Funny, when it comes to riding, I was taught to ride on the "safest" side of the car but not once did they mention to ride on the engineer's side whenever possible. Definitely gonna keep that in mind though.
You SHOULD ALWAYS get 3 step to use your brake stick to tie or untie brakes, regardless of breaking the plane of the equipment. By technicality, the rule would read that if you aren’t breaking the plane, you don’t need it. Opening a knuckle is different as long as you honor the rules. However, TMs and SAT teams will chew you a new one and hand you a START for tying and untying brakes without 3-step. To be honest, I would say to just go ahead and get 3-step anyways. For one, not worth the risk of fighting with the rule book only to be told “oh well” and wind up in punishment. Secondly, it’s a good habit to get into. It will also cover your a$$ at 2 am when you’re tired, groggy, and been on duty for 10 hours about to hit rest once you tie up. You might be walking your train and notice an angle cock partially closed or a retaining valve in the wrong orientation, go to correct it without 3-step, and bam! TM or SAT team jumps out of the bushes and says “Violation!”. Not gonna go over well with your wife when you gotta tell her why you’re out of service for 30 days. It is very very easy to “forget” to grab that 3 step when you’re tired, run dry, and just wanna get home. You say “eh nobody is watching and I’ll only be 2 seconds” and you still get shafted. So my rule of thumb is if Im walking my train for any reason, Im getting that three step and holding it till Im ready to move. Id rather my engineer say “Drop your 3” cause I forgot to have him drop than to forget to ask him for it and end up out of service. My next piece of advice is GET WHAMMY / HIT AND RUN INSURANCE AS SOON AS YOU COME OFF PROBATION!!! Absolutely critical! There are many options for it. I personally chose BRCF. Mine only costs $87 a month. They are fantastic and offer good rates if you’re ever taken out of service. For those unfamiliar, whammy / hit and run insurance allows you to still get paid even if you’ve been taken out of service for a violation. They will not cover cell phone violations, stop signal violations, or rule g violations, however. Also, when you’re in OJT, badger and bug your COs to show you the ropes of the Mainframe, ERC, and CrewPro. Especially how to claim your hiring bonus intervals, collect guarantee, and such on Mainframe. CrewPro is where you’ll go to put in for paid personal days, sick leave, vacation, and additional days. A ton more I could offer but I think Ive rambled on enough. Sorry to ramble on Joey, but Im all about passing down helpful info to the newcomers. This is the $h1t they don’t teach you guys down in CT school and it’s some pretty crucial info. There is A LOT more to this industry than just moving trains that you need to know. Knowing the rules, paperwork, and how to make efficient moves is only half the battle. You gotta know how to CYA to protect your safety and your job as well! Cheers!
I appreciate you taking the time to post that! No need to be sorry lol. That what this channel all about! Looking out for the next conductor trainee. I’m glad you said what you said cause it goes hand in hand with what I recommend as well and I have a video about job insurance and I used BRCF as well. Appreciate you sharing your knowledge and taking the time out of your day to do so. Thank you!
@@Railroad_Talk anytime! Always glad to help! The newcomers are the future of the railroad, so it is crucial that they get knowledge from those of us who have been there and done it as well as those of us still there and doing it. I know when I was a CT I wished that there more people like yourself out here spreading knowledge and wisdom! Glad to see someone else out here trying to help the newcomers out! Lord knows they need all the help they can get!
