Hey guys,New here. I am 20 years old and have loved Trains since I was very little. My dad used to take me out to the tracks sometimes when I was little..now I go whenever I want and watch trains. I live in Harrisburg,North Carolina with the tracks about 5 mins from my house when taking the car. Its Norfolk Southerns track but you see them operating quite a few Conrail engines..sometimes you will see a BNSF,UP and rare but sometimes a CSX. They also have 2 Amtrak's that run from charlotte and on up north. One goes from Charlotte to New Yorks Penn Station everyday leaving Charlotte at 7:50am and getting back usually around 10:45pm. The other leaves Charlotte at 5:30pm,goes to Raleigh,NC..sits there until 7:15am and heads back to Charlotte. I have worked since I was 16. Starting off in a Grocery Store..then moving on to a machine shop,then worked at a Honda car dealership for about 8 months. Now I work at teh Charlotte Douglas International Airport dealing with airplanes all day..airplanes are alright but my love for trains is much greater. I have looked a while back about getting a job for a railway company but never could find anything out. I talked to a guy at work last week that worked for CSX for about 7 years..started as a conductor and ended as an engineer. He gave me a number for a guy that runs the school you have to attend which is a 5 week school with a price of around $4,400. Since I have seen Norfolk Southerns all my life I would really like to work for them. I went on there website and while they give you some information I felt still kinda clueless on how to get started. They don't say anything on there site about having to pay to be trained like you do at CSX. Any NS employees out there that could tell me how to get my foot in the door? I am interested in starting out as a freight conductor. There site didn't show anything about hiring in Charlotte..closest they LISTED was Greenville,SC which is roughly 2 hours from here...I can't drive 4 hours everyday for work. ANY HELP would be so greatly appreciated. This has been my life long dream and I want to know how to pursue it..Years ago when I looked into it I couldn't find anything and gave up..then I looked again later..and gave up..I don't want to give up anymore. Matt
Also something I want to add. I was just doing more reading and found a place that was talking about RailRoad jobs..it says most people start out in the railroad buisiness as yard laborers and work there way up to brake operator and then maybe onto "Conductor" which comes with Senority. Although Norfolk Southern's and CSX's websites act like you can jump right in..train to be a conductor and start out as one. Anyhelp on this would be very helpful as well
I am 19 and also considering a career as a railroader. Right now I am in my third semester of college. I think it would be a plus to have some kind of education before entering the railroading scene. (i.e. lay offs, can't handle the job) I'm from WV and Marshall University has a program as Conductor Trainee. Guarantees interview. Must be 21 and have wither 2 years college or job experience. I wouldn't imagine it would be too hard to get a job with the railroad as the baby boomers retire over the next few years. Some facts we need to remember. As being young guns on the job, we shall have no life. All the "bad" shifts that the veterans don't want. 3 am underpowered coal drag in a blizzard....9pm local that gets tied up in traffic on a siding your whole shift.... Whats wrong with moving? I have a decent shot to stay here at home, hopefully work for the Appalachian & Ohio.
If you really want to work for the railways then 2hrs of travel won't kill you. One of my mates on the job travels from Lithgow to Sydney and back for every shift. For those who don't know Sydney Australia that is 3hrs one way. So he is travelling for 6hrs of the day and working 9hrs and has been doing that for the last 2yrs.
Thanks guys for the comments. CP&E I don't have a problem with moving. I just have to get the money to move into an apartment down there. I haven't went to college yet and I hope that won't hurt me. As far as getting all the bad shifts..I am used to that working at the airport since I haven't been there very long I don't have much Senority. Now before I would say that I would make a 2 hour drive I have to come to a conclusion as to if it is worth it. Right now I have a 30 to 45 minute drive one way to work..not bad at all. Its about 30 miles each way. US Airways Express don't pay jack. They start you out at $8.44 an hour. Now if I go into the railroad industry and make only 10 an hour..the drive is out of the question because that $1.56 more an hour isn't gonna put anymore money into my pocket because of the amount of gas I am using to get down there and back. I want to move if I can get a job. Guess I will have to take out a loan to get started on my own. The biggest qusetion I have is can you start out as a Conductor?? Thanks for the warm welcome!
CP&E..How much is the Conductor Course at Marshall University and how long does it go for?? I know the CSX Training done at AMDG(www.AMDG.ws)goes for 5 weeks and is around $4,400. What I am thinking is that if you don't go to school for the conductor job you probably get started as a Yard laboroer(sp) but if you go to school they give you a interview for conductor right off the bat. Only thing i hate with that is that its a gamble...if i pay that money..get an interview but don't get hired then I am up you know what creek. Unless I have the wrong idea..which wouldn't be the first time
It seems to me that if you pass all the tests and pass the training. That there will be job offers. Or at least the MU site seems to advertise it that way.
