Have you ever been asked to work for the railroad?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I wounder. Has anyone ever been asked by a RR worker to go work for the RR?
I was. No.1: I will not,why? Because being a railfan WILL interfear with the job knowing that the job is no place for railfans in the first place.

2

I too have been asked and still get asked by some. Why I would not change, well my job is very good, I do complain (and who doesn’t complain about work) about it but the beni’s are good, very good pay, as much time off as I can afford, and as much overtime as I want. Why would I want to live by the ring of the telephone? The other thing that keeps me away from being a railroader is the rapid use of remote control locomotives, which is not good since railroads work via seniority , so the young guys get bumped.

3

I was asked to work for the railroad some years ago, and I did. It has never been dull.

LC

4

OH yes, that “roll the eyes” question has been asked to me on many occasions. Of course, the ones who asked were nonrailfans and don’t know how a railroad works. My answer was and still is no. My father worked over 30 years as a trainman for Santa Fe, and an uncle of mine worked as a track welder also for Santa Fe. I like my spare time, and having free weekends for me and my wife to plan for. My father had a pager right before he retired. I knew he threw it in the lake the moment he retired[^].

Take care,

Russell

5

About a month ago I was talking to an engineer for BNSF while he was waiting on a siding to move on and he told me that I should apply to either BNSF or UP because they are both so desprate for warm bodies to work. I considered it, but I think that I should probably find a job in my degree field and just stick to watching trains from the sidelines.

6

I have been asked by many non railfans why I don’t go work for a railroad. I always tell them “Because I want to keep liking trains”. After working 10-12 hours on the railroad you want to relax by doing something completely unrelated to work.I would rather have railroading as a hobby.

7

I’ve heard something similar to that many a times from railroad employees…
It goes something like…

“The novelty of riding on trains wears out mighty quick.”

8

There are many on this forum I would hire… consider yourselves asked !!!
Randy

9

I have been told that I should apply. I have applied and my application is being reviewed. I have not decided if I will take the job if it is offered to me.

10

Mechanical department, that is where I would perfer to work.

11

Yea !!! We got it made.
Randy

12

That is what the guys at the Mechanical Departement at the local UP yard tell me. Every one of them that I have talked to said he likes his job. Only a few of the guys in the Transportation Department have said the same. Plus I like to work on machinery.

13

My brother works for Canadian Pacific, and told me last year that there were job openings on CP. I applied, and as it turned out I would have started my training during the weeks that I had picked for vacation from my employer, UPS, so things could have worked out very, very well.

But they didn’t. CP didn’t hire me.

So, I took it as a “sign” that a railroad career was not for me. I still like my part-time job at UPS, which is really just a stone’s throw away from a railroad job anyway, both figuratively and literally (CP runs right across the street). Since then I got another part-time job, so financially I’m doing almost as well as I would on the railroad, with a tremendously more flexible schedule.

I’ve also been encouraged to be a UPS driver as well, but that’s more long hours and less flexibility too.

Happy with what I’ve got,
-Mark Hintz
Milwaukee, WI
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

14

I am and always have been a so called rail fan and I worked in the railroad industry for 53 years in engine service both as an engineer and a General Road foreman of Engines-Trainmaster. I was asked by a Superintendent to hire on the railroad as he used to see me along the railroad and in locomotive cabs (got caught many times by the trainmaster ) and near his office a lot and saw that I was responsible to safety. I didn’t go on the railroad for the money as a supervisor the engineers made more that I did and had better hours but I had a challange of running a division and many commuter trains this is what I wanted and still do today at 70 (a lot smaller railroad today) . I remember that superintendent saying to me that he was happy I came on board after my Army time in Korea as an engineer in the 724th TBRO.
Yes they were long hours and my wife brought up the kids but I have had a great railroading life. I have 56,000 railroad slides movies videos and a huge book collection, You see rworking for a railroad just made a bigger railfan. as a manager I had to be a closet railfan as a rail fan was not looked up to by top managment. I still did my thing as I am doing today just got 3 rolls of film back and I am doing a lot of digitel great life huh?
Hogger

15

Yes - but got a better offer in another line of work.

work safe

16

I wouldn’t mind working in operations or marketing

17

Does that mean you are an architect?

18

I wish

19

Yes, for the past four years for CSX and am still on there active list. Have not signed on yet because of:

  1. I have a good job.
  2. Married.
  3. Present Engineer for a Tourist Line.
    I will probably get called again in the next few months but I’m still not sure what to do!!!
20

I seriously considered a railroading career but went to work for a transit bus company instead.

If I were to work for a railroad, I would prefer the locomotive/car maintenance shop. I enjoy working on large vehicles.