For those who are unemployed or in a deadend job, Union Pacific is hiring out West.

[TRNDRVR]

Look under "Jobs at UP" (http://www.up.com/) or "Employment Info" (http://www.up.com/) They're both the same link.
Now I can tell you the company sucks, and the management really sucks. If you're tough and can put up with the BS, it's a good job to have and it provides for your family in a lot of ways.
I won't go into any specifics, but it's where I started my railroad carrer and its worked for me.
Local newspaper says "Priority Considerstion" is given to those who apply online.
Do with this info as you please. Just thought I would give this heads-up to those who may be needing a good job in this tough economy. Good luck!

Thanks,
Dan.

PS Now you'll know what TRaiNDRiVeR stands for. :D

[FitchVA]

Originally posted by TRNDRVR
...Now I can tell you the company sucks, and the management really sucks. If you're tough and can put up with the BS, it's a good job to have and it provides for your family in a lot of ways....


I work for Norfolk Southern Railroad over here on the east coast. our management is the same way. must be a railroad thing

[Eagle]

Originally posted by TRNDRVR
PS Now you'll know what TRaiNDRiVeR stands for. :D

And all this time I thought it stood for "Turned Over" :D

[TRNDRVR]

Originally posted by Eagle
And all this time I thought it stood for "Turned Over" :D :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:

Wouldn't that be "TRNDOVR"? :D

[TRNDRVR]

I'm curious. Has anybody looked into this and submitted an app. for a location near where they live?
If anybody has any questions, shoot me a PM and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.
Thanks,
Dan.

[Handlebars]

Dan- your management is just trying to keep up with all of the other sucky managers.

Can you tell me a little about what it is like to drive trains for a living?

[PhatXJ]

It sucks, he can't pick his own lines.

:D

[JeeperJeff]

How perfect, i lost my job Friday. Didn't somebody say the economy was improving?

[TRNDRVR]

Originally posted by Handlebars
Dan- your management is just trying to keep up with all of the other sucky managers.

Can you tell me a little about what it is like to drive trains for a living?

It can suck at times.
If you're confident at your rules, which working on the railroad is nothing but following the rules, you can do okay. I can't stress enough the importance of the rules and the movement of trains. Running an engine isn't nothing. All I am is a glorified tractor driver. If is wasn't for the flanges on the wheels, I'd be lost. :)
You have to take into consideration that I don't work freight anymore. I work for Amtrak. Not only am I responsible for the equipment that they give me, which can amount to about $30,000,000.00, (30 million) I also am responsible for the 200+ lives I have behind me. No stress there. :eek: I am probably "efficiency tested" on my rules just about every time I am running an engine. Also running on a railroad that was originally designed for freight trains, at 80 MPH, leaves very little room for error. Them signals go by you awfully fast. With all that said, it's a pretty damn good job. It pays well, and if you put in your time, it can get pretty easy in the future. Example, I haven't worked since last Friday, that's four days at home working on the Jeep and being with my family. To top that off, today is my day off. :D Like I really need one of those. :confused: I'll mark up 5 times out tonight, and probably not go to work until next week. All along, I get paid a guaranteed wage of 40 hours a week whether I work or not. It can't be beat. You'd have to go to one of their hiring speeches and listen to what they have to say. If you do, don't let them scare you away. They'll paint you a bleak picture, tell you your wife and kids will hate you, all you friends will disappear, but it isn't as bad as they make it out to be. I've worked for Amtrak only for 9 months now. In that time, I have already called in sick 4 weeks. :eek: That time was used though to move from the NW to here in UT. I am also taking the week of to attend the October event down in Moab. To boot, I have beers with my boss.
I suggest you try to hire out and see what you think. If it isn't for you, resign. Guaranteed, you won't be the first. It's a good job.
Really!
Ask some more, I'll try to answer them.
Thanks,
Dan.

[ChEwBaCcA]

Amtrak probally isnt a very good example compared to private companies. Amtrak is in debt so bad its not funny..... if it wasnt for our tax dollars being pissed away by the millions to keep it afloat, it would have been dead a long time ago.

Congress is so sick of pissing money down the black hole that is Amtrak they "almost" stopped giving it. Yet again they got more money this year based on promises that will never happen.

Regards
Chewy

[TRNDRVR]

Originally posted by ChEwBaCcA
Amtrak probally isnt a very good example compared to private companies. Amtrak is in debt so bad its not funny..... if it wasnt for our tax dollars being pissed away by the millions to keep it afloat, it would have been dead a long time ago.

Congress is so sick of pissing money down the black hole that is Amtrak they "almost" stopped giving it. Yet again they got more money this year based on promises that will never happen.

Regards
Chewy

Did you know that the United States is the ONLY country that doesn't have subsidized passenger rail service?
Pretty sad! :(
Even some of the poorest third world countries have subsidized passenger rail. If they can figure it out, why can't we?
I gurantee you there are more worthless programs in this country we're pissing away money on as opposed to Amtrak.

[ChEwBaCcA]

Originally posted by TRNDRVR

I gurantee you there are more worthless programs in this country we're pissing away money on as opposed to Amtrak.

Agreed, but those programs don't go around posting about how they seldom work and get paid well for not doing so!
Thats my problem w/ it. As i sit working a 8-5 , 5 days a week, your company has their hand out towards me and my wallet! All the while you and fellow employees are sitting on the beach sippin cocktails and puilling down good pay.

