Questions about train service

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Hi

I know some of this has already been discussed but I had a few questions.

I have been offered a job with UP train service. During the test/interview they said, for the local I would be working, our time on the extra board would be short. Once off the EB do you have more of a set schedule? I know the new guy has to pay his dues, which I’m willing to do but do things get better? Is it as bad as people make it sound?

If promoted to conductor or TE do you have to transfer?

I’m sure I’ll have a few more Q’s later but for now

Thank you

2

Learn the rules regarding hours of service allowed to you between rest periods.

Then schedule your life around the needs of the railroad and be ready to move after your rest when that phone rings.

Good luck!

3

it is that bad and WORSE!!!..

csx engineer

4

If you’re single, and don’t like to go out with friends, and don’t like to sleep in your own bed, and don’t like to eat regular meals, and don’t like to live a structured life, and like to be outside when the weather gets extreme, and like to sleep at odd hours, then railroading is the perfect job for you. If you can tolerate all of the above, then railroading is a very cool job!

However, don’t listen to the promise of a short time on the extra board. If you get hired at the ‘wrong’ time, then you will be stuck on call for many, many years. Of course, if you get hired at the ‘right’ time, then you’re time on the board will indeed be short.

Bear in mind, though, that you can’t possibly imagine how it is to work on call 24x7 until you’ve done it. Some people like it, others can’t stand it. When I was young and single, I was the former…once I became married and wanted to do a family, I became the latter.

5

Is it that Bad ??? no, you rarely see railroaders leave on their own account.

6

I’ve been a railroader for 9 years. Conductor, RCO Operator, Training Conductor/RCO Operator, Yardmaster, and Trainmaster.

It’s a tough life. I’ve missed countless Birthdays, Thanksgivings, and Christmases. I’ve had rocks thrown at me, and been shot at. I’ve walked trains, in the dead of night, blazing sun, pouring rain, and driving snow. I’ve seen 2 co-worked injured so badly, they can’t return to work. 10 others had time-loss injuries, but have returned to work. And worst of all, I’ve buried one co-work killed on the job.

I’ve also made a lot of money. For the most part, I work with a great bunch of guys, who when the chips are down, will give you the shirt off their back. We really are a family. And there’s nothing like the feeling of seeing the little kids waving as you go by.

Be wary of your reputation. Railroaders gossip worse then old women. [:D] Not everyone will know your face, but everyone, and I mean everyone will know your reputation.

You don’t have to kiss the Yardmasters, Trainmasters, and Dispatchers tooshies. But being on good terms with them can prevent a lot of headaches.

Know your rules and union agreement. And know what the jobs do. If you don’t know, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Better to look stupid by for asked the question, then to do something really stupid, because you didn’t know and didn’t ask.

Time on the extra list is really a matter of hiring at the right time. When I hired, I worked The List for 6 months as a conductor, then had a regular yard job for 4 years. When I was promoted to yardmaster, I worked The List for a year.

In my experiance, if you’re going to quite you’ll do it in the first 2 years. Once you stay for 3 to 4 years, odds are you’ll stay for life.

Nick

7

I’m guessing that by being off the extra board they mean going to work a pool turn.

The only job that have any kind of schedule are assigned jobs like locals and yard jobs. Pool jobs don’t have a schedule but they kind of have a routine. You can kind of tell when you are going to go back to work. When things are running normal, you get a feel for how fast the pool is turning. It can be fast, on your rest or near to that, it can be slow. Where I work the ideal time off in the pool is about 20-24 hours off. Right now things are slow and the pools are turning slow (36-40 hours off) but faster than the extra board. Thru most of last year, and I suspect in a few months we’ll return to that level, the pool was getting 16 to 20 hours off and the extra board was turning on their rest for the most part.

Once you are done with training, you will be promoted to conductor. There are some locations that still use brakemen on a regular basis, but it’s not like years ago when you could stay a brakeman your working career.

When it comes to transferring, I’m guessing relocating where you live at? When you hire out, you establish senioirity on a certain district. Some districts can be quite large. You can work out of any terminal within that district. Willingly or by force when at the bottom of the list. An example. I work out of Boone, Iowa. Clinton, Iowa is 200 miles away. If they need people and no one willingly bids openings there, they can force the junior person on the seniority district to the open job. You stay until someone else becomes junior to you.

They can’t force you out of your senioirty district. If you are hiring out in California they can’t make you move to Iowa. They can offer temporary or permanent transfers from where things are slow to where things are fast. (Right now things are slow in Iowa, bu

8

Well now I understand why the little kids sometimes don’t get a wave back… sounds like one heck of a hard way to make a living. Watching Dad with with the kids trackside on Saturday must really grate on some railroaders who aren’t too fond of the 24/7 on call aspect of the lifestyle…I’ll keep waving though…although I now understand why there’s sometimes no response.

