jrw
i about 2 hours south of you…small world…lol
when you mark off sick…when you are on an extra board… you are will loss 2 days pay for ever 24 hours you make off… thats the punishment for marking off…and yes…if you mark off to much… you will get a letter to see the train master to talk about your attencace… best case you get a talking to…and a warning…worst case…your fired…
csx engineer
CSX Engineer:
Certainly is a small world!!
Presently help with a tourist railroad and have a student engineers license. But the big difference is with the tourist railroad I can pick my own hours.
Got the acceptance form in the mail, so I guess its decision time within the next couple days.
John
It’s a hard way to live, when I started out, I wasn’t married and I had about six years service when we were married. Sometimes, I don’t know how we’ve done as well as we have, raised three children, still together, but it isnt’ the recommended way to live. Social life is pretty much out the door if you have a road job, on call, living with the beeper and the cellphone, never quite knowing when you’re going to go to work, sometimes at the most unexpected times, other times, being on the extra board, just wishing for someone to lay off so you could work (no guaranteed extraboards back when I did them).
Prefer not to tell you where I’m at but I’m west of you a couple of states.
Valleyx,
What do you mean by guaranteed extra board? Guaranteed certain amount of hours each week? How does that work?
John
you arnt john cluter from the lural highlands RR by any chance are you?
guaranteed extra board is a gueranteed wage…if you work or not…they will pay you a 8 hour day for being on call… thats the penilty i was talking about a few posts befor…when you mark off sick or anything other then vacation or personal days they dock you 2 8 hour days off your guerantee…
csx engineer
Csx Engineer 98,
No , Im not John Cluter , although that name sounds familiar. I think my brotherinlaw is his friend. I help on the Tioga Central Railroad.
Is this correct?
On the extra board you get paid 8 hour even if you sit at home?
What is the rate of pay?
How long is it before you normally get called to work on the extra board? (i.e.) Do you sometimes know that you are going to be off a couple of days?
You mentioned about furloughs from Jan to June. Because we would be in the same district, has that been the case in the past, or are you thinking that is maybe whats going to happen? If furloughed, is health insurance still covered?
Which Choo Choo school did you go to? Philadelphia?
john, yea…thats correct about the 8 hour pay, now the rate of pay …you will start out at 75%… same thing with any pool or reguler jobs you work …you get a 5% pay raise evey year… but like i said befor in previouse posts… im 99% sure that you will still get 75% extra board pay even when you do go to 100%…as for being called on the extra board…its is unprodictiable… you will never know when your going to get called… things change so fast…that you might come off duty 6 times out…but be back out working in 8 hours…or you might come home 1st out and sit for 4 days first out… thier is no real way to predict what is going to happen…trains dont make it in…and they have to send out extra crews to releave them… reguler pool personel mark off sick or what ever…and someone form your board has to cover them…another terminal can run out of avaliable men…and they start to call you teriminal for a body to go to work… and all the pool is already out working…and they need trains run so they put extra crews on them…someone from the engineers extra board and a extra board conductor
as far as being layed off… i have never been layed off…yet…knock on wood… but many people that i work with that are younger conductors have been…also it makes it harder on conductors with the flow back … engineers that cant hold in the terminal they are at…can flow back to conductor if they so wish… if they have conductors senority…so that would be 1 less for evey engineer that desides to flow back conductors postion for a younger conductor…
now as far as your health insurace still covered… you have to work i think it is 5 days in a month to keep your heath insurance… when your furloughed you can still be called to work… they put you on a furloughed board… and once in a while when they run out of men on the extra boards…they then call anyone off the furloughboard that will take the call… some people i know that told crew managment in jacksonville when they wh
CSX Engineer,
Thanks for all the imformation you have provided. I really learned alot and appreciate it.
John
john…glade to shear my info with you
thier is alot about rail roading that people dont know…most just think its you get on a train and roll…they dont know all the other stuff that goes with the job… how we get payed…the contracts and agreements for labor and the carrier… the crew mismanagment issues… the list can keep going and going… if you realy want to work for csx…then i say thats fine…but dont say you havent been warned…lol… the rail road dose pay alot for our area…western PA sucks as far as good paying jobs… but you said befor that you already have a good paying job… the rail road is 1 step above being a truck driver…the only differnce is we get to sleep in hotels…and we are home a bit more offten…
oh yea… our “trailers” are up to 2 miles long sometimes
csx engineer
CSX Engineer,
Its more of a personal goal as opposed to a long time career goal. From what you and others have said I dont know if I could or would want to work under railroad conditions for 30 years. My objective would be 5-15 years and Im not even sure about that. Unfortunitaly, I dont have much more time to think about it because I know they are going to call tomorrow wanting my decision and my check.
John
John, please let us know what you do, I’ll be very curious. As I said, it’s not the easiest way to live your life and there are things I’ve thought were pluses and plenty of minuses, too. I’ve always enjoyed the many days I’ve spent at home while others were working but I’ve regreted the many weekends I’ve worked while others were at home.
On NS, there is no flowback agreement, the only way engineers return to train service is to be cut back from engineers. I know that on the part of CSX I’m familiar with, that’s not necessarily the case but it’s done somehow by what extra board protects what, can’t really speak about it.
On the NS there is a flow back agreement. and it is being tested only in 2 places i know of. the carrier wont implement the flow back but it is in the agreement. the flow back is so vague that the only thing we do know is that it is a 6 month deal. In that if you flow back to the ground your there for 6 months. and can only do it in january 1st and july 1st.