Something wrong about that...but hey thats just my 2 cents.

If Amtrak is going to be around they should go 100% private and if they cant hack it, oh well...people will have to take a bus or a plane.

I feel the same way when i drive by a state highway project and see 8 guys watching one guy dig a hole! It happens but it doesnt make it right.

Regards
Chewy

PS: I understand the deck is stacked against Amtrak by the way the railroads where laid out.

[TRNDRVR]

Originally posted by ChEwBaCcA
Agreed, but those programs don't go around posting about how they seldom work and get paid well for not doing so!
Thats my problem w/ it. As i sit working a 8-5 , 5 days a week, your company has their hand out towards me and my wallet! All the while you and fellow employees are sitting on the beach sippin cocktails and pulling down good pay.

I should have expanded on what I do a little more than I did. Fortunately/unfortunetely I don't sit around on the beach sipping on cocktails. I live in UT. :D
For what I make, I am on call 24 hours a day 6 days a week. They call me out of the blue 90 minutes prior to me being on duty. When you get right down to it, I make $7.61 an hour. :eek:
Also you can consider I am performing service by being on call. So I'm not pulling down good pay for nothing.


Originally posted by ChEwBaCcA
Something wrong about that...but hey thats just my 2 cents.Again, fortunately/unfortunetely, historically that's the nature of the business.

Originally posted by ChEwBaCcA
If Amtrak is going to be around they should go 100% private and if they cant hack it, oh well...people will have to take a bus or a plane.
Probably won't happen, should never happen, and will never make it if it does. That's why Amtrak was formed in the first place.
And if you think Amtrak is bad, look into the time/rest requirements that pilots are held to. They make better than what I make, have 3 times the time off, and they too are govt. subsidized.

Originally posted by ChEwBaCcA
I feel the same way when i drive by a state highway project and see 8 guys watching one guy dig a hole! It happens but it doesnt make it right.With you on that one.

I hope that puts just a litte bit different view on your perception of what the railroad/Amtrak is all about.
Do I have a good job? Yeah I do.
Is it all fun and games? Only if I you make it fun. That goes with any job.
I'm only where I'm at because of my training and the time I've put into it.
Thanks,
Dan.
PS Now it's time to go :cheers: :D

[Handlebars]

Dan- Where can you live? I assume you have to be near a rail hub, right? If so, where are the hubs?

Is that train whistle as loud from your seat as it is from mine? :D

[ChEwBaCcA]

Im all for Amtrak, I would just like to see them able to hold there own. From everything I read in the last congressional record it doesnt seem likely.

Seems the fact of the matter is there is no money in passenger rail service over long distances. When you account for the fact Amtrack doesnt "own" any track except, the new DC line is it?

It is almost impossible to stay on schd. when you have to back down and let cargo go before you, because you are on company X's line and their train is going first.

Its too bad we cant put money aside for a real future, like a mono rail that can travel at high speeds 100+ and have it Amtrak owned. Now that I can see being a great thing to get people in trains again.

I have always wanted to do the train trip out west....one day i hope to find the time.

Im all for people making good wages, and if people have 200 people to worry about , they should. I got the wrong picture after reading your first couple posts. Didnt mean to paint you or anyone else in a bad light, except lazy highway workers. ;-)

A guy on my block has spent 30 years working for UP and he has done it all.... its not till he got up in years was he able to work days and not be on call all the time... He said the first 7-8 he was on call 24-7-365 , man thats got to be hard. Cant make to many plans w/ that over your head...anyhow

Regards
Chewy

[Yucca-Man]

Originally posted by ChEwBaCcA
It is almost impossible to stay on schd. when you have to back down and let cargo go before you, because you are on company X's line and their train is going first.

I was on the receiving end of that last weekend on the Denver - Winter Park Ski Train. During the summers it takes day tourists up to enjoy the cool air and festivities in Winter Park. It is supposed to board at 2:45 and leave at 3pm to go through the Moffatt Tunnel toward Denver, but at 3:30 we were still waiting in the rain to see the train when a 105-car, 5-engine coal train came through.

After another half-hour or so we finally boarded, and the engineer(?) explained that the coal train had priority on the uphill because they were afraid it wouldn't be able to get going again if they had to stop it.

After it cleared Winter Park and entered Moffatt, they still wouldn't let the Ski Train pull up until the tunnel had been ventilated. There isn't a siding in Winter Park for us to board on, so that may have been one reason not to allow our train up but it still seemed ridiculous to a batch of wet passengers.

Chewy - what do you mean about the deck stacked against Amtrak because of the way railroads were laid out?

[ChEwBaCcA]

Im no railroad expert but i play one on tv, if i got something wrong , someone please correct me.

From what I know the fed gov basically gave the RR companies the land they built track on years ago when the first spike was driven down. This was a way to get companies to foot the bill of progress and in trade they got the land the tracks sit on forever.

Thus back in the day people would take a "S.Fe line" or Northwestern or Burlington Northern line to where ever they were going because they owned the track. Well for a while travel by RR was huge and people paid a pretty penny to travel that way..... but as cars and planes became the norm passengers left the RR travel system. Then it became far more profitable for the RR to simply haul cargo , it was more money and easier to move than people. So all the RR companies started to phase out human cargo.
In walks Amtrak ...... a company that will not own any RR track but just "use" the major players track to conduct business. Remember this track that has been laid is far too pricey for anyone to think about buying in todays dollars.

