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Re: [CBQ] Looking for thoughts on Railroad careers

To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Looking for thoughts on Railroad careers
From: rmh711@aol.com
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 20:17:07 EST
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Scott,
 
Take some time for serious thought about this. You would signing on for a  
lifestyle not just a new job. You'll need to pass the pre-employment tests. I 
am 
 not familiar with the BNSF tests but suspect they are similar to the UP's. 
There  will probably be some sort of reading comprehension test, a simple 
strength and  fitness test and perhaps more. Passing these you'll have an 
interview 
and  perhaps more. I do not know the BNSF's requirements but on the UP there 
is 3  weeks of in class "brakeman's" training, followed by nine weeks of field 
 training in which you'll work with setup conductors and foremen learning 
what it  takes to get a train over the road, read and use a switch list and 
generally how  to handle yourself in the railroad environment. This will be 
followed by 2 weeks  of conductor class training. After successfully completing 
this 
you'll be marked  up on a conductors extra board somewhere in your seniority 
district. 
 
Now the fun starts. You'll be expected to be available for duty 24 hours a  
day 365 days a year except your legally required rest time after duty. Forget  
holidays, birthdays, graduations and any other significant events. That is 
until  you've learned how to "work the system." The training you will receive 
is  
insufficient and likely you won't have a clue as to what is going on. Get 
your  rest. Your rest time starts as soon as you tie up at work and ends 8 
hours 
later  or 10 hours if you expire due to the hours of service law. Remember 
they can and  will call you about an hour to an hour and half to be back on 
duty, 
so subtract  that time from your rest time. Now I'm speaking of the extra 
board. The  situation can improve somewhat as you gain seniority and can move 
into a  conductors pool slot or hold days off in the yard. 
 
The carrier (s) are top heavy in local managers and they will spend a lot  of 
time field testing you, trying to find you are screwing up. Actually setting  
you up to fail. They give you a job and spend the rest of your career trying 
to  take it away from you. You'll find crew management and train management 
totally  inept at crew utilization, to say nothing of dispatching and moving 
trains over  the road. They will get you up at 3:00 am to go and sit in the 
yard 
office for a  few hours waiting for your train to arrive or they will leave 
you sit on your  train because they forgot to call an outbound crew for your 
train. They will  call you to deadhead to the other end of the road and there 
you 
sit sixteen  hours later wondering why they deadheaded you out if they didn't 
need you; you  sure couldn't use the time at home. And so it goes.
 
They say railroading gets in your blood. It does. It's a disease. You'll  
like the money and benefits. You'll hate the company. Railroading is best done  
from track side or the aisle of a layout room. There is nothing romantic about  
the view from the cab.
 
What's my authority in this? I've railroaded since 1978. Why am I still at  
it if it's so horrible? See the last paragraph. If you're making a living where 
 you are think long and hard about changing. The grass is dead on this side 
of  the fence too.
 
RMH


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