What is Railroad Life Like Today for New Conductors?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

What is life like today as a Conductor Trainee? Southern is holding an all day open house for Conductor Trainees in my home town soon and have a daughter interested in applying. Can the experts here fill in some of the gaps as to what are today’s responsibilities/duties for a Conductor (coupling/uncoupling cars, its your job to fix a broken air-hose or coupler knuckle out on the line, paper work, paper work, paper work)?

While I can discuss the history of railroading jobs going back to the hay-burner days, can only give her generalities as to today’s duties. Can someone help me out here with what Conductor’s do in the 21th century please?

Thank you.

2

Check out Norfolk Southern’s website. Under “job seekers” there’s a video that shows “Brian the conductor” talking about his job and what the job demands and benefits are. It is actually a pretty good video…it doesn’t sugar coat it although others here could probably fill in more detail.

3

One of the blogs I read has a regular segment written by a BNSF conductor who I believe has been working on the railroad only a few years - he’s still new-ish. Pretty fascinating first-person narrative reading!

http://www.ogdenbrotherstrains.blogspot.com/search/label/Prototype%20Railroading

4

I went to one of those NS Conductor Trainee/ Career Open House sessions about 2 weeks ago, and concur with the above comments. In addition, the following points were repeatedly emphasized:

  • The very physical nature of the work - the 3-minute “hang test” from the side of a car, for example, as well as stepping up 2-1/2 ft. and then climbing up on them multiple times during a day, riding on them in all kinds of weather, walking on ballast all day, lifting coupler knuckles, etc.
  • You need need to be available for duty 24 x 7 x 365 - “We Do Not Stop” operating. Even during blizzards, you’re then an “essential employee”, so you’re excluded from the “Don’t drive” rules and are expected to show up.
  • Don’t expect any or many holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. off for the 1st 5 to 15 years. Both trainmasters at the session said they’ve been like 6 years without being home for an entire day on the holidays, and “We’ve heard it all before, and now you’ve heard it here too, so don’t expect any sympathy from us - we expect you to show up”.
  • You can expect to be called for duty at any time - like 1 AM - work up to 12 hours, get the mandatory rest time, and be called again ASAP. That results in a 22 to 24 hour duty cycle, which can go on for 6 or 7 days before any mandatory days off apply.
  • Your hobbies will be sleeping and eating - the rest of your time will be working, or in transit.
  • You can be held at the ‘away’ terminal for up to 30 hours or so before either being entitled to pay for that, or being worked or ‘deadheaded’ back home.
  • 90-minute call is standard; may be longer for some outlying positions, but for some of those that’s where you’re based, so the drive is at your expense.
  • After a few years, you may be selected for mandatory Locomotive Engineer Training, and if you pass, you go to the bottom of the Engineer’s seniority list and repeat the above (if you fail, you’re fired)
5

Very interesting Paul…what would happen if (for example) you’re called to work and your car breaks down enroute? Do they make allowances for that or are you gone after that? Years ago when I was living in Kamloops, BC I was train watching from the CP platform. A coal train was stopped there waiting for a crew change, but the headend brakeman was no where to be found. And the train couldn’t move without him. Various workers and managers began milling about in a state of agitation, and in those days (1981) there were no cell phones so no one knew if the braker was on his way or if he was not coming in at all. One manager walked past me and jokingly said that if I wanted a brakeman job that I could start right now. They finally called someone else in, but the train was delayed by a couple of hours. I would bet that the brakeman who didn’t show had alot of explaining to do if he was able to keep his job at all.

6

When I inteviewed for a job with the C&NW, I was told, “You will be fired if you miss a call for any reason.”

7

I live in Lexington, S.C. and was called to work 3rd trick in Charlotte Yard, about 110 miles from my home. While flying low on Interstate 77 my serpentine belt came off and I had no tools.Luckily, I was only about a mile from an exit, so I was able to get to a pay phone and call the crew caller. He put the next guy on the board on duty while I waited for my brother-in-law to assist me with my car. I DID NOT GET FIRED!!! Even the railroad understands that s— happens.

8

Must have been a good liar.

9

No held away until 30 hours? Unless there’s a side agreement, most times held away begins after 16 hours tied up away from home. The next 8 hours is under pay at the last rate service was performed. Then 16 hours “free” before it begins again. Some places have went to continuous held away. Once you’re on, you stay on until back on duty (either train or dead head). Some guys working our North Pool around the holidays last year got 30 plus hours of held away alone.

Two trainmasters who haven’t spent an entire holiday at home in six years? Yeah right. Either they are very junior, trying to look indispensable or fibbing a bit. That’s one of the good things about working the holidays, hardly anyone’s around. And since there’s usually less traffic, better trips.

I don’t know about other railroads, but when it gets really, really bad weather wise they have been letting people lay off for weather. They started doing this the last few years. Not so much when “driving is not recommended” (anymore they seem to say that after a heavy frost) but for times when the authorities have closed highways and threaten to ticket anyone out. Or worse when the authorities say if you’re out and go in the ditch, you’re on your own until the weather clears.

Still, it’s best to put across the worst case scenarios. Because, depending on locations, some or all of the above can happen at some time or another.

Jeff

PS. Paul, thinking of a career change?

10

After you have been accepted for employment and begin OJT, you are a probationary employee, normally for 90 days. Probationary employees can be dismissed for any reason or no reason at all, without recourse during their probationary period. You are not a union employee and not covered by any of the contract protections that come with being a union employee. The probationary period is typical in all categories of employment.