Thats all fine in well but the deal is the company that owns the track has first dibs on the track at all times....so if your on your way to San Fran from NY and there is a load of coal coming through...the Amtrak needs to switch tracks or stop before the switch and allow the coal to pass first.... thus the coal train keeps chuggin along @ 6-70 mph while the Amtrak train comes to a stop for 20 mins 1 mile before the switch....waiting for the oncoming coal train.
You can play this game all day and night long. I leave near a Burlington Northern line and see it often....Amtrak train stuck in the middle track while all of Burlington Northern commuter trains stop and switch tracks...this is about 20 miles outside of Chicago.
Thus you can end up coming 2-god knows how many hours late because of this. My brother used to take a 5 hour train ride..... it used to pull in anywhere from 30-3 hours late everytime he took it! It was because of all the stops and waits it had to make in central IL around the grain depots etc. It was faster to take a car to where he was going , actually about an hour faster 90% of the time.

Put that together w/ the fact that there isnt a lot of money to be made hauling people and you have a business that cant win. Thus the gov will always end up giving money to them to keep them afloat....
Last I heard Amtrak owns a commuter line in DC or NJ that is actually making them money or is going to soon.. this is good news...but the idea of being able to travel anywhere by train is costly "renting track" and will never be profitable for Amtrak.

The feds have said it is in our best interest to have a passenger train service , thus why Amtrak was founded ... i agree just wish there would be a national push to buy land to make a mono rail or some form of fast mass transit.

Im sure i missed things but thats it in a nutshell from what Ive read.

Regards
Chewy

[ChEwBaCcA]

Side note, Amtrak has started to pull a lot of non human cargo in order to offset some of its loss of the human cargo up front. Take a look at the amtrak train next time you see one....chances are it will have X amount of cars of people and a few cargo loads behind it..... This is what all the major companies started doing years ago and then they just dropped people all together..

I would love to travel by rail someday to the west coast and go along I70 through the Rockies that looks like it would be a blast.....now to find the time.

Regards
Chewy

[Yucca-Man]

Okay - I knew the part about Amtrak being a second-class resident on the tracks, I just wasn't sure if you meant physcal layout when you said "the way railroads were laid out" Thanks

[VicXJnNC]

Managment problems are widespread. I've worked for Goodyear for 24 yrs. And as a industrial mechanic and a floor manager, I've observed malfeasance and incompetence at what appears to be the extreme. Goodyear is currently teetering on the edge of oblivion due to POOR decision making at the corporate level (Akron). So in order for us with time invested to remain sovent, accepting concessions to help cut cost is the reward we are given.
And to add salt to wound, the "movers and shakers" manipulate the figures to reward the IDIOT (CEO S. Gibara) with a $925,000 retirement bonus!!!. This is the same MORON whose decisions were key in manipulating the stock price from $75.00 a share when he took control to below $4.00 a share this spring.
If he were a floor level "associate" the two key terms used in his employment would likely be"poor workmanship"and "termanation"

[ChEwBaCcA]

Im down w/ ya on that Vic....... I never can stand to see CEO's and CFO's cut the workforce, lower peoples wages, cut their benefits ....and then the shareholders kiss their a$$ , stock goes up 20% and they cut themselves 3-4 million dollar bonus checks.

Something wrong w/ that....

Regards
Chewy

[VicXJnNC]

With this the catch is.... the stock price dropped, no dividend was paid but the nepotism and the "good buddy" system going unchecked on the board of directors rewarded the lunatic(s) running the asylum.

[Z22_Z33]

yeah that stuff does suck. and their aint no one you can complain to, they are the ones in charge. Just as bad as Coke changing their product a long time ago, when i either wasnt around or couldnt remeber. Now really they would have to be on cocanie to even think thats a good idea.

Only problem about a mass transit system of any sort is, people dont want to spend the money for it. Who wants to see 2 bucks taken out of their check to build something, or paying extra in taxes which could be quite high in fact. Maybe the reason is becuase by the time it's built, it wont be usefull anymore, to much time has passed and all the money was wasted.
Yeah I've seen those construcion crews, one man shoveling dirt others standing around doing nothing.
Who's in charge of all these things? Is there some idiot test they had to take to see if they were really dumb enough!? i know if any of us were in charge things would be quite differnet, we'd all be for the workers not against them. and our sons and daughters would start at the bottom and have to work their way up, they wouldnt just be handed the company, thats were things all go wrong. Oh look their father is rich and he got this great ivy league education but hasnt worked a day in his life, he must be good for running our company.
(have I made any since here? it's one in the moring)

[Boatwrench]

Dan,
Thanks for the Info. Today just got extended (again) by the military, but I have saved the links to the favorites to view when I get closer to my next release date. I DON'T want to return to the civilian job I left. The bosses were all well...you know....(hey i see a common theme here with other posts).

Hope to see you again in Moab...over an Alaskan Amber?

