Predicting your call

How tough is it to predict when you will be called? Can you look online or before you leave your last shift to get an idea of when you'll be called?

Even with all the horror stories of how hard the RR lifestyle is, I still want to do it, my only concern/fear is that I will miss a call at 3 in the morning or something crazy like that.

I wake up fine with an alarm clock, but not sure if a telephone will wake me up. I've thought about buying a couple of those amplifiers that makes the ring louder - one for home and one to leave in my bag for when I'm on the road.

What is everyone's solution for waking up? And what happens if you do miss a call?

Thanks, DBD

Personally, I find that if I am close enough to going out at night, I sleep a little lighter than I do if I won't be going out at all. Hopefully the line up will hold close to true. Otherwise you could not get enough sleep or end up going to bed early just to waste an evening by sleeping all night. Some terminals are very good about updating the lineup and some are horrible.

Buying an amp. for the phone, if it is needed, it is needed. At your away from home terminal you may end up making some enemies however. For BNSF, they usually put everybody up at the same hotel and with people coming and going 24 hours a day, you could run afoul of your next door neighbor if you wake him up at o'dark :30 because you alarm clock is as loud as the one SpongeBob uses. (A fog horn on an alarm clock.)

Advise. When the phone rings, GET UP. Don't use the snooze button, roll over or set an alarm. GET UP.

As far as being late, depends on how late. Rarely have I seen a crew go to work as soon as they go on duty. BNSF usually plans on a crew being on duty at least 30 minutes prior to arrival of the inbound train to get paperwork together and the like. I think and someone else can correct me if I am wrong, BNSF allows one missed call per half year. After that, it is investigation time.

Good luck.

I think the first time you are waiting for the phone to ring it will automatically set your mind to hear the phone ring either at home or away. Since you job depends on it, you'll most likely do just fine at 0200 when the crew caller or robocaller calls you to work.

Freshmeat is about on target. One miss call and they will review your attendance and bring you in for a conference and basically a slap on the wrist. Second time you'll get some action against you.

Fresh is right about if you see your going to work late go to bed early( thats what I am about to do as I am going in at 1030 tonight) Extra boards are hard to predict as sometimes nothing will be showing one second and then WHAM all hell breaks loose.
Get up stay up shower do whatever you need to get moving and motivated. I know if they cant get me on my cell they call my home phone. In the hotel ( in the old road days) the phones there were right close to the headboard so that motivated one to get up. However I think one hotel put them on the desk clear across the room to be sadistic in helping us get up.
LOF( lay off fatigued) code is great if your whipped and know you cant get rested in time, same with laying off sick. However dont abuse this as your fellow rails will want to lynch you. Also if you do pull those codes do it when your still3 or so out if you can help it. Doing it first out witha call showing places big red flags adn makes the guy behind you want to hunt you down with a tire iron. All in all get ready for a goofy lifestyle if you do come out. But if you can hack it and enjoy the time you put in it will be worth it.

Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully I'll get to use it.

Just waiting to get the call from NS.


DBD

After awhile you will start to see patterns in when jobs are called, and who tends to mark-off,etc. As for CSXT, we can check for vacancies on the phone as well as where we are on the board. This is good for yard jobs and locals, but road jobs are harder to predict as they are for the most part called on during "windows", except for at the originating terminal. CSXT employees can also view all of this stuff on an employee web-site.

If you hire out with NS, you can also check your position on the phone and computer from home. It does help to take a look when you want to get a little more sleep or run a few errands.

you learn to sleep lighter or you add the loud ringer. I work in EMS and am looking into the railroad. I find that when I started over 2 years ago with the ambulance, I was working nights and sleeping days as I still am. I find that I fall asleep best if I am run down and go right to bed after going to the bathroom, snacking and then right to bed, with the TV on with the sleep timer set, keep in mind the agency I work for has given me a numeric pager, which isn't the best since they aren't really loud, but they have woke me up. I also have my cell phone on vibrate on a metal shelf... that wakes you up if nothing else.

I find the easiest way to predict a call, or assure yourself of getting called, is to prepare to do something else. As soon as you are about to leave, and do it, your phone will ring. Want the whole day off? Cancel all of your plans, for that day, and sit at home, watching the phone. Regards

Golden arm that is totally true in EMS lol... expect call get nothing, not expect it and get it..... We get superstitious about saying the words "Bored, boring and quiet!"

I agree taht when you expect to get called, you sleep lighter. I you are at the hotel, and are late, usually your crew members will have the front desk ring you. The same at home. We usually exchange cell #s. sometimes traffic is bad. One time, I got a flat. I just called the yardmaster.
I get a 3 hr. call. At night, I set an alarm. I live 2 miles from the yard office. I set the clock wrong. I was a few minutes late, but I let them know. I was still there in a few minutes. If you don't make a habbit of being late, no one will say anything.
Like the others said, most railroads have automated telephone likes. They say the board standing, vacancies, and lineups. Some do have the web sites.

I remember a few years back when I was bran new,.... I went to bed first out on the board, and I had a dream that I got called. So I woke up in total panic thinking that I received a call and than fell back to sleep. I couldn’t remember the call time, so I called the crew office, asking the caller for my on duty time and job assignment. She started laughing out loud and told me to go back to sleep. There is nothing going on. We won’t need you until the morning. Then I realized that I was just dreaming and big weight was lifted of my chest...

Just like people above wrote: You go to bed with your mind set that you are expecting a call, therefore you sleep much lighter than usual.

Well that's better than going to bed seven times out with 20 showing in the morning and waking up to the birds singing and the sun shining! Geez, I know I missed but I hope it wasn't a good one!