im trying to get into a conductor program at marshall university. ive already passed the pre employmetnt tests and i am now on a waiting list
2006-11-30 06:27:03 · 16 answers · asked by jimbo 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Rail
Do you really want to know what it's like to be a conductor.
It depends on the railroad & subdivision you are working for.
A conductors life is probably the hardest life you will ever have (not trying to scare you).
A conductor for most railroads works, 8-10-12 hour days and you can be called immediatley back to work once you've rested eight hours. (Some conductors have been known to sit on the engine for more than 20 hours waiting for a van to pick them up).
You will not have a social life, because of the hours you will be working, unless the railroad/extra board isn't turning quickly.
It also depends on what time of day the trains run through your sub. The trains on one sub I know run through at night which means 6pm-6am and try and sleep while the sun is out (which is very hard). This will also destroy your sleeping patterns.
Pretty much the railroad will have you working 24/7 and since you will be low man on the totem pole, older/higher seniority conductors will call out sick or say they don't want work (and they don't get fired either, but don't get paid)....so you will end up with hard jobs, switching, locals, the scrub jobs according to the older ones.
Also, train masters will do efficiency test on you, via Radio, Placing a Target on the Track, and if you don't respond correctly or you don't stop the train in time by hitting the target, you will end up in the street without pay, unless you have job insurance, which is costly but great to have since railroads have so many rules that can be broken easily.
I will say this. If you make it and you become a conductor do not take yard jobs. Yes, you might work set hours, but the yard is the easily place you can get fired in. For ex. if you misalign a switch, your train is moving to fast through the yard (and yes, you're responsible if the engineer is speeding), and many accidents occur in the yard as well, say goodbye. Most yards are not safe places to work.
So take to the extra board for main line freights and good luck.
Edward
2006-11-30 06:59:48 · answer #1 · answered by railfan_ed16 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Getting used to the hours. Getting used to the weather... 3 am, it is sleeting and you are walking a 140 car train, because for some unknown reason F.R.E.D. threw your train into emergency. (F.R.E.D. = the box on the rear that has the red blinking light, put your train into emergency braking. That means the conductor gets to walk to the rear, checking each car as you go, and see what is wrong with FRED. Maybe some half-wit carman didn't tighten FRED down enough and you just drug him about a mile until his hose broke.)
But all in all.... I wouldn't trade my job for anyones.
Just don't go in with blinders on. That is why there is such a huge turnover with the class 1 railroads. About 60% of the conductors they hire last over a year.
By the way, the money is not what it was years ago. At one time the railroad was the highest paying transportation job out there, including airlines. Not anymore. You have to have hired on by 1985 to make the really good money. Then you are what is called a "protected" employee. They get extra pay and benefits that no one else does. I work for a great Class 1 railroad and if I don't get any overtime I could make more as a welder, and not have to watch my back because some jerkoff is trying to get promoted by getting as many people fired as he can.
2006-11-30 17:44:36 · answer #2 · answered by cpl_dvldog 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hardest part is working outside in the cold. If you live in a colder climate, snow will gather inside the train vestibules and the doors will be iced and stuck shut. Spending every day with a sledgehammer, crow bar, shovel, and broom, trying to open the doors and keep the train moving in these conditions is a massive pain in the butt! You will get rained on, snowed on, and you will have cold wet feet every day. Your hands will get soaked even through your gloves, and you will break a sweat. It's a physically exhausting and demanding job. Be sure to max out your 401k so that as soon as the age of 60 hits, you can retire. The job is good while you are young and strong, but I see some poor old fogies who squandered all their money and now can't retire. Hire out at age 30 and work til you're 60. This job has many ups and many downs. Sometimes you make out like a bandit and other times you really pay the piper. All in all every day is an adventure and it's worth it.
2015-02-19 08:46:52 · answer #3 · answered by Dara Payton 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Being A Train Conductor
2016-12-31 04:01:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
what is the hardest part about being a railroad conductor?
im trying to get into a conductor program at marshall university. ive already passed the pre employmetnt tests and i am now on a waiting list
2015-08-14 12:45:12 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
OK. I have a small confession to make and an exception to take.
I have been a Road Foreman of Engines, Trainmaster and instructor. I can assure you I very much cared for those who were subordinate to me. That's why my telephone wasn't ringing constantly all night.
I spent just as much time trying to keep a guys azz out of a sling as I did trying trying to "fire someone" to advance my career. No one wound up as the focus of an investigation initiated by me that didn't fire himself.
I must have done something right. I returned to my seniority, which happened to be where I was headquartered as an officer, and never once did a helper engine ever come close to "accidentally" booting my butt past a stop signal.
Apology accepted.
2006-12-02 19:01:56 · answer #6 · answered by Samurai Hoghead 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Railfan_e, Know what he is talking about, He is a RR Man by the way he talks. and He is right about the trainmasters. they love to get you wrote up and fired makes them look good. Most of them don't give a damn about their fellow employees. And their bosses superintendents are just as bad they think they are the King.Conductors do all the work on train and office people do all the paper work, Trainmasters and Suprs get all the glory, and don't give a damn for people under them.
2006-11-30 11:56:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm only a conductor for a trolley museum, not a big railroad. i think dealing with cranky passengers is hard. and learning to stand in a moving train is hard at first, but you learn it fast and get used to it.
2006-11-30 11:25:09 · answer #8 · answered by sery5692 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
im an conductor and .everthing railfan_e... said is true EVERYTHING!!....
also if u make it be prepaired to read .. ALOT!!.. in class u will have a quiz every day and a test every week. for 7 weeks . and U HAVE TO PASS !!! 85% or better. good luck.. i may c u out there !!!
2006-11-30 10:59:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Walking the train in the cold. Them damn high/wides going off when its 10 degrees outside.
Go for it! i got a buddy who finished that very same program 3 years ago.
2006-11-30 06:54:11 · answer #10 · answered by wvucountryroads 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