Tom

[scoobyxj]

i have often thought it would be a good job to work for the railroad, but now you have me wondering. i have been serously considering a job change, because the conditions at my present employment is very unstable, but i havent looked very hard yet. its not that easy to just give up a 18$ an hour with 5&1/2 years in of relitively easy work for some piddly sh@# job. if you new more about the company i work for you would think 5&1/2 years is a long time in, to be worried about getting layed off. in the peroid of about 2 years i have gone to being one of the oldest senority employes in my department, to being one of the youngest in the plant. and thats with the companys that buy our product reporting higher that avirage sales. anyway that just my rant to add to the thread.

[TRNDRVR]

Oh but once again, this is still a good thread.
BTT
Dan.

[aspera]

Hi. Neat thread.

Maybe I can add some flavor. :sunshine: I'm a locomotive engineer on the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) and work west out of Kansas City on the "Transcon". I hired out in '94 after I got out of the military.

First off, I DREAM of having an 8 hour job that works 5 days a week, especially a DAYLIGHT job. OMG! You guys are SO lucky and you don't even know it. You guys get a weekend EVERY week. That's like Christmas 52 times a year. Some of you think you are hardcore because you work nights or some overtime. HA! Double HA! :looney: You get to sleep in your own bed every night, too. I plan on doing that when I retire in about 2030. That's about the only thing I can plan.

Still, there are nice things about the railroad. No boss over your shoulder. Your "office" moves through the outdoors. Kids wave at you when you work. People take pictures. Guaranteed boards where you get paid for being on call, even if you don't perform service (sounds better than it is). Some jobs aren't very physically demanding.

Basically, a railroad job has good pay and bad hours...and the railroad will screw you out of pay and into more hours. The pay structure is Byzantine and the railroad will contest almost every pay claim. You will not get paid for all of your work. They habitually change the rules and renege on labor agreements...even the same ones that they just imposed on labor. Bad hours are due to the Supreme Court ruling that after a crews' Hours of Service is exceeded (12 hour limit on work), then there is 'limbo' time until the crew actually gets off of work. Limbo time is defined as: neither time on duty nor time off duty. :mad: That means that you can get stuck out in the middle of nowhere after 12 hours on duty AND STILL have several hours before you can get off of work.

Also, you are very much likely to hit a car or person. People still seem to want to "beat the train", especially if they are late for work in the morning.

Good news is that my job can't be exported and won't likely be outsourced. The railroad WILL try remote control operations, however. They already do in the yards all over the US. That means that large quantities of hazardous material in major metropolitan areas are only controlled by a radio signal. To top it off, the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) isn't doing its job of regulation and enforcement. It leaves that up to the railroads. They do what is best for profits, not public safety. You'll see the results on CNN one of these days.

Oh, and Amtrak does have the right of way. I've waited countless hours on them. Why? Ask the starter of this thread how much the railroads get fined when Amtrak gets delayed. You could buy a fleet of XJs with an hours' delay.

[aspera]

P.S. I have an XJ at home and another for a roundhouse car. ;)

I ALSO have a gutted '91 MR2 roundhouse car that just got some new stainless headers. I'm thinking about Tein coilovers eventually. My good car is a WRX. I'm just living on a different wavelength, I guess.

[gtdownhill]

This seems like an amazing opportunity, if it weren't for the constant on-call status. From what I'm reading on UP's site, you're required to always be within 90 minutes of work when you're on call. If you're on call 24/7, this pretty much means you can't leave your city.

How do you guys deal with this? There are quite a few situations that come up in the course of daily life that require me to travel further than 90 minutes away from my job, aside from holidays and family vacations, things of that sort. It sounds like you're confined to a 90 minute travel radius of your jobsite, a virtual prisoner, from what I'm reading. Am I missing something here?

[TRNDRVR]

Hi. Neat thread.Thanks!!!
I call it my "Public Service Announcement".
I personally don't work for the UP, it's just where I started my railroad career.
It's a good job to have if you allow it to be good. I do!!

Maybe I can add some flavor. :sunshine: I'm a locomotive engineer on the BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) and work west out of Kansas City on the "Transcon". I hired out in '94 after I got out of the military.

First off, I DREAM of having an 8 hour job that works 5 days a week, especially a DAYLIGHT job. OMG! You guys are SO lucky and you don't even know it. You guys get a weekend EVERY week. That's like Christmas 52 times a year. Some of you think you are hardcore because you work nights or some overtime. HA! Double HA! :looney: You get to sleep in your own bed every night, too. I plan on doing that when I retire in about 2030. That's about the only thing I can plan.

Still, there are nice things about the railroad. No boss over your shoulder. Your "office" moves through the outdoors. Kids wave at you when you work. People take pictures. Guaranteed boards where you get paid for being on call, even if you don't perform service (sounds better than it is). Some jobs aren't very physically demanding.

Basically, a railroad job has good pay and bad hours...and the railroad will screw you out of pay and into more hours. The pay structure is Byzantine and the railroad will contest almost every pay claim. You will not get paid for all of your work. They habitually change the rules and renege on labor agreements...even the same ones that they just imposed on labor. Bad hours are due to the Supreme Court ruling that after a crews' Hours of Service is exceeded (12 hour limit on work), then there is 'limbo' time until the crew actually gets off of work. Limbo time is defined as: neither time on duty nor time off duty. :mad: That means that you can get stuck out in the middle of nowhere after 12 hours on duty AND STILL have several hours before you can get off of work.

