A newhire's railroad future.

I've been doing some reading over at The Rail Forum and some of those guys make you want to slit your wrists. Jeez! Talk about doom and gloom.

I keep reading all this stuff about one-man crews, positive train control technology and outsourcing yard jobs to shorlines. Makes a newhire wonder if he'll make it to retirement.

However, most of the depressing stuff generally comes from the same posters. Either it's true or some of these guys just have a really poor attitude. Yikes!!![/code]

Sorry, but you asked for it...

What you are hearing is not a bad attitude but experienced railroaders trying ( in vain) to make youngsters and oldsters that think they want to be on the railroad understand just what they are getting into.

If you are a railfan and enjoy watching trains that is great, so do I. If you think that translates into the ability and fortitude that it takes to work for a railroad you are sadly mistaken.

Railfans can make the worst railroaders in some cases. They approach it with a golly gee attitude when what it really takes is the determination to persist in a very difficult environment. Unfortunately I have yet to have a single railfan that I had as a "cub" brakeman work out. Every time I called a move they seemed to want to argue and discuss the point. My other "cubs" off the street would generally listen well and follow instructions better. I know, I should not overgeneralize about people but I object to it when posters who may not work on the railroad criticize the hard earned experience of the veteran rails that post here.

Okay, I feel better now, I said it.

I think that you still are overgeneralizing. I know railfans on a regional rr near me that are dispatchers, car knockers, management, trackmen, and yes, even ENGINEERS! And I'm sure there are conductors that are as well we just don't hear about as much for good reason( they don't want to be ripped on by fellow railroaders!). Being a railfan does not always mean that you sit by the tracks with a scanner drooling when a train goes by. It could mean that you collect memorabilia from the past, are interested and like working on the mechanical components of a locomotive, make and paint scale models of trains, take pictures of trains, etc. What I am trying to say that some of your trainees may have been railfans but that may not be why they did not succeed it just as well could have been something in their personality that just did not fit well with the RR( like thinking they came into the RR knowing everything about it!). Since you work for the railroad is there not some part of you that has a remote interest in trains? After all if you did not have some interest in your job then why would you work there? That's just my two cents.

I understand and agree with your points. I am a railfan and a conductor, I didn't mean to infer you could not be both. My main point is that the advice on this site is unfiltered and very honest. It is not easy working for a railroad. Saying that the advice here is sour grapes is not accurate.

Fair warning is given on these pages to those that think they want to railroad that there are important issues to face. It is not always nice, it is not always pretty and those honest warnings should not be considered griping and groaning.

SnoozerZ49 wrote:Sorry, but you asked for it...

What you are hearing is not a bad attitude but experienced railroaders trying ( in vain) to make youngsters and oldsters that think they want to be on the railroad understand just what they are getting into.

If you are a railfan and enjoy watching trains that is great, so do I. If you think that translates into the ability and fortitude that it takes to work for a railroad you are sadly mistaken.

Railfans can make the worst railroaders in some cases. They approach it with a golly gee attitude when what it really takes is the determination to persist in a very difficult environment. Unfortunately I have yet to have a single railfan that I had as a "cub" brakeman work out. Every time I called a move they seemed to want to argue and discuss the point. My other "cubs" off the street would generally listen well and follow instructions better. I know, I should not overgeneralize about people but I object to it when posters who may not work on the railroad criticize the hard earned experience of the veteran rails that post here.

Okay, I feel better now, I said it.

Sage advice indeed SnoozerZ49. Many railfans over analyze the job at hand. It may not always be the case, however, many times railfans do make the worst possible railroader. There's a monumental difference between knowing which type of horn you hear, the horsepower of a SD-70MAC, the tractive effort of every locomotive ever produced, ad infinitum, and actually being a "cut-in" railroader.

snoozer:

You make it sound like railfans cant, or almost cant, ever be a successful railroader.

First of all, just look at yourself.
My "uncle", who you know and work with, is a buff and he is one of the top engineers in the system, and has worked with the commuter rail for about 20 yrs at least.

Im not going to say i know more than anyone else here, or that i am ready for the job, but there are conductors on the south side who I ride with frequently and help out, fill me in on all aspects of the job, and they all think i am perfectly capable for the job. These conductors (not AC's) are all non-buffs who have been around a long time.

Not to shoot you down, and I understand your point, but lets not take away everyones hope.

I think some people need a good wake up call or reallity check anyway. Maybe your right and working for the railroad will be a huge wake-up call for me, but why not at least give it a chance?

I just remembered, one hundred years ago when I first wanted to get on the B&M I couldn't understand why everyone was telling me not to bother. By all means, pursue your dreams.

I would just say that my remarks were all made in regard to the original post which I found inappropriate. Go back and read it but in my eyes it accused the posters hear of having bad attitiudes. SO my remarks weren't meant so much to crush anyones dreams but to stand up for the veterans that take time to share their thoughts.

So Corey, don't give up your dreams. It is obvious by your posts that you already have a real grasp of the situation.

Joe

By the way Corey, is your Uncle "Pizzaman"?

I agree with SnoozerZ49,

Pursue your dreams. If you want to work the rail, get dirty, hear that low rumble and feel the vibration of the horses behind you, then go for it. Just know that the thrill and excitement of seeing a train rolling past your favorite railfaning spot is very different from actually being on the unit itself.

If we sound grumpy, it may be from a lack of sleep.

All the best to anyone who wants to climb aboard. Just remember, then best trips on the railroad are your first and last.

Snoozer,
Yes, he is the pizzaman.

Snoozer and All.
I didnt mean to blow up and get all mad but i was doing the same as snoozer, i was letting it all out.

People are alwayse saying chances of getting on are lousy, the job is horrible, you cant handle it, and so on. One more of those posts and I just blew my lid.

But Now im ok.

Hey,
i'm a new hire with a shortline ( I can hear guys saying, Thats not a real railroad), and its ok, i spent 8 years at a job i hated and , the rail road is great!, I new for the most part what I was getting into,, spareboard etc, and I have a wife and 2 kids. You just have to roll with it!
i work 10 hour days, unless we're gonna get a quit, and then its just gravy,
Like i said above, you just have to roll with it

Not taking Snoozer's side here ( I agree with Slotcan and a fewother views here), but if I understand Snoozer correctly, he is just stating that many die-hard buffs hire-out with the misunderstanding that it''s a way to get paid to ride on the trains. And that they do not take into consideration how difficult it can be working various times of day, in the inclement weather and being away from home and family for sometimes 2 days or longer and then going right out again.

I know that there have been about 5 or 6 guys who hired out and flopped because they couldn't do it (Yes they were railfans).

The reason why they didn't cut it was not simply because they were railfans, but because they were "know-it-all railfans". that is the worst thing is for people to hire out and have a cocky know-it-all attitude. This is why people off the street who don't know the difference between a reverser or a derail make better candidates.....because they can be "molded" the way they need to be.

CSX Conductor wrote:This is why people off the street who don't know the difference between a reverser or a derail make better candidates.....because they can be "molded" the way they need to be.

What the deuce is a reverser?

I assume you are joking.

I'm still trying to find the steering wheel!