Carman Training

I'm happy to say I've just completed the first day of my training, my eyes still hurt from reading for 8 hours but it's better to be informed and safe then sorry. Tomorrow, we go out onto the yard to watch the other terminal carman make an "add" to a chicago-bound train, and also learn the basics of brake tests etc, also go over a few more things in the rule book and of course hand in the "homework" Over the next 17 weeks I'll be traveling around the three stations that switching is required in ( Chicago-Gary-Michigan City) maybe I'll see some of you out there railfanning. Hopefully I'll be able to take a few quick pictures while I'm out and about and be able to post them up here, anyways I'm off to get that "homework" done...

Congratulations and good luck in your new position! I'm hoping to make a few railfan trips to the South Shore in the upcoming months, so maybe I'll see you sometime.

Forgive me if I missed something completely obvious, but will you be working on the freight or passenger operations (or both)?

Hey, thanks alot. I'm quite excited about this as now I'll be able to operate the motive power and cars. I've already spend alot of time after work just watching the other carman service the engine and I've seen them do just about everything to them..hopefully this will give me a little bit of a head start on things so I can think more about the cars and other operations.

Today we spend alot of time out in the yard, looking over derails, switches and how to un-couple and couple freight cars, later we watched as 2000-2003 switched out freight cars on the ex nkp line near the station, all I could think was " I do this for fun and now I actually get paid to do this!"
I know it won't be all fun and games but I'll enjoy it as long as possible. Tomorrow, I'll be working gary station during the morning and learn how to make cuts and adds there. Hopefully, I'll remember my camera and get some pics of the CSX freights across the toll road.