Freight trains remain reliable stalwarts of transportation and industry, carrying cargo across the continent every day.
He prefers it to an office job, but it’s not without its challenges.
Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
What drove you to choose your career path?
My father, without a doubt, was the biggest reason I hired out for the railroad.
He was an engineer for 38 years, retiring from the job several years ago.
What kind of education and experience did you need?
Did you need any licenses or certifications?
They go in order of seniority, so the guy with the most seniority gets in.
This adds considerable stress.
You come out of engineer training with a federal license to operate a train.
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
The most basic thing we do from day to day is the safe operation of the train.
My run is 135 miles total, but often will take 12+ hours to get from terminal to terminal.
This leaves a lot of downtime waiting on opposing trains.
A locomotive usually has upwards of 4,400 horsepower, and you have two or three (or more).
The biggest challenge is controlling the “in train” forces, or slack.
It’s a delicate balancing act that takes years to get good at.
What are your average work hours?
Our schedules are on call, 24/7.
I generally will be home for 12-24 hours, then an average trip will be 36-46 hours.
A strong marriage is essential and divorce rates can be high.
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
Common misconceptions that people have about my job are that we set out to inconvenience people.
Sometimes these are off, resulting in me not fitting somewhere I thought I would.
What’s the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
Related to this, is the other negative.
People often get so impatient that run around gates, and get hit.
This is by far the worst part of the job.
What’s the most enjoyable part of the job?
It’s a long, storied career, and one that not everyone gets to experience.
I don’t think I could ever sit behind a desk again.
If you’d like to share your career, email us at[email protected].
Photos byIvan Kruk(Shuttestock),Bob Wilcox,Kool Cats Photography(Flickr).
