I’m in high school and I’m thinking about becoming an engineer. Can you tell me what a daily schedule for an engineer might be. And also can you tell me some classes I should take in school. That would be really awesome.
From, The name might be Fred
You work in the yard for awhile. Then you move on to working on signal and safety devices , then probably work on both for awhile. Then you’ll qualify. One thing though. Don’t do drugs! They will ruin your railroading life, because a man whose son works the rails told me that if you do drugs, you won’t be able to work for them. Thats pretty much all I got,
Richard
Thanks a lot for that info. I guess I’m in good shape since I don’t do drugs, and I’m not planning on it. I know you said that’s all you got, but how do you qualify, and what classes should I take?
From, The name might be Fred
I’m not sure what classes you take, but you qualify by doing different things that help you work up to becoming an engineer. I could sit forever here telling you what you have to do[(-D]. I know you do maintenance, work on crossing signals and do locomotive maintenance. Definately work in the yard and I guess, basically they’ll just tell you that you qualified. I’m just writing down what I’ve heard. I’m not sure all of what you have to do. My father said that it took his father nearly 20 years to work for the Reading. I hope that helps.
Locomotive engineer or civil engineer?
If you mean civil, mudchicken can fill you in.
If you mean locomotive engineer…step 1 is get hired by the railroad.
You don’t come in off the street and go to the seat box directly.
Because most railroads are union shops, your seniority determines what jobs you can hold.
You will start out on the ground pounding rocks in this order.
Switchman/helper/brakeman.
Engine foreman or yard conductor.
Road conductor.
These guys are known collectively as “trainmen”, and have a separate seniority roster from “enginemen” or engineers.
When the railroad you work for decides it needs more engineers, it will announce a class.
You bid on the slots in that class, it is filled by seniority, the more years of service you have, the better your chances of being “taken up” to engineers’ class.
Pretty much it all works on the oldest employee having the better pick of jobs, and the “older” you are, the higher up in the order you are.
Once you get in the class, you better pass; most railroads don’t keep you if you fail the engineers’ class… (Some let you go back to the ground, but it depends on the union contract at that road or terminal).
On a lot of the Class 1 roads, you don’t have a choice, when they run out of engineers, and need more, (and no one bids on the class) they can force the youngest trainmen in to the class.
Doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
If they have ten slots, and only 5 bidders, the bidders will get in, and the five youngest trainmen will be forced, starting with the youngest one.
This also depends on the local union contract at that particular location.
When you get your license, you will be one of the youngest ones on the enginemen roster, and will have to work the extra board, meaning your on call 24/7, 365 days a year, and work the jobs as they call you.
As you get more time in, you can "
if you want to be a locomotive engineer…
first off… like someone said befor…you have to get a job on a railroad… they “promote” engineers from the trainmen ranks (conductor yard formen, switchmen, ext)… and at least on csx… they will tell you when to report to engin school…
also…as far as what classes to take in high school, take what ever you want…becoues NO highschool classes will teach you what it takes to be an engineer… the railroads will teach you how to be an engineer by going to thier engineers program and OJT…althow any type of shop classes wil help you understand equipment and how it works…mecnaincal skills are a pluse…but not required… also, to get a job on most railroads now a days…they farm out to college programs that are set up by the railroads…and they hire from the schools in most cases…
as far as the dalily schedual… what schedual? unless you got good senority to hold a yard or local job with a reguler start time and assined days off or the few and far between scheuled pool turns…you have no schedual…your on call up to 24/7/365.25 days a year depending on the railroad…
csx engineer
I do think private railroad schooling is required after you graduate, or will be an almost universal requirement pretty soon. The UP fact book says it will not hire new people unless they’ve completed an approved course of training at such a school. Apparently the courses run six-to-eight weeks and then, if you’re lucky, you become a Trainman and go through the process people have described above in this post.
It is the same way on the BNSF also. You have to get hierd a conductor trainee score a 90% at mininum for gcor I think norac also. After some time pounding the rocks and the engineer class gets posted put your bid in sometimes you just might get in once you get in class to be an engineer the same rule applies you must pass with 90% the same as above, some people do not pass on the first try they go back 30 day later if they fail again they are dismissed from the railroad. I just got my card this year and we were presented with what the railroad paid for (1) student the final total was 90,000$ so it is in your best intrest to pass.
Rodney
For my sake and the sake of the young man who initiated this thread, what are “GCOR” and “NORAC,” please?
Ok Thanks Everyone
GCOR and NORAC are operating rules.
GCOR
http://www.railroadcontrols.com/gcor/
NORAC
http://thebecketts.com/images/NORAC%208th%20Edition%20NJT.pdf
Top link to the GCOR
General Code of Operating Rules.
Bottom link, NORAC
Northeast Operating Rules Advisory Committee.
GCOR is used, roughly, west of the Mississippi, NORAC is east.
Both are the rule books" you hear and read about.
Contains the safety and operating rules we must work under, including descriptions of the signal systems, flags, and radio rules.
Ed
Locomotive Engineers DO NOT DO MAINTANCE ON ANYTHING!
Who told y’all that crap?
I run the engine that’s all.
One thing to keep in mind is that once you become an locomotive engr, you keep you ground senority date but then you are given an engr date. This means that even though you may have several yrs asa condr, it means nothing when your not working the ground. Over half of the new hires I’ve worked with that have gone into engr school say if they had to do it all over again, they would have stayed on the ground. I have almost seven yrs w/a class 1 and have no desire to become a hoghead unless I have no other choice to do so.
We dont take a test on NORAC here at BNSF. We have a guy that after just 2 1/2 years got on the engineer class and is a hogger. Problem is hes the youngest seniority wise so guess what, he gets forced to Chicago to run commuter trains! Hes not too happy about it but thats the breaks welcome to railroading. I happen to like being a ground pounder. Ill take that leap to engineer when I am good and ready ( and when I am senior to most of the class hehehehe)
I was the baby hogger for a while and was forced to Beardstown Il. for a while.
Rodney
first…graduate
second…apply
third…pray that your application is accetped
fourth…try to do well in the interview
fifth…try to survive schooling with some sanity
sixth…try to not get killed in OJT.
seventh…work for a while and then go to engineer school.
Which is exactly the reason costs are so high on the class one railroads. Some, not all engineers will tie up a consist for a bad brake shoe for hours until some one from the round house comes to put a new one in. I don’t want to hear the crap that thats not what your getting paid to do like I hear so often. The fact is you are getting paid plenty !
There was a time that the master mechanic had to sign off on all new engineers after completing machinery and air exams, at least that way the round house would get something a bit more specific than “electrical problems” or " not loading right " on the defect sheet !
The best thing is to get professional counseling to try to rid yourself of the impulse . . .
Old Timer
GREAT answer…hehehehe
Virlon
save your ticket…the P.E. will rise again.