Originally posted by trainster1073 [ Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub Reply route_rock Member sinceJune 2004 From: Over yonder by the roundhouse 1,224 posts Posted by route_rock on Thursday, July 7, 2005 11:11 AM Hey Rodney you out of Galesburg? Plus BNSF here as well! Military background adnda transportation background helps! Hours are weird but I havent had a bankers hour job since I was 20 (33 now) Looks like all RR will be hiring a lot of people over the next 5 years. HR told us (the newbies) that 22,000 employees are looking to retire in the next 3-5 years, and that we are on the verge of being high in seniority sooner than expected. However I will believe it when I see it. One more question for Rodney, How was the engineer training? Still a 90% pass kinda test? And do they take you ona trip t see how good you are at running? Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 7, 2005 11:17 AM QUOTE: Originally posted by blaze I work for CSX. the hours are long, the schedule is odd, but the pay is good. Lot of responsibilities, many rules to remember. All in all I like it. Being new, you work most holidays. I'm typing this from a hotel right now, so no cold beer and fire works for me. but hey, it can't all be perfect. if you're thinking about a career with the railroad, go for it. you'll never know how it's gonna turn out till you do it. thats my thinking, go for it, cuz i would rather say i did, than say i wanted to and not know what happeend... Reply Edit CShaveRR Member sinceJune 2001 From: Lombard (west of Chicago), Illinois 13,681 posts Posted by CShaveRR on Thursday, July 7, 2005 11:28 AM I work for UP. Still have to work some holidays, even after 34 years (yes, I worked the Fourth, too). My job is great, in spite of some of the people we have to work for (and with). The pay is never enough. I still look forward to going to work, though (at which point I'm ready to go back home!). Carl Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!) CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM) Reply railfan619 Member sinceMarch 2004 From: Somewhere near the tracks 927 posts Posted by railfan619 on Thursday, July 7, 2005 2:34 PM Yeah I hope to work for The Up someday and I would think it would be a great job to have. And actully. I would not mind working weekends and hoildays because i figure the more i work the more experince. I'LL get [:D] Reply Bob-Fryml Member sinceMarch 2003 From: US 733 posts Posted by Bob-Fryml on Thursday, July 7, 2005 7:37 PM The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I've had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, "In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!" Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I've ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company's requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But "Haulin'-the-Mail" at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don't forget the requisite cigar) ain't none too shabby either. And always, the money's been good. If you're from the Chicago area and want to railroadin', think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers more regular hours, regular rest days, and pay that is often just as good. An old head office engineer on the Western Pacific in San Francisco told me one time, "Kid, the only way you'll ever get ahead in this world is to find your life's work and stick with it - through thick and thin." Those words have sustained me through a lot of bad weather, midnight runs when I was pretty tired, "piston-in-prarie" moments when a unit has failed, and dispatcher snafus that left me pretty disgusted. I may be preachin' to the choir, but you can do a lot worse in this world than becoming a railroader! Reply Anonymous Member sinceApril 2003 305,205 posts Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 8, 2005 10:02 PM QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob-Fryml The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I've had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, "In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!" Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I've ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company's requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But "Haulin'-the-Mail" at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don't forget the requisite cigar) ain't none too shabby either. And always, the money's been good. If you're from the Chicago area and want to railroadin', think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers more regular hours, regular rest days, and pay that is often just as good. An old head office engineer on the Western Pacific in San Francisco told me one time, "Kid, the only way you'll ever get ahead in this world is to find your life's work and stick with it - through thick and thin." Those words have sustained me through a lot of bad weather, midnight runs when I was pretty tired, "piston-in-prarie" moments when a unit has failed, and dispatcher snafus that left me pretty disgusted. I may be preachin' to the choir, but you can do a lot worse in this world than becoming a railroader! After 40 years on the SP & UP I could NOT have summed it up any better than the above post. Virlon save your ticket..... the P.E. will rise again. Reply Edit Rodney Beck Member sinceMarch 2004 From: west central Illinois 417 posts Posted by Rodney Beck on Saturday, July 9, 2005 3:11 PM Route rock yes I work out of Galesburg and beyond on the Chicago division. Yes a 90% is required to pass all the Engineer exams as well as sims. E mail me beckbnsf@yahoo.com Rodney Reply coborn35 Member sinceJanuary 2005 From: Duluth,Minnesota,USA 4,015 posts Posted by coborn35 on Saturday, July 9, 2005 3:19 PM One of my friends just got hired by the BNSF. Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..." The Missabe Road: Safety First Reply Join our Community! Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account. 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Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
QUOTE: Originally posted by blaze I work for CSX. the hours are long, the schedule is odd, but the pay is good. Lot of responsibilities, many rules to remember. All in all I like it. Being new, you work most holidays. I'm typing this from a hotel right now, so no cold beer and fire works for me. but hey, it can't all be perfect. if you're thinking about a career with the railroad, go for it. you'll never know how it's gonna turn out till you do it.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob-Fryml The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I've had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, "In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!" Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I've ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company's requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But "Haulin'-the-Mail" at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don't forget the requisite cigar) ain't none too shabby either. And always, the money's been good. If you're from the Chicago area and want to railroadin', think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers more regular hours, regular rest days, and pay that is often just as good. An old head office engineer on the Western Pacific in San Francisco told me one time, "Kid, the only way you'll ever get ahead in this world is to find your life's work and stick with it - through thick and thin." Those words have sustained me through a lot of bad weather, midnight runs when I was pretty tired, "piston-in-prarie" moments when a unit has failed, and dispatcher snafus that left me pretty disgusted. I may be preachin' to the choir, but you can do a lot worse in this world than becoming a railroader!
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
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