Good news is that my job can't be exported and won't likely be outsourced. The railroad WILL try remote control operations, however. They already do in the yards all over the US. That means that large quantities of hazardous material in major metropolitan areas are only controlled by a radio signal. To top it off, the FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) isn't doing its job of regulation and enforcement. It leaves that up to the railroads. They do what is best for profits, not public safety. You'll see the results on CNN one of these days. Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for your input. :thumbup:

On the other hand though, "Limbo" time sucks!!! If I'm still responsible for my train, I'm still on hours of service.
Also, you are very much likely to hit a car or person. People still seem to want to "beat the train", especially if they are late for work in the morning.Only job I ever interviewed for that they asked,
Have I ever killed anybody?:shocked:
What was the situation?:dunno:
How did I react?:looney:
Oh, and Amtrak does have the right of way. I've waited countless hours on them. Why? Ask the starter of this thread how much the railroads get fined when Amtrak gets delayed. You could buy a fleet of XJs with an hours' delay.:rattle: :soapbox: :D

aspera, I just wish that the UP treated us as good as the BNSF.



This seems like an amazing opportunity, if it weren't for the constant on-call status. From what I'm reading on UP's site, you're required to always be within 90 minutes of work when you're on call. If you're on call 24/7, this pretty much means you can't leave your city. This is the case if you're on a rotating extra board. But the exception is this, if you're 10 times out with no vacancies, no, you do not have to be within 90 minutes of work. If you're first out and there is a vacancy lined up to be called in 30 minutes, you better be getting showered and ready for work.

How do you guys deal with this? There are quite a few situations that come up in the course of daily life that require me to travel further than 90 minutes away from my job, aside from holidays and family vacations, things of that sort. It sounds like you're confined to a 90 minute travel radius of your jobsite, a virtual prisoner, from what I'm reading. Am I missing something here?You learn to adapt. It's hard to really explain .
The only thing I can say is to apply, hopefully get hired, and you'll learn the rest. Learn to play the game, and you'll figure out how to make it work for you. Hope this helps.
Thanks,
Dan.

[red91]

I miss seeing the caboose...Tell whoever cut them out I said " Thanks bastards !" They were my favorite part...

[aspera]

I miss seeing the caboose...Tell whoever cut them out I said " Thanks bastards !" They were my favorite part...

Yeah. The caboose, and more importantly the jobs of the men who worked the caboose, were phased out years ago. I now work alongside a conductor whose job used to be in those cabooses. The fireman and both brakemen have been phased out. The railroads are planning on slimming it down to just one person in the near future. My opinion.

Where do you think all of that workload goes? The last man standing gets the remnants of the workload and responsibility once shared by 5 men. I'll let you guess if he gets paid 5X more.
:smsoap:

My nightmare scenario is Bush gets re-elected, railroads force unions to accept a 1 man crew, and I'll spend most of my life in a dirty, noisy locomotive cab by myself. :(

[aspera]

Thanks!!!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks for your input. :thumbup:

On the other hand though, "Limbo" time sucks!!! If I'm still responsible for my train, I'm still on hours of service.
Only job I ever interviewed for that they asked,
Have I ever killed anybody?:shocked:
What was the situation?:dunno:
How did I react?:looney:
:rattle: :soapbox: :D

aspera, I just wish that the UP treated us as good as the BNSF.

Well thanks. I agree that the first thing a new hire needs to do is talk to some "old heads" and get the real story. Railroads will just tell you what you want to hear, not the truth. Also, ask the railroad if you will be subject to "home terminal recall" or be subject to being "force assigned". It doesn't just matter when you hire out, but where.

Yes.
We hit a semi truck at 55mph. It exploded.
I reacted by putting out the fires and extinguishing the body. I'm lucky to still be here.

That brings up another point. I was the conductor on that trip. The engineer is being sued along with the railroad. :flamemad: They have NO case. NONE! But he still can't get a mortgage or anything until the lawsuit is settled.

[Lawn Cher']

I've always loved trains, and I hate my engineering job at Boeing. As a matter of fact, I'd love to do something that didn't involve sitting in front of a computer all day. But after reading this thread, I think I'll stick with HO scale!

[TRNDRVR]

My nightmare scenario is Bush gets re-elected, railroads force unions to accept a 1 man crew, and I'll spend most of my life in a dirty, noisy locomotive cab by myself. :(My nightmare too. We need a president that supports subsidized public transportation. And that's not just Amtrak.

I already run by myself. If our runs are not expected to exceed 6 hours, we run single engineer in the headend. Longer than 6 hours, we run with 2 engineers in the headend. Our conductors are always in the rear of the train.

Dan.

[red91]

My nightmare scenario is Bush gets re-elected, railroads force unions to accept a 1 man crew, and I'll spend most of my life in a dirty, noisy locomotive cab by myself. :(

Could be worse you could get stuck with XJGUY in your cab.

[aspera]

I've always loved trains, and I hate my engineering job at Boeing. As a matter of fact, I'd love to do something that didn't involve sitting in front of a computer all day. But after reading this thread, I think I'll stick with HO scale!

Yeah, you'd still be an engineer and sit in front of a computer screen (two actually)...but it would be completely different.

