Even on this Forum. There are rules to follow.
It’s Too Bad that the Rules aren’t enforced Equally, but that is seen in other aspects of Life, I sure wouldn’t expect it here
Doug
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Sadly, you’re right. I like trains myself but I’m leaning towards becoming a pilot, if AI doesn’t take that job 
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I would suggest you follow the ‘blancoliro’ YouTube channel where Juan Browne disects air accidents - both general aviation and commercial aviation.
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I’ve never seen his channel before… it actually looks awesome. Thanks for the suggestion.
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I personally don’t think that autonomous vehicles are going to be taking over the transportation industry as soon as many would have you believe.
In My Opinion, the railroads will be the most publicly accepted form first, with the fixed guideway, and mostly nonpublic ROW. Yep, I understand that there are plenty of difficulties in automating the RR’s, but I expect that the RR’s will gain public acceptance more quickly than trucking or Aviation, will it happen? Likely, but also likely, it won’t be as soon as some predict
Again, in my opinion, what will delay autonomy on the RR’s is more the Taboo(Here) subject of Politics, more than Technology. The RR’s do have immense political pull, and there are people who understandably don’t want to lose their jobs, and plenty of people who simply aren’t comfortable with a Train, Plane or Truck that doesn’t have a Live Person at the controls
Sadly, the transportation industry overall has changed in ways, that are less conducive to employee satisfaction, than in the past. We have seen it here, I have seen it in trucking, and I have talked with people in the tug and barge segment as well, the common theme is consistently “The Job isn’t what it Used to Be “. Though I’m not around Pilots/Flight crew nearly as much, I suspect its pretty much the same in that industry as well
Wether it’s Rail, Trucking or Aviation, the transportation industry does have it’s issues that can be challenging for a Relationship and Family Life, but all can provide a very Good standard of Living for those who are willing to put the effort into the career
I Wish You well, regardless of which path you choose
Doug
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Just remember to temper any fanboy enthusiasm, at appropriate times, and keep in mind your looking at a Career, and that it is a JOB, not play time
Don’t take me wrong, it is a Good thing if you Enjoy what you do, just keep in mind it IS a Job.
It was IIRC, the summer between my sophomore and junior years in high school, that I met and became Friends with a local road switcher crew, and I was invited to join them on shift. I didn’t go there trying to show off “how much I knew “ because this engine had 2 xx” fans and 1 xx” fan so it was a “GP xx”. I for the most part Closed my Mouth, and OPENED my Eyes and Ears, and when I did talk, it was mostly to ask questions about the operations and career related questions. That showed them that I was seriously interested in railroading as a Career, not just a foamer who had gone from HO, to G Scale and was looking for 12”/foot size toys, and lead to my being invited back repeatedly.
That exposure, reaffirmed my desire to make Railroading a career, but unfortunately, I lost touch with that crew, and when I graduated in 1983, it was Not a good time to be hiring on with the railroads, I never did find the path into tug and barge work, though that interested me quite a bit as well. Through a Family Friend, I found a job driving for a food service distributor, and that led to a Rewarding career that I have enjoyed and has provided well for my Family
I knew from an early age, that I would be involved in Transportation, an office job would be akin to a prison sentence for me, railroading would have been my first choice, but I explored other segments of transportation, and trucking is where I found my career
Again, Good Luck in finding that place where you Enjoy what you do, and can provide well for yourself and Family,
Keep your head on a swivel, and stay SAFE doing it
Doug
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Yeah I agree. When I get the opportunity to do things that I’m interested in like getting to go in a locomotive or plane I be quiet and listen.
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Just so you know, flying for an airline isn’t “fun”. There are aspects that are enjoyable, but you are working long days, with hundreds of peoples’ lives in your hands. You also don’t fly the speed you want to, or blast off the runway at the angle you want. Everything is governed by the computer, orders and company policies. Do you have your college degree yet? How about your PPL?
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I doubt my mother thought flying an unarmed aircraft in WW2 and a German airplane was around. It wasn’t fun for my son during the Falklands War.
If flying is for you treat all around you with respect.
I just think flying is fun, obviously having it as a job is draining, but if you’re flying solo you can do almost whatever you want obviously with restrictions and certain limitations… it’s been a goal and it can pay pretty well. I don’t want to sound overly enthusiastic or anything, but it’s just something that I’d like to do vs having an office job or something.
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Excellent. Then I wish you well.
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Wish you well too.
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What kind of “solo” flying are you planning on making money doing?
What I mean is that flying solo can be pretty fun. You won’t make money. But then when you fly for an airline, flying can be cool-scenery, etc- and you make money during that, just not as fun. I’m just saying that flying can be somewhat fun. To me at least. It’s ok if it’s not for you.
The biggest complaint the last 5+ years has been the tightening of the attendance policies. It slightly predates before PSR started spreading around the class ones, but really became more restrictive after PSR. It’s all about doing more with less people.
The last contract calls for regular days off in some form. Implementation is still on going.
Another source of unhappiness for us, is that engineer’s have to chase their seniority on large seniority districts. It used to be that if an engineer couldn’t hold an engineer job at his home terminal, they could set themselves back to being a conductor. A fairly new conductor, upset about being bumped out of a terminal, investigated this and found the practice was not supported by any current contract. So now once set up as engineer, you work any job your seniority allows. The youngest ones often end up working up to 200 miles from home. Those on the “bubble” can ping-pong back and forth between train and engine service. A few have quit because of this in the past.
Jeff
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