Anyone have any experience leaving the RR and coming back?

I got a job with the UP working way freight when I was a newlywed and ended up leaving the job because the schedule was rough on the marriage at the time. In the meantime I have gone to college, got a degree, have been working in the computer field, but I am wanting to get back on the railroad. I posted elsewhere in this forum about possibly applying for Amtrak... Has anyone else out there left and come back. Does the railroad let you do that?

Thanks,

Jim

What way freight job did you work in the Chicago? Or were you training on way freights.

I was out of new hire class, had made a rotation of jobs on the East-West mainline (Sterling, Belvidere, Rochelle, etc...) and was training on a pool turn with a conductor at the time that I left.

Thats too bad things didn't for ya! I take it you didn't want to work Scoots or RCO out a Global3. As far as I have seen there have been guys that have quit a couple of engineers come to mind. Set up for less than a year tried to use there family leave, and one just flat out and quit. To go get a job with Metra as Engineers but these guys didn't realized is that Metra and UP talk and find out some of their new hires are still employed with UP. They trained for about 6 months or less but let go from Metra for various reasons. But a couple of them thought they would be able to come back but since one quit and the other 2 lied about there use of family leave, they won't be getting there jobs back. But I see your thinking about Amtrak, you might want to look at Metra at least your home everyday.

good luck to ya and at least you got that degree to fall back on.

Global3 did exist yet at the time, and there were too many old heads working the scoots for me to hope to hold a job there any time in the near future. Maybe if I had been on the Cheeseheads where 2/3 of the jobs are scoots whether you like it or not.

How long ago was this?

About 7 years ago or so.

I bet you were in my class. Your name sounds familiar

It's possible. I barely remember new hire class to be honest. I remember freaking out about the brake test and signal tests because they were supposed to be so hard. I think only one person failed out, he failed the brake test twice.

Yep u were in my class. Man if you would have stuck around you be surprised at what you could hold as a conductor.

Well, I took a buyout from the C&NW, and then hired out with CP rail a couple of years later, so it certainly can be done. Currently thinking about giving it another go.
Man, what I'd probably be able to hold if I'd stayed...

That's what my friend keeps telling me, and he says that I'll be mad if I came back had to start all over, but I don't see it that way really. This is all hypothetical anyway. They're not hiring for Chicago (except Rochelle) right now, not sure if they'd hire someone back who left (though they kept sending me health insurance info for 2 years after I left so they might not even remember). Then there is the chance I'd end up in a yard doing RCO (which I guess would be ok but I'd rather work scoots).

Yeah you can try anything is possible. They have been steadily hiring since 2004 and have 2 classes right now. Out of all the guys in that class there are only 4 of us left and were all engineers now. If I had stayed a conductor I would be home everyday with a regular job. Although there are some boards I could hide out on, and be home everyday now. Just don't want t drove 60 to 70 miles oneways. Actually if you would have stuck around for couple of months after getting setup you could have stayed down there for good either on the extra board or now since everything is in Elburn a number of regular jobs, with either weekend off or Sat/or Sun off.

qboy wrote: As far as I have seen there have been guys that have quit a couple of engineers come to mind. Set up for less than a year tried to use there family leave, and one just flat out and quit. To go get a job with Metra as Engineers but these guys didn't realized is that Metra and UP talk and find out some of their new hires are still employed with UP. They trained for about 6 months or less but let go from Metra for various reasons. But a couple of them thought they would be able to come back but since one quit and the other 2 lied about there use of family leave, they won't be getting there jobs back.

That was pretty stupid! You can't be employed by 2 railroads.... It was the Railroad Retirement Board who blew them in.

I know of a conductor (new hire) who got laid off form BNSF and hired out with UP,.... When the business picked up, BNSF recalled him, so he decided to take the leave of absence, or medical leave to try out UP for little longer..... UP fired him first, than he marked up at BNSF and was shortly terminated.

I am going to put my stuff in for Amtrak this weekend and see how it goes. Metra had conductor jobs open, but I missed the cutoff on that one. I'd like to go back to the UP would be my first choice, but they're not hiring for anything but Rochelle and Villa Grove right now.