[aspera]

My nightmare too. We need a president that supports subsidized public transportation. And that's not just Amtrak.

I already run by myself. If our runs are not expected to exceed 6 hours, we run single engineer in the headend. Longer than 6 hours, we run with 2 engineers in the headend. Our conductors are always in the rear of the train.

Dan.

They do. They bail out the airlines, like after 9/11. The Conservatives attack Amtrak, yet spend taxpayers dollars on private airlines. The Conservatives sing the praises of pure capitalism without government involvement, while they take election contributions from corporations. Trucking companies make a living by shipping on public roads. Those roads are built using taxpayers' money. If the highways were built only for cars and light trucks they would be much cheaper. A bridge for vehicles less than 5 tons is mcuh cheaper and lower than one for semi trucks.

"Not expected to exceed"? :confused1 That sounds like an excuse to me.:D I hope that everyone who reads that understands that the lives of the passengers are in the hands of one person. A human...who can make a simple mistake or unexpectedly die. That's all it takes. Oh, and all it takes is a 99 cent knife to hijack the train. :doh:

Remember Spain? Trains are proven targets. My company policy prohibits the train crew from carrying weapons. Uhmmm...like weapons for self defense and stuff. Duh. Those same conservative-minded folk claim to support the 2nd Amendment. BS. I truly support the induvidual right to bear arms. They should issue me a .45 if they really were serious. They also claim to support the 1st Amendment, but I can get fired for saying the S-word on the radio. One of the guys at work was forced to see two shrinks before they'd let him go back to work for saying it. He passed the companies first shrink, so they sent him to another one.

Oh. That reminds me of another reason to vote Bush out. FCC gone wild. It ticks me off when I have to listen to censored songs on the radio. It will really tick me off when they censor cable. Oh yeah. Basic cable is next biitches.

[trailrunner]

what kind of salerary does it pay?

[TRNDRVR]

what kind of salary does it pay?Well if you apply and go to one of their hiring speeches, they'll say you'll make more money than you'll have time to spend. All I can say without being too specific, big bucks.

[aspera]

That's another thing that you need to know. Railroad pay can be very complicated. I get paid miles. Some miles are worth more than others. I also get paid hourly when I'm not on duty...under certain conditions. My overtime starts after I run off my miles...which is well after I go dead, about 13 hours. Arbitraries such as meals, and penalties for violations of union contracts are other pays.

Deductions are different as well. All of you pay Social Security. I don't. I pay Railroad Retirement, Tier 1 and Tier 2.

Soon I'll get paid trip rate, which is a set amount of money for a trip. That sounds fair until you consider that the route, workload, or the time of the trip can vary wildly.

Additionally, other workers will get paid more than you for doing the same work. The railroads bargained for "new hire" pay years ago. Some guys get full trip miles for deadheading. :)

[PapaPump]

This is so very interesting. I am suprised to hear anti-Bush sentiments on here. I thought I was the only one. Well he's in there again, I hope everything works out for you guys. Myself and my fellow employees are in contract limbo with Safeway, so I was hoping to have a more union-friendly administration. Oh well, hope things work out for the best.

Also (off subject), prop 72, a proposition that would require large and medium size companies to pay for health insurance, died in California which makes me sad. Republicans argued that it would force people out of their health plans and into government health care. They were being extreme, but it convinced 50.5% of the people to vote against it.

Meanwhile, a few more overfunded government programs passed and will continue to subsidize low wages with government aid. AND those programs will waste manpower and resources to justify funding. Ever observe the kind of new computer equipment government agencies have and never utilize. That is where the money is wasted. Brand new cars for animal control when the old ones worked fine. I mean the hundreds of people being overpaid with not enought to do (CalTrans for example) DO pump lots of money into the economy, so your tax dollars in turn support your job probably.

Anyhow the bureaucracy of government programs is messed up. Private companies are more efficient but the money is more unevenly distributed top to bottom.

If you are worried about how your tax dollars are being wasted, look no further than the war on drugs. Paying for military in Panama and Nicaragua, sheriffs in helicoptors and hundreds of thousands in jail at 40k per year is a far greater waste of money than subsidising transportation.

Rail is by far the most under utilized and under subsidized transportation sectors of all. I love cars and trucks and everything to do with them. Problem is most people don't, and they even go so far as to say they hate driving. These people should have a more viable alternative.

Imagine being able to let someone else take you from Seattle to Los Angeles. You can sleep, eat, enjoy the scenery, do homework, etc. It's great. The problem is, it is to far removed from our culture to be even considered. Planes are faster, even with airport wait time. If you fly Southwest, here in Cali, they are cheaper. Cars are faster, but without all the benifits listed above. If rail transport were more fully supported and utilized, it would be the best way to travel. In Europe, it very well can be. Someday maybe it can be here too.

[XJCasper]

I agree, interesting reading.

Managment? Don't start me going about the Post Office. Life goes on, and now I am bored, again. I work at a Tribal Casino. Can't afford Health insurance on my family. That pushes me to debate going back to the P.O.

SO, how is the Health coverage?

I have been looking for an excuse to move back to Utah.

[TRNDRVR]

Can't afford Health insurance on my family. So, how is the Health coverage?Excellent!
Medical, dental, eyes, and prescription drugs.
It also has 401K, and its own retirement. No more Social Security. :thumbup:

[Fergie]

Here is what I dont understand...literally.