yea your signal scenario... in GCOR, that's RULE 9.11(movement from signal requiring restricted speed) "when a train passes a signal requiring movement at restricted speed, the train must move at restricted speed until its leading wheels have passed the next governing signal or the end of the block system" your other scenario is GCOR rule 9.9 (train delayed within block) if a train has entered a block on a proceed indication that does not require restricted speed, and the train stops or its speed is reduced below 10mph, the train must: proceed at restricted speed. the train must maintain this speed until the next signal is visible, that signal displays a proceed indication, and the track to that signal is clear. this stuff can be confusing to a new person but they do seem to get it when they see it in action
@@Railroad_Talk what's crazy is that i hired on in (1993) 11 years before youtube was even created and i knew NOTHING about railroading... but now with youtube and folks like you giving a prospective railworker an inside peek well before they fill out an application, that really helps a person out a LOT... i certainly could have used a sneek peek before i hired on... and BTW, that railroad sims is super helpful... like i said i could have used that way back then
I’m gcor but same thing. Our instructor put it. Restricted speed is a leading wheel restriction. Once that first axle hits the signal you can take off and enter restricted speed leave restricted speed.
At bn you don’t need what we call “in between” ,same as 3 step, while using a brake step. It does have to be fully extended and your arm cannot go in between equipment. That’s considered fouling and is a “deadly decision” and they will fire you over it. And also we are required to ride on the engineers side unless it’s a no clearance zone or against other equipment. That’s so as you mentioned, they can see you for safety and also so you can give hand signals instead of radio.
I just recently accepted a job offer from CSX and it stated that the average pay for the first year of a new hire is $93,000, but it said that after school my pay would be $2822 bi-weekly. That doesn't add up to 93k. It also stated that the guaranteed extra board pay after OJT would be somewhere around $2300 bi-weekly. Is that added to the $2822? Or does that mean that is my guaranteed pay for being on the extra board and I don't get called out? Just a little confused on how the pay works. Maybe someone can help me understand and is 93k a reality?
Yeah, a lot of these bigger corporations like to see people with bills.. a house, cars, toys etc. Their mindset behind this is you will show up cause you have bills to pay.. I don't agree with this. I think it's a past down mindset that outdated and built on ignorance lol.
Hell at big orange they hire pretty much anyone. We have 51 year old in my class and a 66 year old in the same class from another terminal. As someone else mentioned, they like to hire young bc they are generally easier to teach and mold into what they want. Guy in my class is from another class one, he barley knows any of the same rules they followed and has a lot of bad habits they want to break.
Where I work, the railroad generally wants to see an ability to work as a team, a high track record for safety in dangerous/trade related jobs, an ability to work outside, good aptitude for solving puzzles/problem solving in general, they'll want someone who won't be booking off sick or unfit all the time (more than 10 sick days/year and you're going in for a statement), and to know you're physically capable to preforming the job. If you can steer the interview or write a resume in a way that highlights your ability in those 6 areas you're golden. Most 18 year olds honestly have no clue what they're getting themselves into and don't have enough of the experience they want to see, I sure didn't. RRs spend a lot of money training people, and even after hiring on, maybe... 40% are around for more than a year after getting a taste of life. I don't know where you live but in a Canadian winter sometimes you're LITERALLY picking at a switch for 45 minutes to shove a cut of cars into a track only to have it freeze up again by the time you're done the shove and have to line the switch again... So here we go again! 24/7 on call until your seniority can hold a regular job, even when you can hold a job it'll probably be some night job with tuesday/wednesday off or something like that for a few years. Working in the rain for 8 hrs sucks no matter where you'll work. Cars running through crossings while you're have to manually protect them gets old REAL fast. Oh and once you can finally hold a decent job with the days off you want you'll get set up as an engineer and go back 24/7 on call working the engineer spareboard as a cruel joke lol That being said, some people excel in that environment, so some masochists like myself stick around lol. If the railroad won't hire you and that didn't scare you away I'd recommend getting a forklift license and working somewhere that has you going indoors and outdoors (maybe a lumber yard or something) and using that as a stepping stone. Maybe apply to a place that loads/offloads the railcars for a year or two if that didn't work, a lot of the guys I work with used to work for our customers. Don't get discouraged if you want to do it and they won't hire you yet, most trainees I get seem to be 25-35, with the best trainees IMO being in the 27-30ish range, the youngest new hire I've met in the hiring boom this past 4 or so years was like 22 or 23, and he knew a guy...
