What is the hardest part about being a railroad conductor?

Question

im trying to get into a conductor program at marshall university. ive already passed the pre employmetnt tests and i am now on a waiting list

Answer 1

It's gotta be repeatedly punching all those tickets:

Conductor, when you receive a fare,

Punch in the presence of the passenjare!

A blue trip slip for an eight-cent fare,

A buff trip slip for a six-cent fare,

A pink trip slip for a three-cent fare,

Punch in the presence of the passenjare!

Punch brothers! Punch with care!

Punch in the presence of the passenjare!

--Mark Twain

Answer 2

I'm no expert but I would think it would have to be getting them all to play in the same key....

Answer 3

Railfan_e, Know what he is talking about, He is a RR Man by the way he talks. and He is right about the trainmasters. they love to get you wrote up and fired makes them look good. Most of them don't give a d**n about their fellow employees. And their bosses superintendents are just as bad they think they are the King.Conductors do all the work on train and office people do all the paper work, Trainmasters and Suprs get all the glory, and don't give a d**n for people under them.

Answer 4

Dealing with drunk/abusive/violent/irrational passengers.  A lot of people don't like authority, and some think that your uniform make you fair game for abusive behaviour.

Answer 5

im an conductor and .everthing railfan_e... said is true   EVERYTHING!!....

also if u make it be prepaired to read .. ALOT!!.. in class u will have a quiz every day and a test every week. for 7 weeks . and U HAVE TO PASS !!! 85% or better. good luck.. i may c u out there !!!

Answer 6

that the passenger will kick you out of train :))))

Answer 7

Walking the train in the cold.  Them d**n high/wides going off when its 10 degrees outside.

Go for it!  i got a buddy who finished that very same program 3 years ago.

Answer 8

OK.  I have a small confession to make and an exception to take.

I have been a Road Foreman of Engines, Trainmaster and instructor.  I can assure you I very much cared for those who were subordinate to me.  That's why my telephone wasn't ringing constantly all night.

I spent just as much time trying to keep a guys azz out of a sling as I did trying trying to "fire someone" to advance my career.  No one wound up as the focus of an investigation initiated by me that didn't fire himself.

I must have done something right.  I returned to my seniority, which happened to be where I was headquartered as an officer, and never once did a helper engine ever come close to "accidentally" booting my butt past a stop signal.

Apology accepted.

Answer 9

1# paying for the school 2# rememebering all the rules that apply to operating a safe train

Answer 10

Do you really want to know what it's like to be a conductor.

It depends on the railroad & subdivision you are working for.

A conductors life is probably the hardest life you will ever have (not trying to scare you).

A conductor for most railroads works, 8-10-12 hour days and you can be called immediatley back to work once you've rested eight hours.  (Some conductors have been known to sit on the engine for more than 20 hours waiting for a van to pick them up).

You will not have a social life, because of the hours you will be working, unless the railroad/extra board isn't turning quickly.

It also depends on what time of day the trains run through your sub.  The trains on one sub I know run through at night which means 6pm-6am and try and sleep while the sun is out (which is very hard).  This will also destroy your sleeping patterns.

Pretty much the railroad will have you working 24/7 and since you will be low man on the totem pole, older/higher seniority conductors will call  out sick or say they don't want work (and they don't get fired either,  but don't get paid)....so you will end up with hard jobs, switching, locals, the scrub jobs according to the older ones.

Also, train masters will do efficiency test on you, via Radio, Placing a Target on the Track, and if you don't respond correctly or you don't stop the train in time by hitting the target, you will end up in the street without pay, unless you have job insurance, which is costly but great to have since railroads have so many rules that can be broken easily.

I will say this.  If you make it and you become a conductor do not take yard jobs.  Yes, you might work set hours, but the yard is the easily place you can get fired in.   For ex. if you misalign a switch, your train is moving to fast through the yard (and yes, you're responsible if the engineer is speeding), and many accidents occur in the yard as well, say goodbye.  Most yards are not safe places to work.

So take to the extra board for main line freights and good luck.

Edward

Answer 11

i'm only a conductor for a trolley museum, not a big railroad.  i think dealing with cranky passengers is hard.  and learning to stand in a moving train is hard at first, but you learn it fast and get used to it.

Answer 12

YOU DON'T THINK YOU WILL TURN OUT LIKE CASEY JONES