The best short line railroad to work for?

does anybody know who the largest short line railroad is, and who the best short line railroad is to work for, since im looking into going with a shortline to get the feel of the rails, and get experience to join a class 1 railroad such as bnsf, and go with a shortline for about 2 years, and im looking for a short line with good equipment, good tracks, large amount of route miles, and good pay?
thanks

You're going about your railroad career backwards. Most shortlines want experienced workers from the big railroads, not the other way around.

For sure you're doing it backwards. If you can make a good living on a shortline, you'll never want to work for a Class I. As someone who has spent 37 years working for both, I'd never go back to a Class I. Shortlines are where the fun in railroading is. Class I is work.

RAILROADTRAINING wrote:does anybody know who the largest short line railroad is, and who the best short line railroad is to work for, since im looking into going with a shortline to get the feel of the rails, and get experience to join a class 1 railroad such as bnsf, and go with a shortline for about 2 years, and im looking for a short line with good equipment, good tracks, large amount of route miles, and good pay?
thanks

I work for a fairly large shortline, and i can tell you that if they find out that you are just there for the training, you won't get hired. And your experience will mean very little to a Class 1, might give you a little bit of an edge, but nowhere near what you might imagine! Not trying to be an a-hole, just the truth. With the way regulations and company policies are today, you will have to go through the Class 1's conductor class unless you can show that you have previous class 1 experience. Several guys I have worked with have gone to the CPRS, CSXT, AMTK and all have had to redo their training, even with 10 plus years under their belts. This even applies to regional s and non-independent shortlines, like PanAm and the NECR for example. A rule of thumb is, if you want to make money, go big. If you want a life, however small, stay small.

As a potential new hire, you have to think of what the RR lifestyle really means. Even on a shortline, the hours are long, the work can be mind numbingly boring, and a few minutes later, intensively active and physically punishing. You will be working at all hours of the day, in any kind of weather possible, alone on the ground, responsible for all the actions taken by yourself and the engineer. It took me a little while to get used to what I have described, but once I crested that hill, there has been no looking back. Another way to put it, there is the glamorized view of "Oh boy, you work for the RR, how cool!" And then there is the reality, which very rarely lives up to the glamor side of things. I know this makes me sound like I don't like the job, but it is the oppisite actually! I love it! there are those moments when the hype and reality come together, and it is awesome! When you realise that you are in control of 18000 horsepower (6 GP 40's) with a 10000+ ton train behind you, clawing you way up a steep grade under a full moon on a cold, crisp night, notched out, turbos and flanges screaming, a nice, mournful horn echoing off the surrounding hills, how can you not enjoy that!

Rail America has a lot of shortlines around the country. I worked for them in 1997 for about 7 months when they were Railtex. By the way, the expereience I received there is what got me a job at a class 1. So having experience helps as long as you are level headed about it and willing to learn. Rail America has a lot of opportunity and seem to continue to grow. Shortlines might not pay the best, but for someone who is wanting a steady paycheck while working for the railroad they would be a better place right now. Class 1's are not even hiring and if they do, then you will most likely get furloughed. Also, Class 1's are changing so fast wtih technology and the way they do things that the work force in certain jobs such as operating will probably shrink or stay at the level its at for a while. One drawback to a shortline is that if you want the out-of-town-get-on-and-ride type work (or employment) then you may not easily find it. They usually take over lines that have a lot of industry and switching. There is a lot to be said for sleeping in your own bed every night though. Thats why I dispatch now, 8 hours and to the house...my house!!

RAILROADTRAINING wrote:does anybody know who the largest short line railroad is, and who the best short line railroad is to work for, since im looking into going with a shortline to get the feel of the rails, and get experience to join a class 1 railroad such as bnsf, and go with a shortline for about 2 years, and im looking for a short line with good equipment, good tracks, large amount of route miles, and good pay?
thanks

Looking for good equipment, good tracks, large amount of route miles, and good pay? You, me and everybody else. But the reality is your smaller operations don't have any of those things. The money is what's most important. That other stuff doesn't matter at all, trust me I have worked for shortlines and have class 1 experience and at the end of the day it doesn't matter if you rode in a GEVO or a GP7, rolled across 90lb stick rail or 132lb ribbon rail. The wages and conditions are what matter most.

Your best bet would be to contact someone at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. I'm sure they have an idea of which Class II is the biggest (but I doubt they will say which is the best or worst to work for).

http://www.aslrra.org/about_aslrra/Contact_Us/

Here is another great link within the website showing you the member railroads, their address/phone and website (if available).

http://www.aslrra.org/our_members/Railroad_Members/

Interesting thread-I have pursued employment with some of the short lines here in NJ/NY/PA but no one seems to be hiring right now. I'm going to the application and testing day for conductors that Conrail is hosting on Monday though which has me wondering-what type of railroad is Conrail actually considered? Is it a Class I simply because it's owned by CSX and Norfolk Southern? Or is it a Class II because its only really a regional railroad that serves a few areas? Is it some sort of Class I/shortline hybrid?

Badfish, not sure where you live, but did you try the New York and Atlantic Railway??

Thanks for the suggestion-looks like a nice outfit, but a little far for me. I live in Northwest Jersey.

To answer the previous question relating to Conrail status.

Conrail reports to the Surface Transportation Board as a "Switching and Terminal" railroad. Technically, it's neither a shortline, nor a Class 1, but is grouped by the STB with companies like the Belt Railway of Chicago and the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis that also perform services for their line haul Class 1 owners.

i got furloughed as a trainee with csx in 09, and have been working for railamerica for about 5 months now. i love it!
there's only 12 or so train service employees, its small, more personal/family-like, i started at conductor pay instead of trainee, i can hold a scheduled job (no more extraboard!).. i definitely feel more in control.. yeah its usually a 12 hour day but i'm home every night, never have to drive to work (i live a mile away from the yard), the job is secure for the most part.. and if i wanted to, i have more options of places to transfer all over the country.

a few guys i went to redi with have been getting called back, i havent heard anything yet, but needless to say, im sticking with this shortline.

Clemetine,

Which RailAmerica property do you work for? I work for the CFE.

What’s the starting pay like at Rail America ? New York and Atlantic starts you off at 16 and hour and eventually you go up to 28 once you become an engineer. It’s all long 12 hour days.