Give some examples of a conductors day?

Question

Like where they start, ride to, stop, sleep ect, eat, break ect. then what about when they get home.

How are they paid as well.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Whoa, people. Your life is still yours, but sometimes you do work a lot of hours. Large carriers run trains around the clock, but there are railroads of all sizes. The one I'm trying to hire with now is a small time road, probably just a holdover until I find something better. Their trains are upwards of twenty cars long, they switch local industries, and you're never more than thirty-eight miles from home base. Crew call is 07:00 and most assignments are done by 15:00. You can drag it out if you want overtime, but often there's another crew waiting for the locomotives back at base. The extras board has part-timers on it if you don't want to work more than five days a week, and it's a pretty easy-going place. Don't let these horror stories hold you back. The first answerer is a railfan, not an employee.

Anyway, conductors have to do all the stuff on the ground, since the engineer can't leave the seat. That means coupling and uncoupling cars, connecting air hoses and managing the brake lines, setting and releasing hand brakes, conducting air brake tests, throwing switches, flagging crossings, riding shoves... etc etc etc. It's a good job to do while you have your youth. Always be safety-conscious and careful!

Answer 2

Your life is not your own as a conductor. Might start at 3 am on a local train. Leave the yard with, say, 30 cars. Destination is 117 miles away. There are 6 stops in that 117 miles. We set out 5 cars at each stop - two grain elevators, a propane storage plant, two lumber mills, and a transfer track with another railroad. As the conductor, I'm the guy that gets on the ground to line the switches (as with the conversations you hear at German), guard the road crossings when backing up, uncouple the cars, be sure the cars get "spotted" at the proper location on the track when we stop. Once we've done all that, at the end of the 117 miles, and anywhere from 6 to 10 hours later, (depends on other rail traffic and the amount of time spent at each stop)  we are off duty. We check in to a motel for 8 to 10 hours. Then we make the return trip - 117 miles. Along the route, we stop at the same places we stopped before, to pick up any railcars that are ready to go back with us. Again, 6 to 10 hours. For this trip, just described, the pay is 497 dollars. If I can do that 3 times in a week, then that's pretty good. That's what I used to do. But, like I said, your life is not your own with that job. So I left to work as an engineer for an industrial short line railroad. Work starts at 8 a.m. Monday thru Friday. Usually get done between 2 and 4 p.m. Weekends and holidays off. Only two trains a day. All this is unheard of in railroading. It's great. It's still railroading, but it's like a regular job too.

Answer 3

You`re NEVER home, you get to work the c**p shifts when you start, might get a day shift on Christmas, or after 20 years of working there.

5-6 hours out, and 5-6 hours back, then go home and wait for you to get called again.

Union Job with lots of union sniveling.

Hope you dont want a family.

Answer 4

Of course there are a number of different types of conductor as pointed out above.  So, let's take a look at a conductor's day if working foooooor, let's say, hmmmm, let's say the Union Pacific, for example.

07:59  ---  Report for duty

08:05  ---  Company officer pisses on your leg for 1st time today.

08:09  ---  MOP wants to know why you were seen at last Saturdays softball game in the park, when you laid off "sick."

08:10  ---  You have no answer.

08:11  ---  MOP, "Lots of people work 20 hours a day, seven days a week.  Just look at us!  But not yooooou.  No.  You had three days off in May.  If guys like you stayed marked up, other people could have a day off."

08:15  ---  To the MTO's office for a safety video, where fuel conservation is stressed.

08:21  ---  Leave MTO's office, while he pisses on your other leg as you leave.

08:22  ---  Bump into MOP after leaving MTO.  MOP wants to know why you've been on duty for 23 minutes and are still at the yard office.  Threatens you with discipline for wet pant legs, a clear safety hazard.

11:00  ---  Your train still isn't in and your tuna sandwich is already starting to turn.

11:45  ---  s***w it.  If I don't eat the sandwich now, I never will.

11:46  ---  MTO walks in and wants to know why you're eating instead of getting your trip under way.

11:46:29  ---  MTO comments on your wet pants, wonders why the MOP didn't cite you.

11:47  ---  MTO drops trowsers and dumps on rest of your lunch.  Questions your loyalty.

13:22  ---  Still no train.  Back to the MTO's office for another safety video, that stresses fuel conservation.

13:28  ---  You run out of the office after the video, since your pants are now dry.

14:45  ---  You eat the "emergency stash" (a can of vienna sausages in your grip, with perhaps 125,000 miles on 'em).

15:00  ---  They give up, and break your call, accusing you of dragging your feet while at yard office in hopes of getting your call busted.  Instructed to tie up and threatened with discipline if you "book for extra rest."

00:01  ---  Repeat process.

As far as "sniveling" rails who are members of a "sniveling" union, I can assure you 99.9999% of the population wouldn't last a month out there before saying, "I ain't doin' this for ANY amount of money."

Probably best not to speak that way when in the company of rails.  I don't know where you're at, but around here, talk like that will get ya knocked flat on your butt.

Answer 5

Conductors (on road assignments) are on call 24/7 but they can get a pretty reasonable idea when they are due out.

Lets say today you are called for 4:00 AM, you will typically get about an hour and a half call to get ready and report to work.

When you arrive, you will be responsible for getting a list of the train, usually a clerk will have it printed out for you. YOu have to check it over for proper placement of all cars, see if any cars set out online and check to see what needs picked up on line.

Then you need to confer with the dispatcher and yardmaster to see what additional instructions there are and check all directives and bulletins for any updates.

Usually this takes about half an hour, then when you train arrives you need to do any initial terminal work and when your train gets onthe road you ride the head locomotive with the engineer. You will be required to help observe signals, track conditions, speed restrictions, and watch the train whenever possible for possible safety defects or conditions.

A typical day will last average 9 or 10 hours, with the federal maximum of 12 hours.

Then assuming y ou are at your away from home terminal your minimum rest will be 8 hours and can be anywhere longer, I would have to guess an average might be 12 - 16 hours.

Return trip similar, and when you get back home, you can expect to be subject to call anytime after 8 hours but this can vary depending on assignment.

An average conductor in the U.S. probably makes $60,000 a year and can be higher if there are a lot of high paying road trips.

There are thousand of variations on this, there are jobs that return to the home terminal each day, that work mostly area industries and shippers.

It is a good job, sometimes a poor life but then it is not mind numbingly boring like some office or factory work can be. You see different things each day, are outdoors a lot.

Conductor and engineer have been merged into one career path on most railroads so  you can expec tto be offered a promotion to engineer within 5 years, this can depend on needs of the employer.

Answer 6

Bus or Train Male or female ? Government or Private Assuming that it is a Govt job it is OK The duty hours are fixed if it is a local transport but if it is a long distance one then a halt is essential.In all it is a thank less job an involves lots of travel and constant awareness of cash collected so unless you like rubbin shoulders and equality stuff with less time for family I would advice one to keep off and look for any assignment with less travel fixed timing and a good package where one can spend more time with themselves.