Another day passed by with no return phone call. Maybe tomorrow. It looks like I won't hear anything until the new year. But I'll keep calling. I see a restraining order in my future.:embarassed:
Wondering Kevin, Hello. This is my first post to this site and good one it is though I have been reading it for some time. I was wondering if you got your hire notice via email. I just got back from a conductor orientation/interview session in Minneapolis for Northtown. They told us to expect an answer in about 2 to 3 weeks.
Well, I got a call today with a little good news/ bad news. I looks like I won't be going to training in December but instead I'm in the first class for January (no firm date set yet). I was told that the past couple of training sessions were filled with trainees from other areas that have a shortage of conductors. Just what I figured after talking to Jamiew. It's relieving to hear from NSC even if I have to wait another month. My contact did say that since I have a degree in HRM, NSC would probably be asking me to take a position in that field shortly after my conductor training is finished. Truthfully, I just what to get started with my training first. Thanks for all the good advice. Bill H
Welcome to trainboard. It seems to me it was about 3 week to a month after the interview/orientation that I got a email letting me know to that I was in the running but they needed a pysical first which they gave me a number of a US Healthworks to set it up and go to, I also had to fill out a health survey. After the physical and a stenght/strech test it was about 3 more weeks before they notified that I was hired. I was notified in early January but my class did not start till the end of march so it was almost 5 months from interview to start. Good luck, Kevin Kevin
Welcome to our new members! :teeth: What seems quite interesting, to me, is the stress of simply not knowing. Sounds very difficult. Hope it works out for everyone. Boxcab E50
Just a quick up-date. I finally received a call yesterday from Norfolk Southern and it seems that there is a hiring freeze for the Conway, PA yard, the yard for which I was hired. They told me that training is on hold indefinently and that it may be a year or so until they could get me into the system. I received another call this morning from NFS HQ asking me if I would be willing to take a conductor position at another site. They gave me several to choose from but only one site, Youngstown, OH, was near me. It's probably 45 min to an hour away. I agreed to take the position at Youngstown and my training in Georgia will be at the end of this month. The travel time from my home to Youngstown is much greater than it would have been if I would have gotten into the Conway yard. Conway is less than 5 minutes from my home. It may be a little tough while on call but I'll survive. I can't believe I finally got the call to start. I've been waiting since last September. Last October I past up three very good jobs (60k+) while waiting on Norfolk Southern. I hope it's worth it. Thanks for listening Bill
Dispatcher's school was crazy. You had to have 90% on the written portion, like all railroad tests. The practical portion of the exam has a required 100%. It is either pass or fail. They throw tons of various scenarios at you. It was a real beating... The hardest written test I took was my first engineer's exam. It had the required 90%. It was one of the "old school" RR exams with a boat load of essay questions. It wasn't just silly stuff like yes or no and quick blip on the question. One of the questions was explain the path that steam and water take through a lifting injector. The next question was explain the same thing, but on a non-lifting injector. It took close to six hours to take...
ive applied to amtrak and there looking at my application i hope they reply to me. this avatar is a pic of the train i drive its a class 170 multipule unit 100 m.p.h
i had to do draw a diagram of how the electric came in and went through the train and how the air system worked and where that went took 2 and half hours each
Good move on your part to get seniority established on the roster sooner, even if it is a ways to travel. That all-important number will probably decide when or if you can ever get into Conway as a home terminal. Travel time sure doesn't make it any easier but with a 2 hour call, it's do-able. My commute is a shade over an hour so I just keep the coffee machine loaded and my stuff ready to go by the door when I'm due to go out. The hardest part is training yourself to go to sleep when you get home. When you're doing the 8 hour shuffle, rest first or that drive back to work in front of a 12 hr. tour is murder.
good luck. I hired on at CSX 7 years ago. It was like pulling teeth to get into the conductor training program at Cincinatti State Tech. They offered me a position in Gary, In. Thankfully I didn't accept because I was called the following week for a position in my hometown of Louisville. Being on call is extremely tough. I've been furloughed twice so prepare for that also. Class 1 railroads have hired so many people lately and will continue to do so, so its a good thing you got your foot in the door early. Are you planning on taking the engineer program? If so, take it the first time you get called for it to get around all the guys that are passing it up. They will be sorry once one man crews are implemented on through trains. I enjoy my job now but it was a tough road getting to where I am with being furloughed and being the bottom guy on the extra boards. Just stick with it and you'll be fine. Soon enough you'll be making double of what those 60k jobs a year pay!!!
Thanks, for all the info. I'm just getting into my training. There's a lot to learn, but I'm sure like anything else I'll get used to it.
