Commuter or Freight

I know our moderator does not like it when we discuss pay here on the fourm but i was wondering if any one can give me the difference between the pay working for a commuter railroad vs. a freight railroad as a trainman. I am kind of caught in the middle having being offered a position on both and i'm trying to decide which one. Also any other major difference between the two would be helpful.

Thanks

newyawkkid wrote:I am kind of caught in the middle having being offered a position on both and i'm trying to decide which one.

If your choices are between CSXT or either Metro-North or NJT, or LIRR....go for passenger service........better pay and probably a lot more job security for the future.

(The 3 pax rr's I referred to are the 3 top paying in the U.S.

I have no clue as to what commuter rail entails; however, knowing what I do re: freight railroads, I would think that CSX Condr. offers sage advice.

thanks guys

Actual CSX Conductor my choice is between NS or NJT.

Go with the more colorful locomotives............ from what I have heard the two companies are total opposites as for benefits & morale. NS with the dark & Dreary black, or NJT with the rainbow stripes......I think you could guess from that which one would give you a brighter future, LOL.

Sage advice!

I would like to add another perspective. Make sure you are true to yourself. What is it that you like to do, what is it that you see your self doing?

I have done both. I have to say that in the end I could not see myself putting up with passengers day in and day out. I also saw myself being "trapped" inside the body of a coach doing less and less railroading all the time. I did see myself having more opportunities in freight. Why because I will have the opportunity to become an engineer. In my experience engineer training programs in commuter service are very hard to get into. Being a white male the odds are even worse for me as the agencies attempt to balance out the rosters by selecting more women and minorities for engineer training. I am not criticizing any policies only stating that my own personal odds of selection are impacted by these goals.

All in all commuter will be easier on your body and that is something to consider as well.

SnoozerZ49 wrote: In my experience engineer training programs in commuter service are very hard to get into.
All in all commuter will be easier on your body and that is something to consider as well.

Not here on NJ Transit! Anything with a pulse is qualified for our LETP. At least as far as I can tell.

NS or NJT? That's an easy one! I just like to think that NJT sucks but it has treated me well. NS on the other hand...

Thanks guys for your info, I think I am going to where the engines are more colorfull

Newyakkid, did you here about the Norfolk Southern's green bags they distribute? Supposedly to save money there aren't any toilets on any of their locomotives, and they give ya a green plastic bag to do your business in.

BTW, don't throw it out the window when your done, last I heard they put your name or man number on the bags.

Now I know I'm going to the colorfull engines

SnoozerZ49 wrote:Sage advice!

I would like to add another perspective. Make sure you are true to yourself. What is it that you like to do, what is it that you see your self doing?

I have done both. I have to say that in the end I could not see myself putting up with passengers day in and day out. I also saw myself being "trapped" inside the body of a coach doing less and less railroading all the time. I did see myself having more opportunities in freight. Why because I will have the opportunity to become an engineer. In my experience engineer training programs in commuter service are very hard to get into. Being a white male the odds are even worse for me as the agencies attempt to balance out the rosters by selecting more women and minorities for engineer training. I am not criticizing any policies only stating that my own personal odds of selection are impacted by these goals.

All in all commuter will be easier on your body and that is something to consider as well.

Mr. Z49.
Let's be honest about this! The current policies, (EEO, Affirmative Action etc.) are to be criticized! They're outdated, racist and sexist. A fellow I know working for Cal-Train experienced exactly the same thing. He was passed over many times for promotion to engr. in favor of the required "quotas." These outdated policies plague every industry in the country. IMHO, Amtrak can trace many of their current problems to these antiquated "laws."

While I agree with most of your points I also know that up here it has only been in the past eight to ten years that anyone that did not have a relative on the B&M, Amtrak or Conrail was not going to get hired. That would also mean that people of color or from non-railroading families had no chance in hell of getting hired. Even today the guys from railroad families think the railroad is their personal property and often resent new comers. If I had a fair chance I would have been railroading twenty years ago. I had no family on so their goes my "in". I had to wait until they got desparate and started hiring outsiders to get on. I was almost hired at Conrail once as a Yardmaster but the area Trainmaster had two sons that needed a job so the brakes were put on my hiring while the TM's sons became Yardmasters.

So, I'll take a hit on this one if it ends the "closed shop of only hiring family" on the railroad up here.

You're absolutely correct Z49. In 1966 the only way I was hired by the PRR was account of the fact the guy ahead of me failed the back x-ray. The fact that I had no relatives on the PRR, and I was 19 and prime draft-bait, kept me at the bottom of the "pecking order." That being said, as with most governmental policies, the programs are abused.

Newyakkid, did you here about the Norfolk Southern's green bags they distribute? Supposedly to save money there aren't any toilets on any of their locomotives, and they give ya a green plastic bag to do your business in.

LOL, that's funny. Not true, though. I work for NS on the road and always have nice widebody locos --with fully functional toilets. We have a good deal of brand new locos, no complaints from me in that department (well, I'd like a friggin' cup holder on the conductor's side). A lot of the light power is crap however.

The truth of the matter is, there is good and bad in every company. Railroaders are NEVER happy, it just seems to be part of their makeup. (What's the difference between a railroader and a puppy? The puppy stops whining after six months.)

I happen to love my job (I'm a conductor). My particular job is nice and I have 36 hours off between runs. If I need money, I can work and extra shift if I have the urge. Not working particularly hard, I made about $68,000 last year. I have the smallest paycheck in my unit, since I don't care about working extra or dragging shifts out into overtime (I like to see my family and my wife has a good job too). There are a couple of conductors in my unit that make $80k+. I do know of a couple other conductors that make $95k+, but they work all the time. The average salary for a conductor on the NS is probably about $75K.

It's a very good time to get in with the NS right now, a lot of the oldheads are leaving, business is booming and there are just not enough bodies to get the work done. A lot of the current conductors are going to engineer school, so there is a need for new people. Right now, new conductors that get marked up are only on the extra board for a few weeks before they can hold down a job. (In the Harrisburg district anyhow.) Many of the older conductors spent years on the extra board (I was on it for a year).

Starting with the NS now, will open the door to the real possibility of advancement to Yardmaster, Trainmaster and beyond. YES, there are some really crappy people/jobs on the NS and YES, the company is somewhat FUBAR. But, if you just show up and do your job, it won't matter much. The company always pays well, you'll never work a minute you don't get paid for.

I don't know anything about commuter service though, so maybe it's much better.

Good luck either way!
-r