| Author | Message | ||
     Americanmadexb |
Been thinking about applying for the local NS Conductor job. Never thought i would be any where near the RR considering how i seen my Grandfather do it for 35 or so years. Seems like he could never make plans for anything. Missed out on a lot of family stuff. Working on call 24/7. Working 18 hours then getting 2 hours of sleep and the phone would ring for him to get up again. Being gone 5 out of the 7 days sometimes. Missing holidays. Yadda yadda. However. Getting laid off at the end of the month and the opening has me thinking about it. I am married with no kids at home. 34 yrs old. Like to find something stable i can stick with until retirement and not bounce around on jobs for the next 10 years. I have other things in mind also, just looking for some input from someone on the pros and cons. I know a lot has changed on the RR in the last 20 years. | ||
| Eaton_corners |
I just started as an electrician with NS in December. It's completely separate from transportation so I can't really offer an opinion. However, they are having a lot of people retire. Considering the instability of the construction industry, I think I made a good decision. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Another possibility is check into getting a CDL. I've heard of guys getting the cost of training covered as "re-education" after getting laid off from other industries. You'll most likely have to get an over the road job for a year or so, but after you get some experience you could get a local home daily gig with a more regular schedule working days or nights, depending what ur into. Being in "the crossroads of America", there's gotta be a fair amount of jobs available, with more coming as the economy recovers. | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Bet pwnsor has some good info on truckin gigs. | ||
| Ironhead1977 |
I was in transportation on FEC for 20 years. Started out as a trainman ended up as a trainmaster and qualified and worked everything in between.. You hit the life style on the head with your grandfather. I look at it as loosing 20 years of my life as I had no time for family or friends outside of my train crew. If you can find something else you will be better off in the long run. If you can get on a short line the working environment is usually better as they normally hire for a member of a crew and do not have an extra board, but the pay is not as good and you have to work with equipment and track that is not as well maintained as a class 1 or 2 line. Good luck with your decision. | ||
| Blake |
Where's Loki? | ||
| Badlionsfan |
I'm in the biz too Whisper, in the state next to Americanmadexb. He knows I'll steer him in the right direction if it comes to it. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Yeah the RR is more of a last minute option for me at this moment. Just trying to plan ahead and think about what i'm going to apply for in the upcoming months.. Getting a CDL is on my list of things to do actually. If for nothing else just to have. I haven't looked into how to obtain a CDL yet. Do you have to go to school to learn? I don't know anybody with a truck i could practice on, so i would go into a driving test blind. I guess I'm going to use this Saturday to look into CDL. Unless i get off my ass and head to IMS in Chicago!  | ||
| Barker |
My brother, a buell rider, works out of the NS shop in Roanoke, Va. He could offer some insight. PM me for details and contact info if you are interested. | ||
| Americanmadexb |
Thanks Barker. I may do that. I also have a cousin working for NS that I'm waiting on him to call back. If I can't get a hold of him in the next few days i will Pm you. Thanks again. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Hey Barker, that's cool. I worked for NS for ~2 years back in the 1980's and spent a couple of weeks in Roanoke once. The Roanoke shops are pretty impressive with a long and distinguished history. Ian- I don't have much to offer. I spent a year as a trainee in then-new locomotive shop in Bellevue, OH; then a year in the shops at Portsmouth, OH as a gang foreman. On the "management" side, you're expected to work where and when you're needed. Shift work, some less-than-stellar locations, etc. I enjoyed the work, but I could see I could wind up doing a ~2 year stint in someplace like the bowels of Cleveland, OH or Detroit on 3rd shift. As a young married man, I didn't want to find out if that would work out or not. (Message edited by Hughlysses on February 12, 2011) | ||
| Loki |
Loki is here, Workin for UP. I cant speak for the crew side of the house. As an Electrician in a big repair shop, I like the job. UP has been on a hiring spree. The turnover in the next few years is gonna be incredible. | ||
| Xb9er |
I am a conductor for NS. June 1st will be my 5 year mark. Its not a bad job. The pay is great and the retirement program makes any other pension program look like welfare. Yes, being on call does suck. I lost count of how many times I would lay down to go to bed at night and 30 seconds later my phone rings to go to work. I also have missed out on a lot of family things BUT if there is anything I want to do I just call and mark off. Having unlimited unpaid sick days are nice. All in all its not a bad job and its not a hard job either. Its not very labor intensive and the skills are really cut and dry. I say go for it! Who knows you might like it. Sometimes I get fed up with it until friday and I see what they deposited into my bank account | ||
| Whisperstealth |
Sorry badlion, didn't know that. Wasn't trying to be disrespectful or anything  | ||
| Badlionsfan |
It's all good. I was in a similar situation when I got into trucking. I had a plan before I ever got into it. Plan was go to school, run otr as long as I had to to get into a less than truckload freight company and work Linehaul (night driving between terminals, no dealing with customers). Plan went into motion in spring of 05, was at Con-Way freight on Jan 2 of 06, which was the initial company I wanted to work for. That didn't work out (weren't busy enough for a bottom guy like me to work consistently). In aug 06, New England Motor Freight came to town. At 27 years old I was the first driver they hired, which of course means I'm the #1 seniority driver. I get my first choice of vacations, job bids, etc. Mission accomplished. |
