My cousin again is training to be a brakemen for UP. I wanted to know If anyone worked for the railroad at somepoint or does now.
Thanks,
Dustin
I work for CSX. the hours are long, the schedule is odd, but the pay is good.
Lot of responsibilities, many rules to remember. All in all I like it. Being new, you work most holidays. I’m typing this from a hotel right now, so no cold beer and fire works for me. but hey, it can’t all be perfect. if you’re thinking about a career with the railroad, go for it. you’ll never know how it’s gonna turn out till you do it.
I plan to work for the BNSF someday, i more year of high school left
I work for the BNSF and did the same thing 3 years ago and do not regret leaving a steel mill to work for the railroad. as stated above I worked a lot of holidays my first year in the yard and as a road conductor for about a year and a half then got in to tarining to be an engineer just graduated early this year and have been operating locomotives every sence. Think about it for a while this life is not for everyone a military back round helps as the hours are long and strange.
Rodney Beck
Locomotive Engineer BNSF
Congrats to your cousin. Tell him that safety is job 1[:p][:D]
[quote]
Originally posted by trainster1073
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Hey Rodney you out of Galesburg? Plus BNSF here as well! Military background adnda transportation background helps! Hours are weird but I havent had a bankers hour job since I was 20 (33 now) Looks like all RR will be hiring a lot of people over the next 5 years.
HR told us (the newbies) that 22,000 employees are looking to retire in the next 3-5 years, and that we are on the verge of being high in seniority sooner than expected. However I will believe it when I see it.
One more question for Rodney, How was the engineer training? Still a 90% pass kinda test? And do they take you ona trip t see how good you are at running?
thats my thinking, go for it, cuz i would rather say i did, than say i wanted to and not know what happeend…
I work for UP.
Still have to work some holidays, even after 34 years (yes, I worked the Fourth, too).
My job is great, in spite of some of the people we have to work for (and with).
The pay is never enough.
I still look forward to going to work, though (at which point I’m ready to go back home!).
Yeah I hope to work for The Up someday and I would think it would be a great job to have. And actully. I would not mind working weekends and hoildays because i figure the more i work the more experince. I’LL get [:D]
The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I’ve had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, “In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!”
Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I’ve ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company’s requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But “Haulin’-the-Mail” at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don’t forget the requisite cigar) ain’t none too shabby either. And always, the money’s been good.
If you’re from the Chicago area and want to railroadin’, think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers more regular hours, regular rest days, and pay that is often just
[quote]
QUOTE: Originally posted by Bob-Fryml
The railroad industry (ATSF, MoPac, WP, and UP), on the whole, has been very, very good to me. I’ve had a wide variety of jobs and experiences in both the engineering and transporation departments and have met some personalities that have ranged brilliant to dumb-***, colorful to bland, and comical to really ornery. My favorite comment about my industry contemporaries, both in labor and in management, is this, “In a world full of skim milk personalities, the average railroad man is a chocolate malted - THICK and RICH!”
Flat switching freight cars with three well experienced people on the ground and an attentive hoghead or sowhead pulling the throttle is the most fun I’ve ever had (at least with my clothes on). Switching is good exercise and it engages the brain continuously. The best moments come when a crew can spread a slough track full of cars into fewer classification tracks than the yardmaster wanted and still fold together a freight train that exceeds the company’s requirements. There are few activities I can think of that yield a greater sense of satisfaction than creating a beautifully blocked freight train. Although, I must admit, working conductor through the night on a traffic-intense local with an on-board computer that permits the real time reporting of freight car moves and of train delays comes in a close second. But “Haulin’-the-Mail” at 70-mph with big motors, light tonnage, and my hand on the throttle (and don’t forget the requisite cigar) ain’t none too shabby either. And always, the money’s been good.
If you’re from the Chicago area and want to railroadin’, think either BNSF or UP. The reason I recommend these two railroads is twofold: 1) both have a solid freight base and handle a well rounded mix of commodities so their long term financial prospects are good and 2) both operate commuter trains. If a trainman ever gets disgusted with freight operations, the commuter side of the house offers m
Route rock yes I work out of Galesburg and beyond on the Chicago division. Yes a 90% is required to pass all the Engineer exams as well as sims. E mail me beckbnsf@yahoo.com
Rodney
One of my friends just got hired by the BNSF.