11

Jeff, I may well have mangled that 30-hour bit - hence my advice to go and hear it in person, and confirm.

One of the TM’s said all he had to eat on Thanksgiving was a ham sandwich, too (maybe it’s uphill to the tower both ways from the parking lot ?). It’s the NS Allentown Yard and eastern PA and northern NJ territory, so there might be some credibility to it anyhow.

They said you’d get some slack for extraordinary circumstances once in a while. But not for saying you couldn’t get in during a snowstorm, when the TM had to drive past your place and he got in OK . . . [:-^]

More like looking for a new employer, while preferably staying in the same location. But since that’s where and what the 20 opportunities are - and none of it scared me off, and I like outside work - I figured I had a decent chance, but not so far. Perhaps in another position/ capacity . . .

  • Paul North.
12

The accident on the way to work scenario happened to me, so…

Was rear ended at an intersection by a woman on her cell phone, she tagged the rear of my Magnum in her Mercedes SKE at 60mph…the SKE didn’t survive, the driver did.

Called the crew caller and was marked off as having called a “relief” which is railroad jargon for marking off after accepting a call or while on duty due to illness, emergency and several other reasons…

Look at it from this point of view, I had accepted the call for work, and while I was not technically on duty, I was on the way there within the 90 minuet call frame, so the carrier has the right to expect me to show.

Because of circumstances beyond my control, I could not report, so I too have the duty to inform the carrier of such, hence I was shown as having called a relief instead of missing a start time.

Most railroads with union contracts work it this way, but if you abuse the system, they will and do fire you for it.

As Paul and other noted, the job requires, for the most part, a willingness to show up no matter what the weather or time, and be ready for duty as soon as your rest time is up, the physical part can be grueling, but it rarely is so tough that a person in reasonable shape couldn’t handle most of it…yes, you will have to pick up a 90lb knuckle every once in a while, but that’s the exception, not the rule.

Riding the cars, being able to mount and dismount them, and tying hand brakes/lining switches is the normal daily duty…most of the job is mental work, trying to figure out the fastest, easiest and safest way to perform the work, plus the fatigue factor when you work in pool or extra board service.

That will be the hardest part of the whole thing, the lack of quality sleep and relaxation, plus the time away from family.

If she can handle those, she can handle the rest.

13

That sounds more like it…they must allow for emergencies provided they are the exception. Otherwise everyone is eventually fired… i.e …"sorry you just had a heart attack dad but I have to report to work within 90 minutes so see ya later… "…

I would think that the job of conductor would vary alot based on the railroad and territory… if you’re a conductor on a divsion that involves alot of switching then the job would be harder than being a conductor on a mainline with no branches. Or maybe that’s just my understanding of it…

14

I’ve been railroading for just a tad under 10 years and for the most part I still enjoy my job. This job isn’t back breaking physically demanding work. What it is, is simply following directions that are laid out in these thick rule books we have. I say that because it’s not railroading anymore, it’s rules compliance.

My schedule is rough on family life. I spend my holidays and weekends in a hotel or on a train, and weather conditions dont matter. Buy a good rain suit. It’s 10 degrees hotter than hell on these rocks in the summer, and bone chilling cold in the winter.

Marking off excessively is a no no and could get you fired. We have a 90 minute call, and the carrier expects us to be there on time. They are understanding at times, things happen. Cars break down, tires get flat, maybe you have personal things going on at home.

Rules. Rules are what you will follow to the T or look for employment somewhere else. Not going by the rules will also get you killed, ever hear about blood rules? Rules written in blood? Well that’s the gospel truth. Dont take short cuts, it’s not worth it. The railroad is the only job I’ve ever seen where we have to have run off insurance in case some weed weasel decides we didn’t make that move just right, now we’re out of service for 30 days(if we’re lucky). And it’s only going to get worse with conductors going to certification Jan. 1st. Personal fines will be issued for rule violations as well as desertification.

Railroaders complain and gripe, but we earn that right. Hell you would too if you had to put up with the BS we do daily. But overall I still enjoy it, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.

15

Only if you dont know how to switch LOL. One is not harder than the other, one just requires a little more thinking and a little more walking.

16

Easier to stay awake when your walking around.

17

Yes it is!

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I have been railroading since 11/30/98. Although the ‘new’ has long since worn off, considering the culture and workplace environment every yr continues to degrade, its still a good–not great–job which can pay a chunk of change for doing so little labor work. This is the reason we are all here to start with. Anyone out there can get hired by a rr. We have a student condr in a class currently doing their 90 days of pre mark up training and this dude is 63 yrs of age! Another item to keep in mind is about three months ago, a new union agreement went in effect of which now new condrs no longer are covered by the union until I think its 60 days after marking up. This changed from after eight wks in student training. Be careful. Anything goes wrong, one can most likely be toast.

20

That reminds me - the NS Open House that I attended had a PowerPoint slide that listed and compared the duties of a Conductor on Road, Local, and Yard assignments - likely duration of shifts, hours of call, amount of switching, rate of pay, etc. Funny thing is - the headings for the “Local” and "Yard’ duties were undoubtedly mistakenly switched ! I would have pointed it out, but didn’t want to seem like a ‘know-it-all’, and that part of the session was already running longer than scheduled anyway . . .

  • Paul North.