And that is how it was explained to me. I guess I should have mentioned that. [:$]
I am conductor/switchman for a RailAmerica shortline…
The duties of a conductor vary depending on what type of operation you’re working in. I, for example, wear several hats over the course of the day. I handle the switching duties, radio communication, customer relations, paperwork, and anything else that goes with getting my job over the road. Most class 1 conductors will not switch a train after they are out of training. They step on a built train, handle the radio work, walk their train if there is a problem and step off and the next crew change point.
I have seen had heard several female conductors on the class 1’s we work with. I have only seen 1 female come through our railroad. She had a baby and has not returned since.
I think working for a shortline is better for a person with a family or who doesn’t want to travel or sit for extended periods of time. I think the class 1’s are for people who want the big money and are not tied down to much at their home terminal.
Once you hold a job or are in a pool your life gets better. While you’re on the extra board you can kiss your life goodbye.
Tell her to go for it!
Well it is definitely not as hard as it was when I hired out for NS in 1996. For one conductors have more time off and longer rest periods now as opposed to then. Definitely the hardest part of a railroaders job is the lifestyle. A young conductor can pretty much forget having a social life. Once you qualify you will be on the extraboard with no seniority. You could get called for pretty much anything from road jobs to locals or yard jobs at anytime of the night or day on any day of the week. You could work for six days straight before getting 48 hours rest or you might go for four days without getting out. It is definitely not a 9 to 5 Mon - Fri job so if that is what you are looking for then a railroad life is definitely not for you.
I was a conductor for 3 and a half years and then I went to engineer’s school. Depending on what territory you hire out in it may be that short or could be a lot longer. On NS every conductor hired after 1985 has to go to engineer’s school when it is their time to go and if you don’t pass then you will no longer be employed. While I enjoyed being a conductor I for one couldn’t wait to go since I love trains! Plus now I don’t have to deal with the weather conditions that a conductor does.
Speaking of that I would say that the hardest part about being a conductor would be hanging on to the ladder on the side of a boxcar on a mile long shove move at 2:30 am on a Sunday morning when it is 35 degrees and raining. Yes I did that! Keep in mind I had to hold on with one hand because I had to hold my radio mike in the other giving the engineer instructions over the radio. If you can do that then you can handle anything as a conductor.
As far as duties are concerned a conductor has to have good arm and good back strength. If you are switching cars, you will have to bend air hoses back to couple them together. One girl I trained couldn’t do it. I told her I m
Im not sure why you think that, but it couldnt be farther from the truth!
It depends on where and the kind of assignment you’re working. At some terminals the road conductors don’t do a lot of ground work unless something goes wrong. Even the “working” road (thru) trains may only mean doubling up or over at the beginning or end of the run. Possibly kicking out a bad order after the train is built. &
On my territory, many road trains have line of road pick ups and/or set offs - which are performed by the road conductor as nearly all yard assignments are Remote Control crews that under our rules must be in the clear with a crewed train in their working limits. Most all crews originate a train at one end of their run or terminate the train at the other end of their run; all yard moves are performed by the road crew. The local freights all do their own switching on line of road. We have a number of purpose line of road road switchers that handle stone and trash, originating at train, dropping it at a customer - picking up a train from the customer and taking it back to origin - needless to say these crews do all their own work. There are several premium assignments where the trains have priority and little if any line of road work - needless to say these are populated by the small numbers on the seniority roster.
On my carrier and territory - the Conductor’s job is far from a get on and ride job.
Thank you and everyone else for the great input! The NS job fair is two days away and my daughter says she it up to it. It’ll be her first real job interview, but down or up, she says she can’t score a goal unless she takes a shot (she’s a want-to-be hockey player.)
Again, eveyone THANK YOU for sharing tails from the cab (would say Cabin Car?)
I have seen women working MOW. Granted that is not an easy task nor were they assigned ‘light duty’ such as being a flagman. Some of them can work alongside men and handle the task with ease.
I prefer photographing MOW to standing at a crossing waiting for a train.Those folks deserve recognition. The MOW folks are those who keep the railroad running seem to be among those least appreciated and least recognized. Their work is indeed ‘back breaking’, and I’ve photographed some small men and women doing things I thought they couldn’t.
Despite their importance, from a operations perspective the are viewed as ‘Maintenance in the Way’.
Coborn35 is right. I’m a class 1 railroader and do a ton of switching. I ride mainline freights too, and guess what, we also do work on those. Class 1’s are for people who want big money and aren’t tied down to much at their home terminal? Nope you’re way off. I do make big money though.
Let’s get one fact straight about railroad employment - any job - any position
It’s about making money!
Correct Sir. Money is the motivator out here.
[:-,] After some of the past few holidays spent with various relatives of the extended familes, that starts to seem like an attractive aspect of the job . . . [swg]
- Paul North.
That sentiment has been expressed by a few of my fellow rails before.