9

If there is one thing Train Service employees like to do more than gossip…it is Bitch about their jobs.

10

I have been working with UP for over 3 years. I would like to know where your hiring session was, that informed you that you would be working a local straight out of the box. Here in Roseville, they have been hiring like mad also. But new hires are cut off as soon as they mark up. You work where your seniority will let you within your service area. Roseville, CA. you do not have a shot in hell in working a road job, let alone a xtra board, much less a local. Like I said 3 years in here, and I cannot touch our xtra board.

If they are blowing steam up your ass, dont let them.

11

All of the above responses are correct you live with the phone you spend a lot of birthdays hoildays wishing you were somewhere else but like jeff I love my job and cannot see me doing anything else And it helps that my wife supports and understands my lifestyle. I told my wife just before we were married that I will become the perfect husband 1 I have a job I love 2 The pay and bennifits are great 3 And Iwont be home long enough to get under foot Its a good tough life but there are times when the phone rings at 2am and its 20 below zero you wonder about ti Good Luck Larry

12

Not really a need for railroaders outside of the railroad. Working for a railroad really limits your skill set.

13

Take those words to heart, it is the truth. The skills learned on the railroad don’t transform you into any other kind of skilled worker. Responsible, yes, but not skilled.

14

Don’t let anyone rush you. Work at your own pace and take the safest course. You’ll probably hear that a lot but it’s true. Learn your working aggrement, and how to fill out time tickets. If you screw up your time ticket and your engineer loses money as a result you’ll be in hot water. In time you’ll know if this career is right for you. I have saw guys quit their first day of OJT, it wasn’t what they expected so they hit the road. Many will leave when they are furghloughed for extended periods of time. I can’t say that I blame them, they’re new so they can’t draw unemployeement, and some have families. This job has good days and bad like any other, but at the end of the day I can’t see myself doing anything else. Just remember the only dumb question is the one never asked, because there are only two things that I will ever assume on the railroad, the man is watching and a train or piece of equipment can sneak up on you at any time on any track. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

15

a lot of factual advice here…what service unit will you be in? here in Ft Worth after 1 or 2 years you can hold a regular pool freight job with occasional trips to the bump board…some guys like the extra board…we have 30+ yr guys working some of the extra boards…if you’re after the $$ its where it is.just try to remember its a job, but its also a lifestyle…good luck & never let your guard down when it comes to safety…yeah, you’ll get tired of hearing it, but like the saying goes “the rule book is written in blood”

16

After 14 short years on the old CNW, I held the board for 2 years as a trainman, and one as an engineer. The rest of the time was on a yard job. It is nice to work a regular job and know your head hits your own bed every night.

No way would I want to work forever in a place like Boone where you turn and burn every day. Nor would I like an extra board where you were on call all the time. We got in at the right time, with all the recent retirements.

17
18

Thanks for all the responses. When you are out of town on a run, do you get paid per diem for meals and lodging?

19

You get a meal allowance, it varies from property to property, most agreements provide for one amount up to a twelve hour layover and double that amount if at the away-from-home terminal over twelve hours. We’re not talking a lot of money here, our conductors get $6 and $12, with $12 being the maximum, regardless of length of layover.

As for laying away, after sixteen hours, if still at the away terminal, one goes on the clock and goes off it after twenty-four hours, being paid Held Away From Home Terminal. Some agreements are different but I can only speak of the one I am most familiar with (NS).

20

Yes, when away from home the RR, per the contract with the unions, reimburse for part of your meals expense. The Treasury Department allows you to deduct the rest against your earnings when you file your income tax return the following year. Motel rooms and transportation to the motels are paid by the company.

You are missing the big point here when niggling about the little stuff. It is not the earnings on the railroad which are a problem it is the life style. You will probably be looking at work weeks which average 60 or more hours per week on duty time. Layover time is not part of that 60 hours. You will have 6 to 8 starts per week for MONTHS on end. There will be no assigned start times for most of this and you can pretty much kiss off most of the activities you enjoy with your friends now. They will quit calling after a while when they figure out you will have no idea when you will be going to work the day after tomorrow let alone if you will be able to go to the lake with them next week. You can survive and make adjustments if you want to. After a couple of years you will know if this is a lifestyle you want to live in. After about 20 years you may be able to hold a couple of weeks of vacation in the time period you want but unless you find a yard job or local to hold, you will still not be able to take many of the weekends off you want to be with friends or family. Perhaps one now and then but not most of them.