Hey all of you engineers out there (if any) i’m 14 and have wanted to drive trains isnce i first saw one, can you tell me how much you make annualy?
Pat,
Until 5 years ago I was an engineer on NICTD/South Shore Line. Made about $40,000 per year. Had to make one round trip, Michigan City-Chicago-South Bend-Michigan City, in six hour days, five days a week, plus some overtime on days off to make that. Large railroads pay more.
Mitch
depending on what class rail road you get on…class 1s are paying around 25+/- …at 100%… you have to start out as a conductor on most class 1 roads befor you are “promoted” to engin service…now a class 3…they pay …well…alot less…
csx engineer
Pat,
I am a conductor/switchman for a class 3 terminal/switching railroad, I earn $20.876 per hour, anything over 8 hours in a day it goes to $31.3140 per hour.
Engineers here earn $25.876 per hour straight time, I dont know their overtime rate.
Anything over 8 hours in a shift is overtime…
Like CSX said, your going to have to start on the ground, switchman helper/brakeman,and work your way up to the seat box…
If you are serious, start making freinds in the business now, get to know a engineer or conductors, it always helps to have someone on the inside pulling for you at hireing time…
Ed
I’m an engineer for a tourist line. My pay is well-- you can probably figure it out!
when i worked on a tourist line… i wasnt the engineer…but all the crews pay at the end of the day was a dinner and beer…lots and lots of beer…
csx engineer
[i]
I was told that CSX starts pay at aprox:25,000 per yer depending on how much train service u do as a Conductor, then when u face manditory promotion to locomotive engineer u get up to 50,000 escalating. Is this ture?/ Because in three yrs when I become 21 and elegible to work for CSX and, when I graduate from my automotive/diesel technology course; I’m goin to apply for a position. SOMEONE HELP[%-)]
There is more to consider beside the pay. The realitiy of it all is, odd hours, midnights, two hour notices to report to duty and shifting of crew bases. These are only a few of the facts to consider as to whether this life is for you. Some people really like this way of life while others only last a short time in the transportation industry.
pay is baised many on amount per mile on a run…differnt pools pay differnt rates baced on the milage…it all depends on where you work and how much you work… i bring home about 50k ayear… but i am also at 100% pay rate…but i know engineers that make over 100+k a year…but the trade off is make the big bucks but never be home to spend them…or make less money and injoy it… like i said…it all comes down to how much you work…and where your working out of…
by the way…you dont need to be 21 to work for csx…you can hire on at 18…second… a automotive/diesel tech degree isnt realy needed for the job… you would be better to spend the money on one of the conductor mill college programs… the diecel degree might get you into a shop job… and then once you get in…you could transfure crafts to T&E…but keep in mind…that evey min your not in a T&E craft job is just one more chance for someone to become older then you in senority…and 1 turn older or younger can make the differnce in working in january…or haveing to sit on a furlow board and collecting $200 a week for RR unemplyeement
csx engineer
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QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98
when i worked on a tourist line… i wasnt the engineer…but all the crews pay at the end of the day was a dinner and beer…lots and lots of beer…
csx engineer
You did better than I do. I do not get any beer. But hey, I get a hotdog and coffee for lunch in the club car!!!
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QUOTE: Originally posted by jrw249
hey jrw…wearnt you going to csx conductor school back in like january or something?
csx engineer
Hey CSXRules4eva,
When you hire out you’ll be under training pay cloak for your first 14-16 weeks. That training salary is 715.83 a week, which isn’t bad considering I had most of the weekends off. I’ve been marked up since May 3rd of this year and combined with training pay I just passed the 30k plateau for the year. So, If I don’t get furloughed, I can end up close to 50k for my first year!!! I think I’m luckier than a lot of new hires, my terminal was very desperate for people so I got to work quite a bit this summer, now the company is starting to mark up more engineers, which means I move up a bit in the conductor ranks. Don’t forget the benefits of health care. I’m paying $100 a month for my entire family and before I would have been paying nearly $300 a month. I know before we didn’t have to pay at all, but I didn’t work during the good old days. These are my good ol’ days because before I was working 2 jobs just to get by making about $8 an hour with no benefits and absolutely no overtime, and this is with a college degree!!! Don’t let your children major in Geography. I get a lot of flak about that from the people I work with, but I sure enjoyed my time in college. And yes I could have moved and found a salary job, but I didn’t want to work in a city planning office listening to people complain about their neighbors and easements and right of ways all day long. Anywho, like csxengineer says…sign up now before you lose more seniority than you already have!!! I’m probably about 1,000 people above right now and I just hired out earlier this year.
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QUOTE: Originally posted by csxengineer98
Ya, but could not bite the bullet. I’m still on there active list and probably will get called again within the next couple months.
I have worked for a class 1 for 6 yrs. If you hire w/a major rr, you will first start as a condr. As engr spots are needed, the rr will have a training class that will be filled by bids in senority order. At the stn I work at, a xtra bd condr makes more than xtra bd engr.Many guys I know regret they trained to become an engr for a variety of reasons. I have no plans to do so unless I am forced to. Not worth the trouble. condr is easier job.
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by jrw249
you think your going to take it? evey class you miss is a class that is older then you…
csx engineer
Still not sure yet. I’m not too concerned about a missed class being older in view of the fact that I would not be doing it for a super long period of time.
but keep in mind that even if your not going to be around for years and years…that the longer you waite if you choice to go will make a diffrance between a nice paycheck in january…or only getting 250 a week from RR unemplymeent…
csx engineer
i’m a conductor on a class 3 shortline and the pay is so bad that i’m not gonna tell you how much i make, just that it’s a hell of a lot lower than class 1 pay. as far as the job, i really like it even after a year and a half i still want to continue on. the company i work for is family owned and non union, we are payed a flat rate every week, and overtime pay doesn’t exist. CSXrules4eva, i would have saved the money and went to school for CSX. i too went to a tech school. spent two years there learning paint and body, got a job in the field, quit after 8 months to work for the railroad. i’m willing to work just waiting for an opening and a phone call.