Jeff
I worked for the Union pacific for a year and that was more than enough for me. I went in around 2002. Started as a switchman, then conductor, and finally a hostler. The pay sucked. The 6 weeks of training was minimum wage! I was making around $14.00 a hour under the union contract after training. I had no benefits of any kind for the first year and the union dues were $100.00 a month.
After 3 months there was only 3 people left from the original 16 new hires. Another month and there was just two of us. Everyone else had long quit with the majority of them leaving the first month.
If you are on call then your personal life is over. Not only is it over but you can’t go anywhere where it takes 2 hours or more to get back to the rail yard. You have to be there in 2 hours or less if they call you up. You will be working every shift during the week and all hours of the day and night.
Despite the awful hours, walking on hard rock all day long, standing in the rain and snow at 3AM, and all the other problems. The one thing I could not stand the most the constant complaining and moaning and groaning from the Engineers and the others who worked there. They would complain about everything from the chairs, computers, lockers, weather. locomotives, track, signals, radios, and anything and everything for 8 straight hours. Then if they were not complaining about that it was about the Union contract or the pay they were making. Never in my life have I heard such a bunch of whiners.
Few people find railroad life ideal anymore. I was also told by my trainer that over half the people who retire from the railroad die with in the first 6 months. That is pretty amazing.
I love trains and spend a lot of time riding them. But I can honestly say working for the railroad was the most unpleasant job I have ever had and would never go back to that life again. I know of few companies that require someone to be on call 24 hours, working in all weather conditions, and working around equipment where o
[quote user=“Thomas 9011”]
I worked for the Union pacific for a year and that was more than enough for me. I went in around 2002. Started as a switchman, then conductor, and finally a hostler. The pay sucked. The 6 weeks of training was minimum wage! I was making around $14.00 a hour under the union contract after training. I had no benefits of any kind for the first year and the union dues were $100.00 a month.
After 3 months there was only 3 people left from the original 16 new hires. Another month and there was just two of us. Everyone else had long quit with the majority of them leaving the first month.
If you are on call then your personal life is over. Not only is it over but you can’t go anywhere where it takes 2 hours or more to get back to the rail yard. You have to be there in 2 hours or less if they call you up. You will be working every shift during the week and all hours of the day and night.
Despite the awful hours, walking on hard rock all day long, standing in the rain and snow at 3AM, and all the other problems. The one thing I could not stand the most the constant complaining and moaning and groaning from the Engineers and the others who worked there. They would complain about everything from the chairs, computers, lockers, weather. locomotives, track, signals, radios, and anything and everything for 8 straight hours. Then if they were not complaining about that it was about the Union contract or the pay they were making. Never in my life have I heard such a bunch of whiners.
Few people find railroad life ideal anymore. I was also told by my trainer that over half the people who retire from the railroad die with in the first 6 months. That is pretty amazing.
I love trains and spend a lot of time riding them. But I can honestly say working for the railroad was the most unpleasant job I have ever had and would never go back to that life again. I know of few companies that require someone to be on call 24 hours, working in all weather
Was probably even tougher before cell phones. I knew an engineer back in 1980…he literally could not leave the house because the railroad might call him in to work. So he did alot of reading while he was waiting…just about every wall in his house had a bookshelf, and he had become a learned authority on a number of subjects as a result.
LMAO!! So true
[quote user=“Thomas 9011”]
I worked for the Union pacific for a year and that was more than enough for me. I went in around 2002. Started as a switchman, then conductor, and finally a hostler. The pay sucked. The 6 weeks of training was minimum wage! I was making around $14.00 a hour under the union contract after training. I had no benefits of any kind for the first year and the union dues were $100.00 a month.
After 3 months there was only 3 people left from the original 16 new hires. Another month and there was just two of us. Everyone else had long quit with the majority of them leaving the first month.
If you are on call then your personal life is over. Not only is it over but you can’t go anywhere where it takes 2 hours or more to get back to the rail yard. You have to be there in 2 hours or less if they call you up. You will be working every shift during the week and all hours of the day and night.
Despite the awful hours, walking on hard rock all day long, standing in the rain and snow at 3AM, and all the other problems. The one thing I could not stand the most the constant complaining and moaning and groaning from the Engineers and the others who worked there. They would complain about everything from the chairs, computers, lockers, weather. locomotives, track, signals, radios, and anything and everything for 8 straight hours. Then if they were not complaining about that it was about the Union contract or the pay they were making. Never in my life have I heard such a bunch of whiners.
Few people find railroad life ideal anymore. I was also told by my trainer that over half the people who retire from the railroad die with in the first 6 months. That is pretty amazing.
I love trains and spend a lot of time riding them. But I can honestly say working for the railroad was the most unpleasant job I have ever had and would never go back to that life again. I know of few companies that require someone to be on call 24 hours, working in all weather conditions, a