A railfan's dream job

So they say…

Don’t you believe it…

LC

I might be sent to an intermodal yard if I am doing customs. Anybody know if that’s true?

Well i am 58 and started a new job, ground crew for one of the biggest hot air balloons in colorado; it was a bag that holds 210,000 cubic feet of hot air and when inflated is over ten stories tall the gondola can carry 10 full size adults and a pilot… or 1500 pounds of payload ; the best part is when i get ot fly , it is so smooth, up high the world looks like a big modle trainset[8D][angel][4:-)][C):-)][{(-_-)}][:-^][oX)]aargge>>>>glennbob

Thanks for all the well wishes and advice, everyone. Carl, LC and Ed, please forgive the ignorance of a railfan / modeler, but what does T&E stand for? I can think of a couple of posibilities for each letter.

I did once apply for conductor training with the Minnesota Commercial back in my late 30’s. I have to admit I am not the finest physical specimen in the world, which may have worked against me. I worry about working for the big railroads, because without seniority, you can get sent anywhere, and I can’t relocate.

For this job I have to take a DOT physical, which for most people is a slam dunk, though I have managed to fail in the past, and then pass on a retrest and doctor’s OK.

BB -

T&E = Train and Engine (Service)

A designation for those of us who are Enginemen, Conductors or both. On some RRs it is T, Y & E with the Y= Yard.

LC

Limitedclear posted an article about Alex’s Transportation, and my utmost thanks to this Railroader and others who see the plight of us who drive Vans for the Railroad.

Just a quick Point, on the subject: Alex’s WAS, perhaps, the ONLY UNION Taxi Company in the Rail-Taxi Buisness. We in Texas, Oklahoma and KANSAS, were Members of the UTU; while our people in New Mexico were Teamsters.

When our efforts to get paid, caught the Railroads’ attention, The RAILROADS dropped Alex’s Contracts, fearing that a potential Strike could affect their operations. This IS What put us in a bind. BNSF, Union Pacific, Etc.

These Railways simply dropped Alex’s Transportation and brought in SCAB CAB Companys which were Non Union and Known Union Busters.

I do not approach this directly, but through forums because to maintain employment, I had to hire on with a SCAB CAB company, which would Fire me for simply mentioning unions. I was the Local Vice Chair person in my Terminal.

To Date we still have not been compensated for the services we provided for the RAILROADS. It seems sad that out Union Brothers and Sisters in Railroad jobs care so little what happens to us, so long as they get a Comfortible Ride HOME. Some of us don’t even have Homes to go to anymore. Because WE WERE UNION!

BNSF had bragged of the greatest Quarterly earnings, recently, while they continue to Scab out Jobs and use the American Public like Livestock by contracting the Lowest Bidders without reguard to the living conditions of those workers who Keep their *** Railroad running.

Do not get me wrong, I see the national importance of the railroads: Economicly and for National Defence. The Trains MUST RUN! Think what would happen in your city if Coal Powered Electricity wasn’t available… Think Gasoline Prices are High?

It’s just that this economic convience comes at the cost of many good and dedicated workers who don’t get squat for their efforts. like the miners of

Sorry to drag this old dog up, was doing some searching on Curt Balducci and found this.

Coyote, how could you say Curt is NOT A CROOK? This man still got paid 3 months AFTER his contract was pulled. He was also paid a huge amount of money when the contract got pulled. Both the U.P. and the BNSF paid him dearly so that he could pay his people, WHICH HE DID NOT.

Sad state of affairs it is. Don’t believe the crap from former Alex management, it’s not worth it, after all, I worked for the idiots too, and even was there June 29th and sat beside you during our Union meeting. Alex’s is NOT and was not the highest paying van carrier in the system. There are other companies that pay better, AND have better service as well. They are the mom and pop companies that run one or two terminals only. Not these SCAB CAB’s as you put it, but honest, hard working people, kind of like you and I.

I for one am glad to be away from it all, Trip A is by far the worst of the two faced companies out there, promised a dollar an hour more than they paid me. Yep, they offered MORE, and I started out at the same amount as what I left Alex’s Transportation after 3 years, and that’s WITHOUT the dollar an hour more that was promised to me. FIGURE THAT ONE OUT.

But Coyote, you really need to wake up bud, you know *** good and well, CURTIS BALDUCCI is a flippin’ lie and a cheat. He’s also a thief.