I don't think that's entirely unusual. I'm a conductor with a different class 1 and I was hired in a September but didn't get called to go to training until the next February. They probably have a bunch of other trainees to get through and they'll probably wait until after the holidays so they don't have to give out holiday pay if I had to make a guess. Welcome to the RR 😉!
Not a stupid question at all. I’m no expert on locomotive or traction motors but maybe one of the diesel shop guys will jump in and correct me if im wrong. It really depends on what type of traction motor they’re running. If it’s DC they can absolutely burn it up due to DC motors having brushes, slip rings and a commutator A lot of those shop guys refer to it as “stall burns” on the commutator. If they’re running AC motors it’s very hard to harm them simply because they’re induction motors and 3 phase. No brushes, no slip rings or commutator.
![ILLSLICK - WINTER IS COMING [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dwTMeM1zIhQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Funny, when it comes to riding, I was taught to ride on the "safest" side of the car but not once did they mention to ride on the engineer's side whenever possible. Definitely gonna keep that in mind though.
You SHOULD ALWAYS get 3 step to use your brake stick to tie or untie brakes, regardless of breaking the plane of the equipment.
By technicality, the rule would read that if you aren’t breaking the plane, you don’t need it.
Opening a knuckle is different as long as you honor the rules.
However, TMs and SAT teams will chew you a new one and hand you a START for tying and untying brakes without 3-step.
To be honest, I would say to just go ahead and get 3-step anyways. For one, not worth the risk of fighting with the rule book only to be told “oh well” and wind up in punishment.
Secondly, it’s a good habit to get into.
It will also cover your a$$ at 2 am when you’re tired, groggy, and been on duty for 10 hours about to hit rest once you tie up.
You might be walking your train and notice an angle cock partially closed or a retaining valve in the wrong orientation, go to correct it without 3-step, and bam! TM or SAT team jumps out of the bushes and says “Violation!”.
Not gonna go over well with your wife when you gotta tell her why you’re out of service for 30 days.
It is very very easy to “forget” to grab that 3 step when you’re tired, run dry, and just wanna get home.
You say “eh nobody is watching and I’ll only be 2 seconds” and you still get shafted.
So my rule of thumb is if Im walking my train for any reason, Im getting that three step and holding it till Im ready to move.
Id rather my engineer say “Drop your 3” cause I forgot to have him drop than to forget to ask him for it and end up out of service.
My next piece of advice is GET WHAMMY / HIT AND RUN INSURANCE AS SOON AS YOU COME OFF PROBATION!!!
Absolutely critical!
There are many options for it. I personally chose BRCF. Mine only costs $87 a month.
They are fantastic and offer good rates if you’re ever taken out of service.
For those unfamiliar, whammy / hit and run insurance allows you to still get paid even if you’ve been taken out of service for a violation.
They will not cover cell phone violations, stop signal violations, or rule g violations, however.
Also, when you’re in OJT, badger and bug your COs to show you the ropes of the Mainframe, ERC, and CrewPro. Especially how to claim your hiring bonus intervals, collect guarantee, and such on Mainframe.
CrewPro is where you’ll go to put in for paid personal days, sick leave, vacation, and additional days.
A ton more I could offer but I think Ive rambled on enough.
Sorry to ramble on Joey, but Im all about passing down helpful info to the newcomers.
This is the $h1t they don’t teach you guys down in CT school and it’s some pretty crucial info.
There is A LOT more to this industry than just moving trains that you need to know.
Knowing the rules, paperwork, and how to make efficient moves is only half the battle.
You gotta know how to CYA to protect your safety and your job as well!
Cheers!
I appreciate you taking the time to post that! No need to be sorry lol. That what this channel all about! Looking out for the next conductor trainee.
I’m glad you said what you said cause it goes hand in hand with what I recommend as well and I have a video about job insurance and I used BRCF as well.
