re: Has anyone worked on choo choo trains before?

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I think you need a couple rail safety certificates before you get hired entry level.

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You don't need anything to get hired as a Conductor Trainee other than a high school diploma(or GED).

Pay is pretty good, work-life balance is about as bad as it gets, job is easy. The guy saying it was dangerous as a switchman didn't work for a Class 1 in the last 20 years.

You'll have some uncertainty for the first 5 or so years depending on where you're hired/the economy. After that you will make good money and never be off on a weekend or holiday for the next 15-25 years.

Are you musical?

I think that’s required for at least one of the jobs there-

Sorry, screwed up.

I suspect the experience of working for a railroad can differ a fair amount depending on whether it is one of the majors (a "Class I" in railspeak). The majors are Canadian National (technically its Illinois Central subsidiary in these parts), Norfolk Southern (Alabama Great Southern), Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, and Kansas City Southern (which it looks like is about to be bought up), plus Canadian Pacific (does not operate around here) and "Amtrak" (technically National Railroad Passenger Corp., which is a world unto itself).

For the majors, you start with no seniority, which means (in many job classifications) you get the worst hours and to some extent the less desirable jobs. You need to avoid being a dumba$$ or getting popped for ... unauthorized pharmaceuticals. If you can stay out of trouble, stick it out for maybe a decade, and build some seniority, the pay can be good: lots of those guys, at least the ones willing to take a train out on the road, make $100k or more, with good benefits and a good retirement. The hours get better but are likely to remain at least irregular.

Nola tiger is 100 percent correct. I have been a conductor for 20 plus years. The rail road is not a job, it is a life style and takes a very understanding wife.
You will miss Christmasas, birthdays, and about anything else you can think of. But the pay is good and retirement is too. You just have to stick it out..

How fast can a locomotive run by itself ?

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The rail road is not a job, it is a life style and takes a very understanding wife.
You will miss Christmasas, birthdays, and about anything else you can think of.

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All of this.

If you work in a terminal you'll likely sleep in your own bed most days, not nights, starting out. If you are fortunate enough to work out of crew change point out between major terminals you'll work road trains a lot. (There are usually some local jobs at these locations held down by old heads. You'll only catch these off the extra board, where you will live, if they mark off.)

Working the road you generally lay over at the away from home terminal and then come back on another train following your rest. Or well after you are rested. Sitting in the hotel for 20+ hours is not unheard of while you may only be home for 10 before the phone rings. (Used to be 8 hours from tie up to back on duty.)

The hours "off" can vary as different railroads, and even terminals, have different call times. I think UP is a 1.5 hour call, meaning they call you 1.5 hours before you have to be to work. I've worked pools with 2 hour and 3 hour calls, with 2 being the norm on my railroad.

You can work up to 12 hours, however that doesn't mean you are always off the locomotive after 12. It just means you can't turn a wheel. I've sat waiting for a recrew/cab for 16+ hours before.

Locomotives do not have sleepers, but they do have toilets. You usually do not want to shite on the locomotive and never shite on the lead locomotive. Get your stinking arse back to the trailing unit.

Pay varies a lot by railroad. Even the class ones. I was making over 100K 10 years ago as an engineer. 130K+ isn't unusual these days but you will be working a lot to get that. Some have gone to straight hourly pay while others are still mileage based, generally with what are called trip rates.

I did track work in high school and college. Very heavy work. Work in all sorts of weather, most of it bad (or so it seems). Not a lot of money. I don't advise it.

I hear it's a good way to just pass the time away

My cousin married a guy that was a locomotive engineer. Drove the short line between Birmingham & Atlanta. He loves it. Makes good money but is away from home quite a bit. No more than 3 or 4 nights at a time.


Side note: The marriage ended when they found out they were both on the same dating app/site. Not sure if it was Match.com type of site or Tinder/POF or whatever other hookup type site/app that they were using.