Ironman
I'm not the one who made the statement about whose "safer and more professional". I also didn't come from the steam era those who were my mentors were from that era. Every territory is different. I've seen people within 2 years sent to the REDI in Atlanta for engineer training. I don't know anywhere in this thread "power braking" was glorified. The person was asking a question. You're stating the test for promotion isn't done on the pod? Even if they use a standardized booklet test it's still not like it use to be. How can things be safer and more professional when you brought up the RCO and one person yard switchers? I retired two years I watched productivity decrease by at least 80%. Most of the RCO's were new hires with less than 2 years on the railroad. CSX only allowed two weeks training. I did hear at the union meeting last week some areas have increased training by 4-6 weeks. As for "hot dog" engineers they've always been around. I preferred using every method to run a train which ever was best at the time. I never ran up to a signal never came close once. All I was saying is when I went into engineer service we had to know everything about the locomotive. When I trained people I asked a lot of questions to make them think. I didn't want them to just go thru the motion but to know why they were doing it. I was seeing people going into dynamics at milepost such & such because that's what they've been taught by others. Tried to teach them every train is different they are no two trains alike. Everything must be taken into account from tonnage, length, the locomotives wether the power is good the dynamics are working ect....because in some situations committing oneself could be risky going in blind.
I'm not the one who made the statement about whose "safer and more professional". I also didn't come from the steam era those who were my mentors were from that era. Every territory is different. I've seen people within 2 years sent to the REDI in Atlanta for engineer training. I don't know anywhere in this thread "power braking" was glorified. The person was asking a question. You're stating the test for promotion isn't done on the pod? Even if they use a standardized booklet test it's still not like it use to be. How can things be safer and more professional when you brought up the RCO and one person yard switchers? I retired two years I watched productivity decrease by at least 80%. Most of the RCO's were new hires with less than 2 years on the railroad. CSX only allowed two weeks training. I did hear at the union meeting last week some areas have increased training by 4-6 weeks. As for "hot dog" engineers they've always been around. I preferred using every method to run a train which ever was best at the time. I never ran up to a signal never came close once. All I was saying is when I went into engineer service we had to know everything about the locomotive. When I trained people I asked a lot of questions to make them think. I didn't want them to just go thru the motion but to know why they were doing it. I was seeing people going into dynamics at milepost such & such because that's what they've been taught by others. Tried to teach them every train is different they are no two trains alike. Everything must be taken into account from tonnage, length, the locomotives wether the power is good the dynamics are working ect....because in some situations committing oneself could be risky going in blind.