. I don't think I can afford college or the student loan/financial loan debt. I guess if the railroad doesn't work out for me I'll try the military.
An engineer who is a couple years senior to me learned to run engines in the Army. (I think the regular, but it could've been in the Reserve or National Guard) Afterwards he went to work for a short line near where he lived before coming to the UP.
If you don't want to go to school because you don't like school, then fine.
If you don't want to go to school because you don't think you are smart enough (although that's hard to believe), then fine.
But PLEASE don't stop yourself from going because you are afraid of having a little student loan debt. There are many ways to minimize debt. You don't have to go to a $100,000 a year private school. Plenty of community and state colleges offer more affordable education.
Regional community colleges are usually fairly reasonable, price-wise. There is also financial aid available - check with your guidance counselors.
Those same counselors can also tell you about any grants or scholarships that may be available. A $500 scholarship may not sound like much, but it can cover your books for a semester or two.
Local CC's also often mean you can live at home. Aside from any contribution your folks may ask you to make, it takes away the cost of housing from the equation.
Going back to the assessments mentioned in an earlier post - if you have taken one, or will be, look carefully at the results. You may discover an aptitude in something you also like to do, but haven't considered as a career.
Above all else, get that education. Even if the RR gig does work out, you won't regret the knowledge, and going back to my earlier example - if the RR gig doesn't work out for some reason, no matter what it is, you'll have the basis for another career.
Further, one can never forecast how the world is going to go. You might get that railroad job, then end up laid off for an extended period. If you have other skills, you can still earn a living while you wait for the railroad to (hopefully) take you back.
If you can't deal with school now, trust me, you won't be able to deal with working, no matter what career you pursue.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Thanks everyone. I'll think more about college now. If I do go I'll probably try to study law at my local community college so if the railroad doesn't work out I can become a police officer. I might also try doing as someone said a couple of pages back and try to contact my local trainmaster and talk to him or her.
Another question, are the railroads going to be hiring more people in the next few years? I have heard that on another forum because of people retiring. Also do people ever get "laid off" on the railroad?
Barring any major changes, like one person crews, railroads will probably be hiring. Both due to growth and retirements. Some places do have a lot of people eligible now or soon, to retire. Others not so much. The locations that are hiring may not be evenly divided over a railroad. You could have them hiring in one spot while they are furloughing people in another.
On the railroad you don't get "laid off," you get "cut off" or furloughed. Depending where you are and the terms being used, being laid off (AKA marked off) is a status. For instance if you are sick, you lay off sick. Then our boards will show you in "LS" status for laid off sick. Also when someone on the railroad says they are fired, it usually means a little (or a lot if you've been really bad or bad too many times) time off. Most of us carry job insurance just in case. Completely fired is permanent dismissal and even then depending on the why, there can be an appeals process. That can take years sometimes.
Yes, people do get furloughed. We still don't have everyone on our seniority district back full time. I don't think anyone is on the cut off board, but we still have some who are working a type of reserve/training board where they work two days a week which allows them to maintain their insurance. Now, with the manpower they already have still not fully employed you wouldn't expect them to do any hiring. Well they did. A couple of advertised openings were cancelled, but they did hire a few. I think it was on the eastern end of our seniority district. The only reason I can think of as to why is that instead of setting up the "reserve" people and forcing them a couple hundred miles from their homes to work probably the lowest paid jobs they hired new employees closer to the area. The thing to remember is that you might find someone who is cut off at one place may be willing to relocate, even if temporarily. All of a sudden those new-hires may not have any place to work.
That's a consideration anyone reading this who is thinking about hiring out should remember. Try to find out why they are hiring. There have been a lot of people who left decent jobs, only to be cut off after finishing training. If you can talk to someone who works in that area, ask them how busy they are. Do they need people for actual or anticipated reasons. Remember all those people eligible for retirement? They don't always retire when they can. Many can't wait to retire while others keep working longer for a variety of reasons.
The more non-railroad options you have, the better you can weather the storms that sometimes happen.
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