Conductor Trainee Final Exam

I'm about to start my training as a Conductor Trainee and I was wondering how difficult are the classes? School was never my best area and I was wondering if the classes are difficult? How about the final exam? What does it consist of?

-Thanks

can anyone help me?

I'll take a stab even though I'm not a conductor. From all i read on here,if you study and pay attention,not go down and get drunk on the weekends then you should pass and do just fine. Does that help?

From someone who's been there, study study study. There are tests on basically everything in the rulebook. Field training while in school usually consists of changing out a knuckle, hanging on the side of a car for 3-4 minutes while giving hand signals, changing out an air hose, performing a brake test, using proper radio procedure.

Common sense goes a long way out here. I've seen book smart people come out here and just not get it. It's not rocket science.

Dont get too caught up in partying and such. Nothing wrong with drinking a beer, just dont get foolish. Many a conductor trainee has got there ass sent home for getting out of hand. BTW which RR are you hiring on with?

I plan on studying my ass off but I was just seeing if anyone knew what was on it. I don't really party but I do enjoy have a cold one every once in a while. Haha. I got hired on with BNSF and I was looking online about other people who were hired on and they say it took awhile to get started. Why is this?

Congrats and good luck with class. Not to worry. All of the material required for class will be given to you and gone over. You'll have time to review and study before your test(s). Form a study group and get together a few times a week (if you are staying in a hotel, all the better, do it Mon-Thursday and Sunday night).

Don't stress about it, ask questions (even dumb ones after class are better than assuming) and relax. You'll be fine.

Thanks for all the help. One more quick question, How's the lifestyle of a conductor?

Nick,

The exam content is covered in class. Take good notes. Don't worry if you don't understand everything because when you go out in the field training, you will see the practical application of them. This will set you up good to pass. Just remember, it's not the rules you get right that will get you in trouble, it's the ones you get wrong.
Don't get mixed up with some drunk, who ends up fired, or gets fired for not passing the exam.

In training, your schedule will depend on what job you are training on. After you finish, everything depends on what job you can hold. It might be a switch engine, nights, with Tues. and Wed. off. You might also be on the spare board. If that is so, you will have no schedule.

OK cool. How come the come the hiring process is so long to get hired with a railroad. It feels like I applied months ago and they're barely getting back to me.

the class isnt very hard just pay attention take notes def bring a highlighter it will all seem foreign until you start ojt

When you're doing your on the job training, do you ever leave the yard? do you do some local routes?

Nick wrote:When you're doing your on the job training, do you ever leave the yard? do you do some local routes?

This all depends on what job you're training on.

You will have to train on all of the jobs covered out of your terminal, which are covered in your seniority district. If it covers long over the road trips, you will eventually be on them training.

how difficult is the final exam if you don't mind me asking? i'm half way through the second week and i don't think i've ever been this stressed in my entire life.

Final exams?

When I marked up it was "you feel ready? Ok, get some rest - you'll be on the list tomorrow!"