Anyone here work for the railroad?

[Jerk]

I've been hired by one of the major RR's that run through Oklahoma (there are two so you can guess which one). I start conductor school January...and kind of nervous. I've never been a guy full of self-confidence. At 36, I'm starting from the bottom again.

[StoopTroup]

Congrats Jerk. I know you had it rough having to change careers. Good Luck!

[Jerk]

Thanks, ST. Can you imagine me being a union man? heh

[fadada1]

my great uncle was a mail guy on the railroad, way back when. rumor has it his pension was AWESOME. so you (might) have that going for you.

[reflector]

I can honestly say that I do not work for the railroad.

[Whet]

My cousin is an engineer with BNSF.

[olevetonahill]

All I know is the Pay and bennies are good and the Retirement is excellent
Good luck Bro

[nighttrain12]

http://youtu.be/ilvwJREmJm0

[royalfan5]

Everybody I know that works for the railroad, (and in Nebraska, that's quite a few people) like it pretty well except for the schedule can be hard on a lot of people.

[Whet]

I was also a conductor several years ago - on the train at Silver Dollar City.

[Jerk]

Yeah, it's the "on call 24/7/365" that might be kind of tough. Working long hours doesn't bother me, but I will miss my weekends and holidays (until I built enough seniority to get them back...which may take a decade.)

[StoopTroup]

Thanks, ST. Can you imagine me being a union man? heh

We all have made great sacrifices in our lives. If you work in Transportation you don't have to do it but if you like the opportunity and the future it hopefully gives you, hopefully you'll begin to see some of the positives and learn as much as possible and not get caught up in the minutia and politics.

[Jerk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGdKzA6WHFQ

Ah, looking forward to it.

[tulsaoilerfan]

one of my high school buddies works for BNSF; makes great coin but may get called out to work at 3 in the morning

[cleller]

Hope you don't mind workin' all the live-long day.

As for the self confidence part, I discovered the cure for that long ago. Just act like you know what you're doing, people can't tell the difference.

[mdklatt]

One of the many careers my grandfather had was as an electronics technician with the Milwaukee Road after WW II. He was fascinated by trains for as long as I could remember. But who doesn't think trains are awesome? As the leaves start dropping I'll have a better view of the BNSF tracks from my office.

It will be interesting to hear your stories, Jerk. Freight railroads are the only form of transportation in the US that aren't heavily subsidized. I think being a conductor/engineer is probably a lot like being an airline pilot--sounds like a childhood dream job, but the work-a-day reality doesn't quite match the fantasy.

[Doged]

I worked as a signal maintainer for BN (and BNSF after the merger) for about 9 years. Awesome pay and benefits, but the constantly on call thing put together with having a nice financial situation is what led me to quit them. I don't remember how many OT hours I was getting, but my base pay was in the $50k neghborhood and I drew more than double that every year. The final straw was Christmas Day when we were hosting the family and most everyone was coming in Christmas morning and leaving that evening. I got called to work at 6 a.m. and didn't get home until around midnight, then turned in my resignation the next day.

I remember conductors working whacked out schedules and doing a lot of walking as part of their jobs. They worked as part of a rotation instead of at scheduled times, so it could get pretty weird for them. They all seemed pretty happy with their jobs, though.

[cccasooner2]

You get to wear this?

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/BNSF-Railroad-RR-Cap-Engineer-Conductor-Locomotive-Railway-Hat-CSX-NS-UP-NEW-/00/s/OTMwWDkzMA==/$(KGrHqJHJBcE63Vgy76LBO3CBIbIP!~~60_3.JPG

or this?

http://i.ebayimg.com/t/CHILD-BLUE-ENGINEER-TRAIN-RAILROAD-CONDUCTOR-HAT-CAP-/00/$(KGrHqUOKooE32h!88bnBOFS,tVPlw~~0_12.JPG

[Taxman71]

Just make sure to get a good handgun for daily use. Every time you hit something, you got to stop the train and walk a mile backwards to see what it was.

[SoonerTerry]

I've been hired by one of the major RR's that run through Oklahoma (there are two so you can guess which one). I start conductor school January...and kind of nervous. I've never been a guy full of self-confidence. At 36, I'm starting from the bottom again.

Good luck man. I started a new career in my 30's. Best career move I ever made.

[Breadburner]

I have been trying to get on as well....Congratulations Jerk.........

[cleller]

Seeing the US from the front of a train sounds fun. Will you be going all over heck and tarnation, or more staying close to home? Sure you will do just fine, since you obviously have good ethics.

If you come thru Stroud, try not to stop on the tracks across Hwy 99 for 15 minutes like these guys are doing now.

[Jammin']

My cousin-in-law is a medium/big dog down in the DFW area for the railroad. Not sure he really likes it but it pays him well, he always has a good story and he will eventually get to pick the part of the country he wants to live in.

Also, I was 35 when I quit my job teaching and started over in the business world. I would do it again. Good luck.

[Breadburner]

I would not consider getting a job with BNSF at the Conductor trainee level starting at the bottom or even close.....

[IB4OU2]

It could get boring after several livelong days...

[DRLSooner]

I would not consider getting a job with BNSF at the Conductor trainee level starting at the bottom or even close.....
Elaborate... please.

[Breadburner]

Elaborate... please.

For starters it pays very well....There are other jobs at the RR that would be considered the bottom....Not to mention all the other jobs in the market that would pay much less with little or no benefits and be just if not more demanding....The RR is a hell of an opprutunity....I for one am happy for him....