You dont need to spend any money on Conductor school for the NS.They send you to there own school in GA.Everyone goes through the school even if they have prior expierence or schooling.They use it as part of the Conductor training program they have.I dont know about the other railroads training but it is pretty nice not to have to pay for it.And it is hands on and a very informitive shcool to go through.They even pay you for mileage and meals while you are at school.It is a 2 week course then on the job training at your hiring location for a month then back to GA. for another 2 weeks then the rest of the training is done at the place you hire out at. As far as crappy shifts,I have been railroading for 8 and a half years.I can hold any shift I want in the yards or hold a job on the seniority districts I run on.Right now there are more than 75 people under me in seniority.Time flies by and yes the babyboomers will be retiring within the next 5 years or so. Someone had a article out in one of the magazines not to long ago and it figured the railroads will need over 1750 poeple to keep up with the traffic demands and retirements in the next 3-5 years.So if you want to do it go for it.But it isn't as fun as railfans might think and the money is good but you do sacrifice a lot in return.It is like no other job that you have ever has or ever will. [ July 22, 2005, 04:13 PM: Message edited by: Ed Pinkley#2 ]
Ed,Thanks alot for that huge piece of information! I am a railfan and think it would be alot of fun but you say its not as fun as we think..is that because of the long hours and sometimes being away from home for days at a time? The being away from home won't bother me..I am single and don't want to be involved with a girl right now in my life. I'd love to travel the rails. I know its like any other job..it has its crappy parts but I work around airplanes right now all day and I just don't care a damn about airplanes. Every day I go back to work after my weekend I about throw up when I see one. Ed can you also start out as an engineer with NS after going through there training in GA? Or do you start out as a Yard Laborers. Whats a Yard Laborers annual pay after the first year usually average and what all do they do with that job title. I am trying to get as much info as possible..I keep going to search engine after search engine to find out about jobs and the railroading industry. Thanks so much everyone for the help and keep it coming,its very much appreciated! Matt.
Hi Matt, Welcome aboard, neighbor. I don't know anything about applying for NS jobs, but it seems like you should be able to at least get an entry level job up at Linwood Yard (a lot closer than Greenville) Do you ever railfan up in the Salisbury area? Harold
Ed,In the next couple weeks I plan to go down to one of the hiring sessions. Some questions about that. This week they are doing sessions at the places on the following page at teh bottom http://www.nscorp.com/nscorp/application?pageid=Careers&category=Careers&contentId=english/nscorp/careers/ns_career_center.html Lets say for example I went to the one in Cedartown,GA for Conductor. First off is it wise to attend an engineer session or should i go at something else as I don't know if they start someone off as a conductor?? Other question is do they pick the hiring sessions at places they are actually hiring? Thats what it seems like. Like for the conductor at the Cedartown,GA session..if I went there I would be applying for a Conductor job there correct and not trying to get a job in Greenville,SC for example? Like last week they were having a session in Greenville,SC but not this week. Guess they have filled the positions for the need for conductors in greenville.
Hi Harold! I sent you an email yesterday,Did you recieve it? I haven't railfanned in the Salisbury area yet. I am usually in Harrisburg where i live,Charlotte or Concord,NC. I have been to Raliegh and took pictures of Boylan Junction..I saw you had some pictures there to..I took the Amtrak Carolinian to Raleigh last Thursday on July 14th and took Pictures at Boylan Junction. Where Exactly is Linwood Yard? Could I just drive up there and ask about a job with NS as far as yardwork would go? I will try and upload some pictures I have took and send them your way buddy.
If you can land a job, it would be a very interesting topic, if you could post here how the whole process evolves. Good luck! Boxcab E50
Boxcab,I diffently will!! No sense in everyone going through the research I have to try to find out "How" to get a job with a railroad company. I will GLADLY post how the process goes. Depending on what Harold says I might be making a trip to linwood yard next thursday on my day off
Matt, To become a engineer you must be marked up as a conductor for at least a year.This does not include your training time to be a conductor.Also you are sent to engineer training as a seniority basis also.All those higher than you in seniority will be sent first.They will not hire anyone as a engineer off the streets. As for the long hours and being away.The longest you are away on the road is usually 2 days.Most of the time you are home sooner though.I have been on duty for over 20 hours and 14-16 hours can happen too.But you are taken to the location you were headed for your rest.There is one hitch though, getting called on work trains.Those can take weeks.You are told that when called and you must go prepared to stay that long.They will either put you up in a motel or cab you to your reporting location every night.Work trains are few and far between but I have been on a few and they aren't bad and real money makers. You say that being away and won't bother you because yo uare single.Unless you plan on staying that way you are thinking right.But sometimes in life we find someone that we like a lot and want to stay with.It is a hard job on relationships and families.If you have the job before you get this then the other person knows what to expect.That will help out with the understanding of your work.If you want it go for it. Almost forgot,Yes where the hiring session is held is where they are hiring at.
Hi Matt - I'm an NS engineer and have had a bunch of new hires fresh from GA riding with me lately. Lots of hiring going on but the attrition rate is pretty high also. Quite a few people find out it ain't as pretty as it looks once the phone starts ringing at 2 in the morning but that's another story. In answer to your Q's.... Go to the hiring session at the location you want to work. That'll be your home terminal and you'll work out of there unless your union agreements and/or seniority allow you to work elsewhere. Also, everybody I've ever heard of on NS starts out as a conductor. That gets you going on the rules and territories where you work. As seniority and vacancies dictate, they'll send you to engineer school at some point down the road. Engine school is mandatory now so even if it takes a while, you'll go eventually. Yes, they're hiring for specific locations and the number of positions they're filling should be listed. Go to the session where you want to work and if you want to work in transportation (train service), apply for conductor slots. It's tough to switch from one craft to another (track dept. to train service for example) once you start without giving up your seniority. If you're willing to move, you can hit up different locations but if they hire you, you're kind of stuck for a while. Good luck and keep us posted. (Oops - Ed beat me to the same answers)
Matt, I got your e-mail and answered your questions. Salisbury is a great place to railfan because you get all of the mainline action, locals, and the Asheville traffic too. Sun angles can be a little tricky for photography. Linwood Yard is about 10 miles north of Salisbury. Security is very tight and I would not recommend "just showing up". I have an idea, and will send you a PM. Harold
