What are the job descriptions on a passenger railway train?

Question

I'm writing a book about a vacation on a train and need to know the crew's jobs. Porter, conductor, etc...

Answer 1

The terms and jobs are time frame dependant, according to what era your fiction is to take place.

If your story line takes place in the golden age of passenger train travel, 20s, 30s and 40s, the jobs and job descriptions are more plentiful. In that era you would find:

An engineer and a fireman in the cab of the locomotive. I don’t think a job description is needed here. But, sometimes, the crack passenger trains of the era power with large, hand fired coal burning steam engines, often had two firemen on the crew to keep up with the necessary, relentless shoveling of the black diamonds through the butterfly, foot lever operated firebox doors.

Next would be found baggagemen and mail sorters in the baggage cars and the RPOs (Railway Post Office cars.)

There would have been found numerous cooks and porters. The cooks were more “chefs” than the usual short-order types, as the plush dinning cars offered up legendary cuisine. The porters were kept busy making up births, supplying clean linens, serving food, assisting passengers on and off the trains by placing a small set of “steps” below the coach steps, polishing silverware and shining crystal glasses. Travelers with rooms had a compartment, accessible from the outside corridor, in which they would leave their shoes overnight, to wake in the morning and find them spit-shined and ready for the days activities by the porters as well.

Top notch bartenders were found in the lounge, club and bar cars. In the latter days of these great trains, "auto-mats" were included for snacks and the like.

On some railroads, barbers were employed for anyone needing a shave and/or haircut.

The conductors and brakemen were present as well. The conductor was responsible not only for the operation of the train, but was also held accountable for fare collections and the accompanying accounting. There were usually three or more brakemen, to handle ground work and flagging duties when required.

“Red Caps” were in evidence as well, assisting with carry-on bags when boarding and detraining or when on the station platform. Also on the platform would be found the Stationmaster from time to time, charged with the duty nof seeing that all is running smothly on the busy platforms.

Of course on today’s passenger trains, nearly all of that has gone the way of the steam engine. You will find an engineer working alone on most commute runs, or with a trainman riding along as a lookout in other operations. These days, the baggageman is called a TBM and spends his time alone in the baggage car. There are no more RPOs, barbers, and the porters duties are far fewer, with fewer of them. There is still the conductor and a brakeman, along with a couple Amtrak Service Representatives. The smiling, first class service is long gone.

If in your story the vacation train is a special train, chartered for the purpose, it would come with whatever services you are willing to pay extra for. Literary license could run wild here.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Why ruin someone else's life? That has been a career ending event for some train crews. You want to kill yourself,go ahead. Go jump off a bridge or something that doesn't affect other peoples lives though. Your looking for sympathy and people begging you not too do it? Not from me. I've been the victim of suicides like that. Your sick and you need help, then go get it. If you decide to step in front of a train you better hope it kills you. I have seen that end both ways. They come out and scrape you up with shovels and plastic bags. Or they come and pick up the pieces that got cut off and haul the rest of you to the hospital and patch you up, getting you prepared for spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair(or worse).