Appreciate you sharing your knowledge and taking the time out of your day to do so. Thank you!
@@Railroad_Talk anytime! Always glad to help!
The newcomers are the future of the railroad, so it is crucial that they get knowledge from those of us who have been there and done it as well as those of us still there and doing it.
I know when I was a CT I wished that there more people like yourself out here spreading knowledge and wisdom!
Glad to see someone else out here trying to help the newcomers out! Lord knows they need all the help they can get!
*There is A LOT more to this industry than just moving trains that you need to know.*
that is very very true
yea your signal scenario... in GCOR, that's RULE 9.11(movement from signal requiring restricted speed) "when a train passes a signal requiring movement at restricted speed, the train must move at restricted speed until its leading wheels have passed the next governing signal or the end of the block system"
your other scenario is GCOR rule 9.9 (train delayed within block) if a train has entered a block on a proceed indication that does not require restricted speed, and the train stops or its speed is reduced below 10mph, the train must: proceed at restricted speed. the train must maintain this speed until the next signal is visible, that signal displays a proceed indication, and the track to that signal is clear.
this stuff can be confusing to a new person but they do seem to get it when they see it in action
I’m a visual learner as well which Is why I always wanted to use the railroad sims to show scenarios. It is extremely time consuming 🤣
@@Railroad_Talk
what's crazy is that i hired on in (1993) 11 years before youtube was even created and i knew NOTHING about railroading... but now with youtube and folks like you giving a prospective railworker an inside peek well before they fill out an application, that really helps a person out a LOT... i certainly could have used a sneek peek before i hired on... and BTW, that railroad sims is super helpful... like i said i could have used that way back then
I’m gcor but same thing. Our instructor put it. Restricted speed is a leading wheel restriction. Once that first axle hits the signal you can take off and enter restricted speed leave restricted speed.
At bn you don’t need what we call “in between” ,same as 3 step, while using a brake step. It does have to be fully extended and your arm cannot go in between equipment. That’s considered fouling and is a “deadly decision” and they will fire you over it. And also we are required to ride on the engineers side unless it’s a no clearance zone or against other equipment. That’s so as you mentioned, they can see you for safety and also so you can give hand signals instead of radio.
Is there any way to apply for a conductor position at Norfolk if my terminal has no indeed adds or positions listed on their web site?
I just recently accepted a job offer from CSX and it stated that the average pay for the first year of a new hire is $93,000, but it said that after school my pay would be $2822 bi-weekly. That doesn't add up to 93k. It also stated that the guaranteed extra board pay after OJT would be somewhere around $2300 bi-weekly. Is that added to the $2822? Or does that mean that is my guaranteed pay for being on the extra board and I don't get called out? Just a little confused on how the pay works. Maybe someone can help me understand and is 93k a reality?
Is there something that tells the crew what the signal aspect is before passing it?
Why is it so hard to get in with the rr is it my age im only 18
Yeah, a lot of these bigger corporations like to see people with bills.. a house, cars, toys etc. Their mindset behind this is you will show up cause you have bills to pay.. I don't agree with this. I think it's a past down mindset that outdated and built on ignorance lol.
It's hard at 38 too. Waiting on my 2nd application now. Keep applying lol
I applied at 18 in September and NS gave me a offer and now I’m awaiting start date since oct 13
Hell at big orange they hire pretty much anyone. We have 51 year old in my class and a 66 year old in the same class from another terminal. As someone else mentioned, they like to hire young bc they are generally easier to teach and mold into what they want. Guy in my class is from another class one, he barley knows any of the same rules they followed and has a lot of bad habits they want to break.
