Am I too old to get a railroad job?

I currently work for Delphi Automotive and am being forced to retire...I am 51 years old and want a railroad job.

I have been very successful at Delphi and have a superior work record...No drugs...No DUI's...Near perfect attendance...I officiate High School and College sports (5 different ones all together) so, physically I am in fine shape...Health couldn't be better...Because of Officiating I am in better shape than I was coming out of High School.

I rose the rank of Field Rep at Delphi and have been the hourly version of a Salary Supervisor at Delphi...The only way you do that is to work hard and well with others...Unlike what you may have heard, there are no gravy jobs at the site I work at and there never have been...It has been 28.5 years of real work...I am not afraid of that...In fact, I am more afraid NOT working and staying busy.

The only negative I seem to have is being 51 years old.

Will they hire me?...What is the best railroad to work for?...What job should I look for?...I would love to eventually be an engineer like my Dad!...Dad was a MoPac Vet and I'm MoPac BRAT!...I know UP swallowed up the MoPac but that doesn't matter to me one way or the other.

Relocating is not a problem...I live in Michigan...Who wants to stay here if they don't have to?...LOL!

When applying, what are the recruiters looking for and what do they want to hear?

Thank you for any ideas or advice.

Go to http://www.up.com, look at the jobs posted and apply online. Conductor trainees eventually become engineers.

You are NOT too old if you are physically able to do the job. They cannot reject you just because of your age.

Good luck!

You'll be fine - as long as you are physically fit enough to do the job (and its not that challenging, im sure you'll be fine) and pass the physical, you can have a good 15 to 20 years on the railroad. I konw people much older than you that have hired out for Trainmen AND engineer positions (the only two crafts im really familar with).

Best of luck to you, and according to your post, it seems that any railroad would be very fortunate to have you come aboard!

Apply! Two of the 13 guys in my brakeman class were over 50. They are both doing well. Most of the guys out here are over 50 by the way. The UP is hiring like crazy, and best of all, the training is FREE! Just spend some time in this forum, read some of the prior posts, do a search on some of the old threads about what life is like on the rails. You have some ideas, but just be aware that the job is a lifestyle, one that takes
you away from home with out a schedule.

All the best in your endeavours!

Camaulds wrote:The only negative I seem to have is being 51 years old.

Will they hire me?...What is the best railroad to work for?...What job should I look for?....

Your age is not a problem, and with your background, you would have a pretty good chance of getting hired. However, there is something to consider: all assignments are seniority based. You, as a new hire, would be stuck with all the jobs nobody wants, such as graveyard shifts, weekends, and holidays. It takes years to get decent hours on the railroad. I've put in 8 years and I still have to work weekends, holidays, and nights.

My recommendation is to hire out with one of the passenger/commuter railroads instead of a freight company. Your quality of life and job conditions will be much better on the passenger side. Knowing what I know now, I realize I made a mistake staying with a freight company all these years. But I still have 30 years to go, so I hope to switch to passenger soon.

Good Luck

The question I think everyone should ask themself before hiring out is "Why do I want to work for the railroad?" If someone is looking for a solid career with good pay and benefits and enjoy working outdoors, including hanging on to a boxcar for hours in a 34 degree rain @3:00am you'll be fine. Like previous posters said, it's a lifestyle, not just a job. If you can deal with all the B.S. that goes with it, there is no better way to earn a living. The only "age problem" I've every seen personally is that a lot of new hires seem to have difficulties being trained/instructed by people a lot younger than them. To quote one of my co-workers, "Ya gotta have big ears and thick skin." Best of luck to you.

I hired an engineer, in La., who was over 60. He wanted to finish his credits for retirement. He was able to pass the physical, and the tests he was given, so I hired him, knowing he was only looking for 16 months work. It is actually illegal to discriminate against you, because of your age. Good health, and a clean background will be your ticket to ride, so to speak. Regards

There is a guy in my CSX class at Marshall who is 52 and he is doing great. He is in the running for top honors in our class. He recieved his conditional offer of employment so I guess the rest is up to him.

You can look at BNSF for jobs in the Powder River Basin area (Gillette, Wyoming, Edgemont, S.D.). If not BNSF, look at the Campbell County, Wyoming area in general. I just returned from there and they are going to Michigan to recuit people to work. They are that short of help in general. The main industry is open pit coal mines and they pay as good as the rr does.

Good luck.