Why are Amtrak prices as much as plane tickets? I actually take the train a fair amount, from Flagstaff, AZ to La Plata, MO to see family and such. We take the train because we dont like the drive, and dont take the plane because our family members live about a hour away with 2 small kids and med school, so we dont like them to drive for us.

So I guess my question is: Why arent train tickets less expensive compared to plane tickets in regards to length of trip?

Fergie

[TRNDRVR]

Here is what I dont understand...literally.

Why are Amtrak prices as much as plane tickets? I actually take the train a fair amount, from Flagstaff, AZ to La Plata, MO to see family and such. We take the train because we dont like the drive, and dont take the plane because our family members live about a hour away with 2 small kids and med school, so we dont like them to drive for us.

So I guess my question is: Why arent train tickets less expensive compared to plane tickets in regards to length of trip?

FergieI wish I knew. I have no clue what goes on, or how it even works, from the locomotives back. I'm only a driver.

Dan.

[aspera]

Here is what I dont understand...literally.

Why are Amtrak prices as much as plane tickets? I actually take the train a fair amount, from Flagstaff, AZ to La Plata, MO to see family and such. We take the train because we dont like the drive, and dont take the plane because our family members live about a hour away with 2 small kids and med school, so we dont like them to drive for us.

So I guess my question is: Why arent train tickets less expensive compared to plane tickets in regards to length of trip?

Fergie

1. Because planes are tiny.
2. Because there are no railroad track in the sky.

The smallest train that we normally haul is the J-train. The J-train is a Boeing train out of Wichita that has some fuselages and wings. It weighs next to nothing in railroad terms. Amtrak is still a pretty short train compared to a freight train. Imagine the business Amtrak could do if it was a mile long. There just isn't the demand for passenger trains. Even still, one Amtrak train holds much more than a passenger jet.

Next time you look at railroad tracks really LOOK at them. Those ties are made of trees. Those trees used to be alive and grew in another part of the country. Now you almost have dead trees lined up side by side coast to coast. Same goes for the rail. LOTS of steel. Same goes for the ballast (gravel) that it sits on. All of that had to be created and more importantly must be maintained. Railroads have huge amounts of property to take care of and the property is spread accross the nation.

Airlines have just have air. Oh, they have some airports. Big deal.

[aspera]

I wish I knew. I have no clue what goes on, or how it even works, from the locomotives back. I'm only a driver.

Dan.

I do. I've deadheaded on #3 and #4. Its like the Jerry Springer show audience back there! :laugh3:

[TRNDRVR]

I do. I've deadheaded on #3 and #4. Its like the Jerry Springer show audience back there! :laugh3:I deadhead on #6 mostly, but when I deadhead, I get a bedroom in the employee crew car. :thumbup:
Dan.

[aspera]

Yeah, I've crashed in the bunkbeds a few times...hard to figure out those things in the dark.

[biscuitboy87]

sound like it could be a fun job if you make it one... i like your positive outlook trndrvr.
as for public transport and subsidies...
too many heads believe too much in capitalism...when it comes to finding a balance on the fine line a bit of socialism is whats better for the people who work eveyday and pay their taxes (but they wouldn't know it because the rhetoric supplied by the government and major corporations is to believe that if you support state funded programs you're a commy bastard)
its strange knowing that transport should be cutting edge, gov't supported, and fairly inexpensive...but the guys who could make it happen fly around in personal jets.
the "golden parachute" cfo's and ceo's are getting these days will be the downfall of america. it may not happen in our lifetime, but the middle class will be wiped out...eventually leading to a master and servant class system and ultimate revolte. with china coming on-line the average american is in deep shit.
my personal fine line is to get the freedoms we are supposed to enjoy (like privacy on our own land and the right to our own bodies and minds) while supporting issues where gov.t control is necessary (like free education and safe transport)
take a look at what other countries are doing and you can identify where the good ole US is in a downward spiral. japan, france, and germany HAVE high speed passenger trains. they are our competition, yet we are decades behind.
Jobs will continue to disappear because as the world shifts to capitalism places like china will have the upper hand supplying our huge appetite for useless items and so our dollars will go there instead of staying here and the people with the smallest amount of dollars will feel the crush before the people with lots of dollars...and what happens when you have a bunch of angry people with weapons who want change??? anyone??? civil war.
of course i am an hipocrate because i drive an suv... but i try to make choices which allow me to enjoy the hard work of my grandfather and dad without compromising the world my kids will inherit...and that is the fine line i tread by knowing that my taxes go to amtrak (a valueable service i think) rather than to some enron exec who fudges the numbers so now i have to bail out the people whos retirements got stolen by G. W. s friends (and when i say bail out...whos going to take care of these people with no retirement??? we all will)
soapbox and misinformed, misdirected 2% from your local greenie who loves to wheel and loves amtrak.

[Tom R.]

...rant...
Mother, "Biscuitboy, it's time to wake up."

Biscuitboy, "Umph.."

Mother, "Come on honey, you'll be late for school. I know you were dreaming, but time to wake up."