Where I work, the railroad generally wants to see an ability to work as a team, a high track record for safety in dangerous/trade related jobs, an ability to work outside, good aptitude for solving puzzles/problem solving in general, they'll want someone who won't be booking off sick or unfit all the time (more than 10 sick days/year and you're going in for a statement), and to know you're physically capable to preforming the job. If you can steer the interview or write a resume in a way that highlights your ability in those 6 areas you're golden. Most 18 year olds honestly have no clue what they're getting themselves into and don't have enough of the experience they want to see, I sure didn't.
RRs spend a lot of money training people, and even after hiring on, maybe... 40% are around for more than a year after getting a taste of life. I don't know where you live but in a Canadian winter sometimes you're LITERALLY picking at a switch for 45 minutes to shove a cut of cars into a track only to have it freeze up again by the time you're done the shove and have to line the switch again... So here we go again! 24/7 on call until your seniority can hold a regular job, even when you can hold a job it'll probably be some night job with tuesday/wednesday off or something like that for a few years. Working in the rain for 8 hrs sucks no matter where you'll work. Cars running through crossings while you're have to manually protect them gets old REAL fast. Oh and once you can finally hold a decent job with the days off you want you'll get set up as an engineer and go back 24/7 on call working the engineer spareboard as a cruel joke lol
That being said, some people excel in that environment, so some masochists like myself stick around lol. If the railroad won't hire you and that didn't scare you away I'd recommend getting a forklift license and working somewhere that has you going indoors and outdoors (maybe a lumber yard or something) and using that as a stepping stone. Maybe apply to a place that loads/offloads the railcars for a year or two if that didn't work, a lot of the guys I work with used to work for our customers. Don't get discouraged if you want to do it and they won't hire you yet, most trainees I get seem to be 25-35, with the best trainees IMO being in the 27-30ish range, the youngest new hire I've met in the hiring boom this past 4 or so years was like 22 or 23, and he knew a guy...
If you work for a class 1 railroad can ask for days off
I’ve been awaiting start date for NS since October 13 but the training center closes the month of December shouldn’t I be in the first class ?
I don't think that's entirely unusual. I'm a conductor with a different class 1 and I was hired in a September but didn't get called to go to training until the next February. They probably have a bunch of other trainees to get through and they'll probably wait until after the holidays so they don't have to give out holiday pay if I had to make a guess. Welcome to the RR 😉!
I would think maybe sometime early next year but there is no way to know for sure
They just cancelled my class and postponed it
@@drbuttblast2387 when was your original date And when was it post poned to?
@@drbuttblast2387 what new date did they give you and how long ago did you complete your physical and whatnot
Does anyone work or have info about working out of Charlotte, NC as a conductor?
Dumb question How can an engine be in notch 8 on a flat run going 65 mph. Then in notch 8 going up hill 35mph and NOT burn shit up?
Not a stupid question at all. I’m no expert on locomotive or traction motors but maybe one of the diesel shop guys will jump in and correct me if im wrong.
It really depends on what type of traction motor they’re running. If it’s DC they can absolutely burn it up due to DC motors having brushes, slip rings and a commutator A lot of those shop guys refer to it as “stall burns” on the commutator. If they’re running AC motors it’s very hard to harm them simply because they’re induction motors and 3 phase. No brushes, no slip rings or commutator.
Thank you for the come back.
@@FRIGHTLINERDELUX the science behind DC and AC motors is very interesting. Those same motors are used for dynamic brakes. Cool stuff
Thank you@made-in-the80s
I just got an email saying classes is getting pushed back because of updated business needs. Is this their way of saying goodbye or is it not over yet
Think this is there way to avoid classes near the holidays lol
@@Railroad_Talk so… this isn’t a start looking for a new job and move on? The clas was Jan 15 so I thought it would be close enough to afterwards
@@drbuttblast2387 ahhh it may not hurt to find something until they figure it out cause it may just be temporary but you never know
@@Railroad_Talk ok thank you I appreciate it. That whole thing thru me for a loop. I’m afraid I won’t get it after quitting my last job for this
@@drbuttblast2387 you ever hear anything back?