[DRLSooner]

For starters it pays very well....There are other jobs at the RR that would be considered the bottom....Not to mention all the other jobs in the market that would pay much less with little or no benefits and be just if not more demanding....The RR is a hell of an opprutunity....I for one am happy for him....
Gotcha.. I mis-understood, thought you were saying you wouldnt take the job.

I'm 40 and staring a career change right in the face. I would love to do something fun and exciting like that, something totally different from the office and management I've been wasting away at for the last 15 years.

[Breadburner]

I have been trying as well....Keeping my fingers crossed.....!

[Jerk]

Well I took a physical exertion test one week ago today and they still have not told me if I passed it or not.

I'm fat and out of shape so we shall see.

[olevetonahill]

Im just gonna be a Bum and Hop freights

[Breadburner]

Well I took a physical exertion test one week ago today and they still have not told me if I passed it or not.

I'm fat and out of shape so we shall see.

You are almost there...I hope you get your offer soon....Good luck.....!!!!...

[StoopTroup]

Yeah....Good Luck Jerk! I know that waiting it killing you but hang in there.

[RacerX]

Good luck!

I always enjoyed your truck driving stories. I look forward to your conductor stories.

[Jerk]

Yeah....Good Luck Jerk! I know that waiting it killing you but hang in there.

Geez, dude. It's like you've read my mind. Thanks, ST.

[Jerk]

You are almost there...I hope you get your offer soon....Good luck.....!!!!...

Thanks. If you ever make it past all the tests and the interview, be sure and check "no" on every single question on the medical form they sent you.

[Jerk]

Good luck!

I always enjoyed your truck driving stories. I look forward to your conductor stories.

Thanks!

[Breadburner]

Thanks. If you ever make it past all the tests and the interview, be sure and check "no" on every single question on the medical form they sent you.

Thats as far as I have made it....Test...Drug test.....Interview....

[Jerk]

Thats as far as I have made it....Test...Drug test.....Interview....

Keep at it. The baby boomers are retiring.

I don't know how I made it past the interview because I lost my cool a few times and let my emotions show. I forget what question they asked but one of them kind of irked me. I was very shocked when I got the letter that I had been hired.

[Breadburner]

Keep at it. The baby boomers are retiring.

I don't know how I made it past the interview because I lost my cool a few times and let my emotions show. I forget what question they asked but one of them kind of irked me. I was very shocked when I got the letter that I had been hired.

Thanks....I'm just going to try and wear them down.....!!!!

[SoonerTerry]

if you see this guy tell him we said hello!!

http://www.sproutonline.com/media/1218352/thomas-and-friendsaspot.jpg

[Doged]

Keep at it, guys. If it's as good as it was when I worked for them, it's a great opportunity and pretty decent chances to move up the chain of command if that's your desire. It's hard work with some long days, and you very much have to follow policies and procedures to the letter or risk not only losing your job but also facing criminal and/or civil procedings from outside the company, but I enjoyed the work and the company very much.

And yea, getting hired by them can be a long pain-in-the-arse project. They snagged me coming out of the military (I was looking to lay off and party for a few months but couldn't pass up the offer) so I was able to shortcut a lot of it, but I saw plenty of people dealing with it on their way to getting hired.

[Jerk]

Thanks....I'm just going to try and wear them down.....!!!!

Yeah, the interview is pretty much 100% about safety. So you need to think of ways to explain to the panel that you are going to do your absolute best not to kill anybody, because you are always paying attention, following company policy, using common sense, etc.

If you get past the interview, then the physical capabilities test is next, and it is no friggin joke. You don't want to be like me and go through it fat and out-of-shape. I got the word today that I passed. But I'm surprised I made it through the test.

They have a huge wave of baby boomers retiring, so RIGHT NOW is the time to apply.

[Jerk]

Bread, watch this video...it is like pron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfexVm1Hy6Q

[Jerk]

On more, Bread. There is so much good stuff on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zen6JvBI1r0

[Breadburner]

Ty Jerk....!!! Rolling the Coal.....!!!

[stoopified]

On more, Bread. There is so much good stuff on youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zen6JvBI1r0 Sure looked a lot easier on UNSTOPPABLE. :D

[Breadburner]

Bump.....!!!

[TUSooner]

Major congratulations !! Very happy for you! Well done, and Good Luck!

[TUSooner]

By the way, don't call the cops on me if you catch me riding -- I mean no harm, and its just something I've always wanted to try. :wink:

[8timechamps]

Not sure if it still works this way, but when I was a very young financial ad visor starting out, I got a client that was retired from the railroad (which lead to many more RR retirees)...they didn't get Social Security in retirement, rather tiered Railroad Retirement benefits that were very nice. Is that still the way they work?

[cleller]

One of the only constant things in life is seeing that Railroad Retirement stuff on the 1040 form, and wondering how long its been there.

[Doged]

Yes, railroad retirement is still seperate from social security. You need 10 years service to become vested.

[Jerk]

By the way, don't call the cops on me if you catch me riding -- I mean no harm, and its just something I've always wanted to try. :wink:

That reminds me; these railroads have their own private police force. Not security, not rent-a-cop, not wackenhut, but actual honest to God take-your *** to jail police.

I can't think of any other private entity that has their own police force.

[Breadburner]

Did you get an offer Jerk....???

[Jerk]

I'm still trying to make it through medical. I've had three Doctors give me the okay; my family physician, a neurologist, and a doctor from Cocentra Medical Center. The RR is concerned about an injury I had in 2008. But I was never on worker's comp, nor did I sue anyone. I sure hope they weigh this in their decision, but .... I don't know. I have no idea what they are going to do.

edit- this whole process started in early November. It might be easier for one to go through NASA and fly a f****** rocket.

[Breadburner]

Sheesh man....Good luck.....!!!!