Not too long ago I applied for train service for the following railroads, Conrail(1996) NS, EJ&E, and the IHB. However, I heard from a railfan that lived near the NS in Kentucky and he heard that this railroad prefers applicants to be no
older than 38 or 39, and I am 44. Can a railroad like NS that always has openings posted for Conductor, willfully practice age discrimination? I will give you an example, back in 2002, I travelled to Elkart(IN) and attended a hiring session for NS. I heard the presentation and filled the application, followed by the personality test. Then came the calling of names to be interviewed. Well, I noticed one thing that stood out, many of the applicants in the room were past 40. There were 13 conductor positions to fill, easy enough since there was at least 50 applicants present. Well I checked out the web site, and apparently the litter of applicants seeking those coveted 13 spots was too old for their liking and NS held another session the following week. Question, do railroads such as the NS find a way to get away with the preferred ages and not appear to discriminate?
first off…your baseing this post off of “he heard” information…any railroader can tell you that miss information runs ramped on the railroad…all it takes is 1 guy in the yard office to say something to another crewman…and it starts… the rummor mill is off and running…so i wouldnt hold to much stock in “he said”
second… this is the first i have heard of anything like this…where im at on csx…they hired anyone that met the requirements regardless of age… thier are people that hired out over the past 8 years that i have been an employee that are in their 50s… i personaly cant speak on behalf of NS since i dont work for them…but i have never seen a such a thing on csx…
3rd… just becouse they had another hireing seseaon means nothing… they might actuly grant 30 people a potental job but weed them down as the training program progresses along…just ask nora…she was picked to work for NS…and she was weeded out due to the training prosess for what ever reason…
i think you might just be reading into this to much… i could be wrong…but i think you are…
csx engineer
I too have seen the NS hire those over 50. We even had a Conductor Trainee who was 55 and had taken an early retirement (buyout) from Verizon. The NS is pretty picky about who they hire and often they like folks with maturity. They also love folks with military backgrounds as they want to be assured you can follow orders.
If it makes you feel better I was a minority at the age of 23. Most of the people I went to training were at least 10 years older than me. When I went to my home terminal there were only two people younger than me and it was only by a year. Younger folks can be risky because we still have most of our lives ahead of us and we always think the grass is greener on the other side. In fact the guys I hired on with were 50, 46, 42, and 33 as far as age went. Two of the guys had kids older than me. Hang in there.
I wouldn’t worry about your age. I hired in as a minority at the age of 23. The guys i trained with were 50,46,42, and 33 in age. We youngsters can be a risky hire because we have a lot of living to do yet and we often think that the grass is greener on the other side. Hang in there!
NS hired me in 1999 at the ripe old age of 49. I have never been in the military but I had worked in a chemical plant for 26 years on rotating shifts, so I guess that showed stability and willingness to work weird hours. Also, and most importantly, I had never been arrested and only had one traffic violation in over 35 years of driving. Believe me, if you want to work for the NS, never ever lie to them about your arrest record because they will find out.
Railroads are bound by EEOC directives in their heiring and can’t afford to discriminate for any reason that doesn’t have a DIRECT impact on the applicants ability to perform the requirements of the job they are applying for. Age is not a reason that has a DIRECT impact on one’s ability to perform the duties of the job. Certain physical conditions aand/or past illnesses may pose conditions that have a direct negative affect upon one’s ability to perform the duties of the job.
Well I like to thank you all above for the info, I just started a couple of forums to get a feel for this railfan site. CSX engineer, when will the railroad go and employ control stands on future SD70ace orders? I read in CTC Board MRL received the first order with the stands.Sure will make having to run long forward easier withe new W’ s nowadays
Craig
we have an agreement in place here that says unless it thier is no way around it…we are not to run long hood forward on wide bodies… as far as what they are ordering…i have no clue…we crews dont know what we get untill it shows up on the proporty and they say…thier is your engin…get on it and go…
csx engineer
All the new UP power, EMD & GE, are coming with the new, retro style control stand. Supposedly the desk top style was starting to cause carpal tunnel syndrome claims.
If you have one of these new ones trailing in you consist, be sure the engr’s seat is locked so it can’t swivel. If the seat back is positioned towards the reclined position it can swivel around and knock the automatic brake valve from Handle Off into Emergency. It’s happened to me once.
nope…i got lucky… csx is working biz as useal( at least they think they are) depending on crew avalibilty…but my yard job was one of the few that was annuled for the 24th and 25th…so i get the holiday off…lol
csx engineer
Another good reason to use those locking pins to lock them into the handle-off position, if someone hasn’t cut them off.
Was going down the road one day, still had full crews, bang, we go into emergency, no idea why. Conductor (a real nervous type) got off and started walking the train, the brakeman came up and said, “I’ve got something to tell you guys, I was playing with that brake handle back there and I think I put us into emergency.”
Brakeman wasn’t the brightest guy, long gone from the railroad, conductor still working today, we didn’t tell the conductor why we were in emergency, can’t remember if I ever told him later.
The new control stands on the MRL units are the nicest of the new generation of the AAR stands I have seen. The CN ones are just too long and by the time you move the seat far enough ahead to reach the throttle the air brake controls are behind your shoulder. I am only 5’6" so perhaps taller engineers find it more comfortable.
What is the comfort or running long hood foreward if there are no ditch lights on the long hood end and you are restricted to 20 mph for most of the route anyway?
I work for the NS in Portsmoth Ohio and they have hired several people in thier 40’s.About 10 years ago they hired a lady who was in her 50’s and she is still working.I trained her some as Engineer when she in her early 50’s.Valley X you may know who I’m talking about.Two big factors that the NS look at is employment for the last 6 months,meaning same job for at least that amount of time.And yes,truthful reporting on your application.I have seen people released(in the last year after being marked up) on not telling all the facts.Be on time and pay close attention to exactly what they tell you to do during the hiring process.I hired in 1991 and saw half the applications thrown in the garbage for bringing them up to the front before they told us to.
