Was wondering if anyone has any information on the agility test for Union Pacfic. Any help would be great. I am trying to get on in Iowa and I am not sure what the test will be like. Need to practice if I can and see what I need to work on before the test.
Thank you
HCJones
If it’s still the same, they do threee things. Sit ups, grip strength and upper body strength. The sit ups are as many as you can do in a minute, The grip strength was sequeezing a thing that meaures that. The upper body test was pulling up on a chain that connects to something that measures how much force you are pulling.
They add up the score and average it out, so if you’re a bit low in one part but better in another part, that can bring up the score.
What part of Iowa are you looking at? Most of Iowa is covered by one seniority district. That includes terminals and yards at Clinton, Boone, Cedar Rapids (Beverly), Marshalltown, Des Moines, Eagle Grove, and Mason City. There are also a few outlying branch jobs. Most of the road jobs are home based at Clinton and Boone.
Good luck.
Jeff
Wow, UP’s requirements are way more serious than ours.
All I had to do was pass a medical (which did not include any strength tests), and then once training class started we all had to prove that we could ride the side of cars for a while (not very hard) and pick up a knuckle and carry it 50 or 60 feet (they weigh about 70 lbs).
One of our forum denizens tried for conductor on NS. Had trouble with the hanging on the side of a car thing.
My problem is that the grab irons on the sides of our passenger cars weren’t made for fellows 6’5"… Not that we ride the sides of the cars all that often.
That sounds like a strength, not agility test.
The agility and coordination test is juggling a knuckle, knuckle pin and air hose for 30 seconds [/sarcasm]
It’s pretty clever but ability to do situps is also kind of a forecast how close you are to lower back issues because a low situp number says your going to have problems with your lower back at some point. Thats why the military did them for so long because your abdominal muscles which the situps really test help share the weight distribution with the lower back and if they are weak then your lower back is carrying most of the load without help.
UP management could also have their own agility test, where they demonstrate their ability to jump to conclusions and fly off the handle. [/sarcasm]
You forgot manipulating stock, climbing the corporate ladder, and raising rates through the roof. [:o)]
What’s the time required for the entry-level management test’s 100-yard low crawl through the weeds? [/[;)]]
I concur that an ‘agility’ test involves other muscle and nerve ‘aptitude’ than what the present test seems to call for. Could it have been ‘dumbed down’ as physical tests for the fire service were said to have been? Can we find if historical tests on the UP were different, or more rigorous on more ‘agile’ performance?
I agree. It seems like an agility test would involve climbing on cars and under equipment and such.
The grip test is for holding on to the side of cars. The upper body test is for being able to handle knuckles and switches. At least that’s how it was explained to me.
Upon further recollections, we did the sit ups once. The other two tests we did three times each, I think they took the best score from each set of three to do their ultimate scoring. I remember them saying that they had a guy pass who could only do one sit up. His other numbers compensated for that one sit up.
Jeff
So with 1 sit up he was already for the ‘Man Down’ when operating a Remote.
For engineers it’s applying air, bailing the independent, knocking off your throttle while holding your cup of coffee and cigarette.
I mean, this isn’t a real physical job - even doing yard work. A lot of walking and throwing switches - but you don’t need to be a contender for Mr./Ms. Universe for that. I mean, it doesn’t hurt of course. Although the lifestyle of erratic call times and long days… well, that’s gettign into something else.
Sure, you don’t need a chisled body, but there are some physical demands on a freight conductor in particular, isn’t there? Thinking mostly of the climbing on and off equipment, squatting to connect air hoses, walking some distance to find reasons for unintended emergency applications, etc. I’m sure there are people who cannot pass the physical tests that otherwise qualify for the job. Railroads will want to find that out before they need to hang off the side of a car for a shove move in the middle of the night.
I am reminded of a scene on an unnamed railroad. Mid-winter, cold, windy. The conductor was working on the ground while the engineer, who didn’t look like he’d missed lunch lately, sat in the cab in a yellow (odd thing to remember, but…) golf shirt - short sleeves, etc…
Always 70 and sunny in the cab.
If you get the job get ready to have fun hooking air hoses together in the winter time. I had to do that a few times… Don’t miss that at all…
But some of those newer short travel electronic air brake handles can be very stiff.
Hold onto your coffee? That’s what the cup holder is for. (I don’t do coffee very often, usually in wintertime if I do at all. Coffee seems to only keep me awake when I’m ready to go to sleep in the motel.)
When I’m switching or picking up/setting out cars, I always have my window open. No matter what the weather conditions are. I break the rule that says engineers aren’t supposed to get wet.
Jeff
What’s a cupholder? Don’t have them in my GP-old-2s.
On our older power without strip heaters or A/C the cab interior is usually a poor imitation of the outside temperature.
The ex-Santa Fe Dash-8s are probably the coldest in winter, and our cowls were the hottest in summer.
How cold does it get out here? CN’s later steam power had insulated cabs with steam radiators for heat, the firebox just wasn’t enough.