Gheez, pal. Why would you want to screw up a perfectly good life to go railroading at this late date. I feel so sorry for the young guys there now. Most of them will be bucking the extra list for decades. It used to be the crew was well experienced with one new guy on board; now, it’s only an engineer and conductor and maybe a trainee. In most cases, they’re ALL inexperienced. It’s just that the engineer has been around a little longer. And there’s always the chance you’ll wreck your marriage. Or your health. Or worse. And you pay THEM for the priviledge. Most of the new hires we get now don’t pay anything…the taxpayers pay the tab. My advice…DON’T DO IT, MAN! Enjoy your easy job with S-S off.
Hey Guys,
Been reading the two pages of information that has been going back and forth. I’m 23 and I work at Arby’s as an assistant manager (aka scapegoat), so I don’t think my life would get worse! I have regular crew members who make more than me that do nothing but tell me what to do!!!??? I’ll also be starting the AMDG class in Cincinnati in January. I am married, but to a veterinary student who is always busy, so our marriage has a little less to suffer from time spent apart because we already do!
If I make it through all the training I’ll be working out of Danville, IL. I have no idea what my life will be like on the extra board, but I don’t have a problem living on call. Does anyone know where’d I go for my OJT? I think Cleveland is the closest to me, but does proximity even matter for that? I thank the experienced railroad employees for their insight and maybe I’ll see some of you out there.
To me most of the guys who complain about railroading who are in railroading hate it because they dont have the senority to be off the weekend. transportation has never been that way it runs 24/7 and stops for nobody. back in the days of timetable trains they ran but now the railroads shut down for some holidays . But the guys who complain are still working on the railroad . why? if it is as bad as they say it is then why dont they quit. i encourage people to hire on. it is much easier today than in years past. and the benifits are still good. I proposed a question of why dont they quit and you will hear im told old to quit or i cant find anything else. etc. excuses i quit trucking long time ago and became a railroader and have not even complained once… their are guys senoir to me ( they have 30 years service ) who prefer the extra board i like the extra board. in fact i prefer the road over the yard. the thing is transportation is not for everyone, and you will find this out with in a year. the thing is it is better to quit than stick with it and make yourself misserable and others around you misserable also. times change and not always for the better learn to bend and make it work for you.
The flowback agreement is something that both the UTU and BLE have to agree to and they seldom ever agree on much of anything. Was wondering just where it is that they’ve reached a agreement to try it. You are correct, it’s a six months at a time deal.
wabash 1
i would quit tomarrow if you dont mind paying my bills… around here thier arnt any “good” jobs left. and besides i am looking into other jobs…the only poeple i know that realy like it are then ones that cant wait to get out, meening the ones with only a little time left befor retirment and they dont give a crap, and the foamers… eveyone else cant stand the job, but their is nothing bettert paying without going to college for years… the manufactoring sector sucks and is only gettting worse day after day… its not so much the extra board, me and my wife have dealt with that and take it one day at a time…it more about the more time i put in…i dont gain anything… infact i have lost more in the last 2 years…wages and senority…
csx engineer
How can you lose senority? I know about the loss of money perfectly good claims against the carrier denied and the fight to make it right.only to lose again when the union takes issue with something else against your claim. the powers to be bargin for paying this claim to benifit 5 against the benifits of 2. and it wasnt even them who sweated to do what the carrier wanted against the contract. the reason i love this job is because i love the outdoors i hate working in a building.( unless its a automotive shop) and this job gives me the pleasure of being out doors with the only person calling the shots are the dispatchers. We keep america moving ( along with trucks) it might be at 3am in the morning but its peaceful at that time of the morning. but as Was stated if you hated it that much maybe its time to move on. maybe a move to another town or state. so you can find the work that would pay the bills. But be honest with yourself . I dont want a answer or does anyone need to know your answer to this but be honest. are you hating your job because you are locked in due to spending issues? that maybe you are living on the wages you make with some going into the bank and other part ( most of it) paying bills, that you extended yourself that far? Sure you can make your bills and if you took a week off not hurt that bad. but if you got fired would you be worried that you lose your house car truck. or if you got sick would things be fine. that maybe you like a few days off but cant afford it? so instead of hating your desision you hate your job cause you cant take off when you want to be at family get togethers. that you haft to work the better paying jobs instead of the yard jobs that get you home every night /day.
I hated trucking for that reason . all my fault nobody elses. I came railroading ( cause it was a goal since i was 8 years old) and never spent much money at all i made sure i had a decent vehicle to drive to work. paid cash for them and never been sorry. the job also required a move.
wabash, i dont need a finnatal advisor… and ill explain my statment about senority… where im at, i have been working for comming up on 6 years, after we had some hoggers retire… a few newer hirres older then me quit…and 1 go to jail… i started to sit damn good…but with one swipe of the pen, csx sold 2 branch lines to a mom and pop line… and a reginal road… and with that went 5 maybe 6 engineers jobs with it… now that puts me back 5 spots… becouse thow their are 5 yard engineers going to be looking for reguler jobs…and with the bumping that is going to be going on…it is going to roll down hill to me…what did i gain…nothing…i lost…also…its not just deniled claims…its the crapy contracts we get… the having to pay out of our pocket for health insurnace…the list will just go on and on…and how with the engineers going to get trip rates next…we are going to make even less money for more work… ever day that passes… the crews seem to take 1 more step backwords in wages…benifits… ext. …
csx engineer
Are you UTU or are you BLE?