[biscuitboy87]

i know...tom...you are right...but I vote.
and if you are getting at the fact that we may be diametricly opposed...then i guess i'm the one canceling out your vote. nifty ain't it?
i have to laugh though because your parody of what it might be like at home truely is funny...but, my mother never woke me up for school...she was too busy slaving away at two jobs raising three kids alone, so i devloped the talent of getting myself up to start the fire (no electricity in the mountains? yep!) and the get my siblings fed and off to school. this started when i was nine years old and i havn't stopped working my ass off since. so yeah i have opinions, and dreams, and ideas...some outlandish and some right on the button. So yeah thanks.

[aspera]

Mother, "Biscuitboy, it's time to wake up."

Biscuitboy, "Umph.."

Mother, "Come on honey, you'll be late for school. I know you were dreaming, but time to wake up."

What does this mean?

I'm guessing that you *might* be a right winger. If so, then I'd like to hear what you have to say about the subject of this thread.

[Darky]

So you had to be the "man" of the house because you had a single mother and 2 siblings. I don't see how that's the fault of anyone except your parents'. I was raised by a single mom too. She had to work her butt off to allow me the chances I had. And then we picked up and left a good job in NY to move to AZ so she could help out here parents in their old age. She had to start over from the ground up. But I don't blame anyone for my upbringing. My mom did a great job, my dad, well, he helped a little here and there with whatever he could. And this was largely during the Clinton Era. I despised him, but it wasn't his fault my dad couldn't handle the thought of another kid to take care of (he already had like 8 through a previous marriage). Sounds to me like people just need to grow up and accept the fact that life isn't always fair and bad things do happen. Put responsibility where it belongs and don't try and pass it off on others just because they're an easy target.

[willysnut]

Try a job in the airline industry, then you might just like the RR industry after all!!!

[dellstopjeep]

for anyone workin for up, just curious if you knew a guy named jack holland
he is on the trains and his son, my good friend and fellow naxja user told me he made 20,000 for a christmas bonus, i about pissed myself!
i think im gonna drop out of college and drop my dead end drug store job after all.

[TRNDRVR]

for anyone workin for up, just curious if you knew a guy named jack holland
he is on the trains and his son, my good friend and fellow naxja user told me he made 20,000 for a christmas bonus, i about pissed myself!
i think im gonna drop out of college and drop my dead end drug store job after all.I knew Jack Holland. Works out of the Albina yard in Portland.

[biscuitboy87]

So you had to be the "man" of the house because you had a single mother and 2 siblings. I don't see how that's the fault of anyone except your parents'. I was raised by a single mom too. She had to work her butt off to allow me the chances I had. And then we picked up and left a good job in NY to move to AZ so she could help out here parents in their old age. She had to start over from the ground up. But I don't blame anyone for my upbringing. My mom did a great job, my dad, well, he helped a little here and there with whatever he could. And this was largely during the Clinton Era. I despised him, but it wasn't his fault my dad couldn't handle the thought of another kid to take care of (he already had like 8 through a previous marriage). Sounds to me like people just need to grow up and accept the fact that life isn't always fair and bad things do happen. Put responsibility where it belongs and don't try and pass it off on others just because they're an easy target.

re-read the post...there is no blame. really the whole point was to affirm amtraks existance in our economy as a drain on taxpayers and pointing out that basic capitalism is malfunctioning to the point where ceos are getting golden parachute sttlements in the face of lost profits...at a cost to us because we end up bailing out the investors who were screwed by cooked books.
easy target? your kidding right? US transportation woes and enron are not a dream...they exist(ed) and just because i choose to add a little drama somebody CHOSE to make up a skit (which i thought was very funny) saying that i was dreaming...and now they are the easy target? honestly, tell me what i am passing off on others and i will apologize for it...because i pride myself in carrying myself up from poor backwoods nothingness into college educated hard working class guy...sometimes liberal, sometimes conservative, always trying to do the right thing.
also "96" there is no fault associated with single parenting. you should understand that well. its a tough job to raise kids and i place blame nowhere...who would i blame? simply put, i was just stating that the senario implied was wholly not feasible in my world, however skewed towards the left it was in this particular post, my mother was already at work when i woke up (or still sleeping depending on the day) and so the dream scene was making me the easy target by invalidating my whole post as a dream. so... if your looking for discussion about growing up struggling i have some stories for you...PM me so we can let this thread die.
Nim

[TRNDRVR]

...so we can let this thread die.Don't let this thread die, the UP is still hiring. It's a good job for people who are willing to work and are willing to adapt.
AND YOU DO NEED TO ADAPT!!!

[Darky]

easy target? your kidding right?

I was talking more about how a lot of people like to blame the pres or some other public figure just because its easy to do.Just from reading your post it sounded like that's what you were trying to do, if it wasn't, then that was my misunderstanding. I just get tired of people blaming the pres (no matter who he happens to be) for their bad situations. :)

[TRNDRVR]

BTT
427 union position job listings.
Usually more than 1 position per listing.
Anticipated openings means they're gearing up for a Summer hiring blitz.
It's a good job folks.

Okay, so I don't work there, but it's still a good job.
Just another PSA for those who might be in need. :thumbup:
Dan.
PS This isn't a political topic here. It's for those who might need a new job.

[aspera]

I'm glad that UP is hiring. BNSF is too scared to lay people off that they have trained $$$ (and lose them to the UP) that they are keeping the boards full. It is a good time to be on a guaranteed extraboard. :sunshine: