New hire advice for a Conductor trainee with NS?

Hello all. Before I start, let me say that I have the utmost respect for anyone working for the railroad and I realize your time is valuable. If you take the time to reply it will be much appreciated.

I'm sure this question has been asked before, and I have used the search engine to the best of my ability. I am looking for any advice I can get. From the sound of everything I've read this will be a life changing career. I have went from being excited after some stories to flat out scared sh1tless after reading some others. I don't know what to think or what to believe etc...lol. To put it mildly, I am excited to be going to work for the railroad, but scared I'll never survive at the same time.

My wife and I (along with my two daughters) are very excited about me getting hired on. The long hours are something we are willing to deal with and of course the money always sounds great. However, money aside I really need to like what I do to feel I will ever achieve true success in life. From everything I have read, I think I will love it. However, since I don't know much about a career in railroading, (except what I have gathered reading multipile forums) any advice would be greatly appreciated. I realize the only way to be worth anything is to seek advice from those who are already working for the railroad and have experienced it first hand.

The company I will be working for is NS. I understand I will be running from Louisville, KY to Princeton, IN. Just trying to get an idea of what I can expect top to bottom before I jump in feet first. Anyone care to tell me what the first training trip to GA will be like? What types of tests etc.? Classroom or on the job or both etc.? Mental test/physical test etc.?

Also curious if anyone on here is from the Louisville, KY area and working for Norfolk Southern? I will be working there starting later this month and just wanted to talk with others that may work around me or near this area now or in the past. Would be really sweet to run into someone that has in fact worked or is currently employeed in Louisville who could elaborate on what it is like etc. Thanks to those that reply.

NTG

PS. My MSN messenger name is [email protected] (email address also) and my AIM messenger name is XBL NickTheGreat if anyone wants to ever drop a line.

First and foremost: your safety is your call. What I mean is that if you take short-cuts or break certain rules, you increase your chances of getting hurt, or even killed. Don't be scared of getting hurt, but at tghe same time you can't get too cocky once you begin to fee more comfortable around the equipment......there's no turning back in many cases. Eventually you will hear people say that most ofthe safety rules on the railroad were "written in blood", this is true.

Another important thing is rest. especially if you are on an extra-board or on a road job that keeps you away from home for long periods of tme, you may find that you get deprived rest when you ae home with the family, but don't blow them off just becaue you need some sleep.....try t split the time equally if you can.

If you can get through the first year you will probably do fine because: 1) you will have gotten used to working on call 24 hours/day, working nights, and working outside in the elements.

As for learning the territory that you will be operating over, don't rush it! Many people nowadays are only given a couple roundtrips t learn a couple hundred miles of territory.........and some people need more time to absorb it all. The company will probably try to get you 'qualified' after only a few trips, this is just to save $$ in most cases.

As for tests: usually before getting "qualified on territory you will be instructed to ride it with older crews, then in most cases you may have to draw out the line on blank paper making note of signals, interlockings, grade crossings, passenger stations, equipment defect detectors and who controls the territory involved, etc.

This all sounds like an aweful lot to absorb, but like I said, dont rush it, repetition will be the most helpful thing.

NTG wrote:Hello all. Before I start, let me say that I have the utmost respect for anyone working for the railroad and I realize your time is valuable. If you take the time to reply it will be much appreciated.

I'm sure this question has been asked before, and I have used the search engine to the best of my ability. I am looking for any advice I can get. From the sound of everything I've read this will be a life changing career. I have went from being excited after some stories to flat out scared sh1tless after reading some others. I don't know what to think or what to believe etc...lol. To put it mildly, I am excited to be going to work for the railroad, but scared I'll never survive at the same time.

I still feel the same way. I'm about to get furloughed (I work for BNSF) but the RR is giving us some options to keep us working, because we have pretty good managers at our terminal. It is interesting to say the least. The guys you'll work with will likely end up being very good friends. Also, railroaders tend to give very negative "doom and gloom" opinions of everything, so keep that in mind.

The company I will be working for is NS. I understand I will be running from Louisville, KY to Princeton, IN. Just trying to get an idea of what I can expect top to bottom before I jump in feet first. Anyone care to tell me what the first training trip to GA will be like? What types of tests etc.? Classroom or on the job or both etc.? Mental test/physical test etc.?

I don't know much about the NS as far as training goes, but it will likely be a lot like mine--some weeks in the classroom to learn rules stuff, and some in the field to learn the basics (this is a car, this is rail, here is how you couple up, etc.). Don't expect to get a good grasp on it in McDonough by any stretch. I started with BNSF about 9 months ago and I still have a long way to go. Pay attention, do your best, ask questions if you don't know.

Also, McDonough is a growing suburb of Atlanta, and there are lots of places to eat/shop/etc. It's still nice and still mostly rural (for now), but if you drive up the interstate a few miles there are malls, theaters, and the like. My girlfriend lives near the training facility, so I'm telling you this form personal experience. If possible, I would definitely drive your own car down, as most everything you'll want or need to do in your free time isn't accessible by foot.

NTG,

Congrats on the new job - good luck.

Would you mind telling me how much notice you had between the initial hiring session to the interview to the offer to when you actually started class?

I am thinking about applying as a ocnductor trainee, but I don't want to burn any bridges at my current job.

Any other advice or comments regarding the interview process would be appreciated.

Congrats again & stay safe.

DBD

DaybyDay, Thanks.

The following is from talking to several people, but most importantly my own personal experience.

The hiring session consisting of lots of listening, a few tests and then an interview, (if you are considered) were followed by a job offers. The job offerings happened immediately after the interview or else you were called within a couple hours of leaving the session. Everything mentioned happened all in the same day. The session started at 8am (don't even think about being late, in fact get there by 7:30am) and lasted till around 5pm for those who didn't get sent home early.

The time from the initial session/job offer to the trip to the Norfolk Southern police dept. to start the background check and drug screening etc. happened within a week or so. From this point to the point where you get cleared to start school and actually get called out for me and other people I have spoken to is generally 4-6 and even up to 8 weeks. I would recommened just taking the day off to attend the hiring session. They instruct you if you are offered a position to not quit your day job as the process leading up to you starting school can take 4-6 weeks. Hope this helps and good luck to you as well! Feel free to IM me using AIM, MSN, or even Yahoo or just PM me if I can answer any other questions for you.

NTG

NTG wrote:They instruct you if you are offered a position to not quit your day job as the process leading up to you starting school can take 4-6 weeks.
NTG

This is true. I went to the Hiring session in the beginning of January, after the interview and getting the call 24hrs later I had to go through the Physical and then I meet with the NS Police. I start school Monday (March 14)

congrats....... reminds me of my first day with the railroad...::sigh::

NTG,

I just sent you a PM in regards to this thread.

DBD

i'm a new guy too! I work for a switching line up here on the coast of Canada. Can't help you on the rules but, i've found that having a good pair of boots, extra pairs of socks and a good rain jacket and big ass rain hat ( Southwester i think they are called ) are a must. LOL!!
The balancing of sleep and family are the hard and important part as someone else mentioned. Hope that helps a bit
PM me if you want

The hiring session consisting of lots of listening, a few tests and then an interview, (if you are considered) were followed by a job offers.

I'm going to a hiring session for NS this week. Assuming I make it to the interview stage, can you give me an idea of what type of questions the NS asks?

Does the NS have the strength and agility tests like the UP does?

Any other advice or ideas of questions I should ask the interviewer would be appreciated.

Thanks, DBD

I've been with NS for 18.5 years in the signal dept. The key thing they screen for is drugs. Don't even think about it if you use. They will find out. There are also random (???) tests and always post accident testing.

If you don't mind 24/7 callouts and moving all over the place, this is the job for you.

I just went to an NS hiring session on April 28th and was conditionally hired as a conductor, met with the NS police officer on the 30th and passed the physical exam on May 2nd.

I did hear from the medical department on May 10th in reference to my sesonal allergies and the medication (Singulair and Allegra) that I take but that should be nothing to worry about. They just wanted some detailed information from my family doctor indicating the severity and frequency of my allergy symptoms, which really are not that bad. I'm sure there are plenty of train service employees at NS with sesonal allergies that take those medications.

Anyway, now it has just been a long waiting period. I just hope that everything comes out ok and I get the call to go to training. I indicated all of my traffic violations on my application of which there was nothing serious and tried to get the dates as close as possible by memory for everything. A few dates may be a little off but they should be able to put 2 and 2 together. I have no criminal record, no DUI's and I don't do drugs. My credit isn't perfect but I don't see that holding me up any. It is just hell waiting when this is something you really want.

Ok, now that I have gotten all of that off my chest, let me know what you guys who have gone through the process think. Thanks for listening....

You should have no problems with the allergies. During my physical, they discovered I had an "umbilical hernia" condition that required surgery. I had the operation, waited 6-weeks for recovery, gave them paperwork showing complete recovery and they set me up for training in Georgia.

A word of caution with NS. Do not give up your day job until you made it thru the training and can live with the company. NS instituted some new physical test during my training. Apparently, new hires were having trouble holding onto the grab irons during long shoves. The test involved hanging onto a boxcar railing with one arm for two minutes while giving hand signals with the other arm. Only 5 people of the 20 in the class were able to do this (I was not one of them). They threatened to send the 15 people who did not pass home. They ended up modifying the test and allowed us to switch arms halfway during the test. 4 people still could not do it (I was able to do it). Those 4 were sent home. At least 3 of the people had quit their jobs to start the training; one also relocated to be closer to what he was told was his home terminal. These people were devastated. At that point, my view of NS really soured. (I am not sure if they still do this test.)

I ended up working for my home terminal for one day then resigned. Things are a lot different on the ground from what you learned in class and what the corporate folks tell you. Even my resignation was an ordeal. I held onto my job to see if NS was right for me and delayed reporting to the terminal to address my current backlog (I was away for 10 days at McDonough). NS corporate told me I could delay arriving to get things squared away at my current job (apparently, that news did not get down to the terminal). The yardmaster called me in early from my shift to discuss "issues" with the reporting delays. At that point he was not aware that I was going to resign and he told me that if I am not sure about a railroad career I should quit. I believe he was trying to put some fear into me. At that point I seized the opportunity and I resigned.
He then spent the next 2-hours trying to get me to stay. They sure want control over you at NS.

Hopefully you will have a better training and home terminal experience.

Best of luck.

TheBaran, thanks for the reply. Hopfully I will not have to wait much longer for the call to go to training, I have been really looking forward to it. I guess all there is to do now is wait and see. I will try and check back again if I hear something more. Thanks again...

I received the call last Wednesday and go to McDonough for training on June 2nd.