What is the requirement of working on the rail road

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Tom49801
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by Tom49801 »

Doktor No wrote:
Sun May 21, 2023 8:10 pm
https://www.rrb.gov/Newsroom/NewsReleas ... Reductions Heck, maybe everyone from class ones on down can retire at 60 with 30 years....I give up on that one. But there you have the ages etc etc. You pay something like 17% more into RRRetirement vs SS but RRT is way better and your wife gets an annuity too on top of her SS. IIRC when you go to the big roundhouse in the sky for the final tie up your wife gets YOUR retirement.
You cannot collect both Social Security & Railroad Retirement. It's nice my spouse collects a retirement check from the railroad & it is more than what she would have received from Social Security & it's about 50% what the employee receives. The employee's retirement doesn't increase nor decrease with or without having a spouse. Should I pass 1st, her spousal railroad retirement will end & she will instead collect Railroad Retirement Survivor's Benefits (what the employee was receiving monthly). I had retired from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor Signals Dept at age 60 with 30 years service.

Amtrak provides free health care (80% coverage) until age 65 & free dental for 1 1/2 years after retiring. We also retain our rail travel privileges' at the same level as being an active employee.

CR900945
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by CR900945 »

David Lang is right about the toll it takes on a family. I worked in a salaried position at Conrail in New Jersey and had issues with my supervisor's personal demons. I got promoted and exiled to Siberia (Buffalo.) There I met and married my first wife. The following year I got a bigger promotion to Conrail HQ in Philadelphia. I uprooted a girl who was born, raised, and lived in the same town her entire life. I moved 7 times in 12 years and worked in Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. We divorced after 2 years. Three months after the divorce, my job was abolished but I got a position with the Association of American Railroads. So life goes on. You learn to roll with the punches.

JStryker722
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by JStryker722 »

If you are willing do something along the lines of "light rail" and live near Detroit, my employer, the Qline (Detroit’s Streetcar system) is consistently looking for Streetcar Operators. 10-hour days, 3-days off. No RRT BUT you won't be finding very many "easier" rail-related jobs than that. Just gotta be 21 or older, hold a driver's license with a good driving record, clean pee/blood test, and can pass the DOT physical is some shape or form.

Just look for "M1 Rail/Qline Detroit Streetcar Operator " on Indeed and apply when/if there is an active job listing for it.

I volunteer at SRI but my prior professional day-job prior to coming to the Qline was Walmart Overnight Stocker. Now after 2 years, I'm a newly promoted Operations Supervisor. If I can do it with my background, you can too. 💯
My Wife says my first love is trains..anint that the truth! Lol :D

NSSD70ACe
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by NSSD70ACe »

MikeB89 wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 11:26 pm
NSSD70ACe wrote:
Sun May 07, 2023 11:47 am
railfan isaac wrote:
Sat May 06, 2023 10:30 pm
I was wondering what the requirements are to start working on the railroad In Michigan on the Grand Rapids or Plymouth sub
Let me say this, given your username….

If you intend to hire out on the railroad, you need to be prepared to do actual WORK. This isn’t just about playing with trains. I’m talking 12 hour shifts in everything from 100+ degree heat to -60 windchill in the dead of night, depending where you work and what carrier (CSX you won’t hit — most of the time — but it does get cold).

Your managers will be hit or miss. Some of them are really great. Others are awful. You’re gonna be asked to do things that are crappy. That’s how it goes sometimes.

I’m not sure what CSX gets for a call or if they have set rest days (my carrier does not have set rest for the road in most terminals).

It is a hard life, but can be well worth it if you’re willing to put everything in for a while before you hold a regular job. It isn’t for everyone. No shame in admitting that.
What he said right here is spot on. I'm not a rail worker, have considered it in the signal maintainer field but passed it up. Just wasn't willing to work the schedules these guys get put through.

That being said I do know some guys that work on the rail. This isn't some piece of cake job. Its really hardwork, brutual, and exhausting. Not only that your life is also at risk. Safety is a big portion of that as well. You have to pay attention to detail because one slip up things can go wrong. You're also at risk of seeing things that you may not want to see. Some people don't give a flying care to trains and if you're on a train and hit someone you will have to be willing to live with that. Just this past week some train grew had to deal with an incident way out of their hands. I posted about it just the other day. As a railfan it wasn't even something I liked to hear come across my scanner.
Pressure-washing a guy’s remains off the front of a locomotive isn’t a memory one soon forgets. Lot of guys don’t come back after something like that. Nothing against them for it…it affects everyone differently.

Bottom line is: It can be an extremely rewarding career. Lots of money and honestly the industry is at an inflection point with worker QOL…improvements are starting and will continue to increase because the railroads simply cannot afford to stay in the past with labor relations…otherwise they won’t be able to hire anyone.

But you still have to be willing to work outside, in all weather, 24/7/365, and keep a stiff upper lip.
:roll:

the contents of the above post are my opinion and mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

PatAzo
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by PatAzo »

Fear not Issac. Pressure washing the locomotive is not one of the requirements.

Chip
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by Chip »

I have a friend who’s about to start at NS doing freight car repair. What kind of stuff is he in for?

David Lang
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by David Lang »

I have a friend who’s about to start at NS doing freight car repair. What kind of stuff is he in for?
Not being a railroad employee, I'll answer your question the best I can.

Freight car repair in terms of schedule should be more predictable than train crew schedules. If we assume Freight Car Repair is done on all 3 shifts, he/she can expect to work whatever shift is assigned (not sure if there is rotating shifts involved or not) but regardless, he/she will be home everyday, vs. not home everyday as an Engineer/Conductor.

Compensation will be less in Freight Car Repair vs. Train Crew, but he/she should expect to be Union represented I think, and of course Freight Car Repair will be more physically demanding and will require a different skill set (i.e. welding for example) than Train Crew positions.

Hope that helps a little anyway. I will defer to railroad employees or retirees to provide further guidance, detail, and perspective.

ATTM4150
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Re: What is the requirement of working on the rail road

Unread post by ATTM4150 »

Mineral Range is hiring a conductor/engineer and LSI is hiring a carman as of June 30 2023.

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