Okay, I have heard all the negative feelings about being an Extra Board Conductor for a Class I RR, but I haven't heard much positive feedback. My wife and I are expecting our first child after the new year and I would need to be there for the birth. I don't want to end up missing that because some TM was an idiot and not let me have off or something to that effect. I value my sleep time, my personal time with my wife and our families. She seems to think, (i believe it too) that once I get established as an extra board conductor, it will cause a rift between us. I don't simply love my wife, I ADORE her. I would never want a divorce. But from the way some people make it seem, having a RR career would cause just that. Yeah the benefits and the salary/pay is awesome, but what the heck good is it all if I am never home to enjoy it? What good is breaking my back and getting by on virtually no sleep if I cannot be with my family? Please tell me there is a "light at the end of the tunnel"? I have heard all the bad things...what good CAN come of being an extra board conductor? I am supposed to take my physical tomorrow, June 11th and I am seriously considering calling the Yardmaster to tell him I cannot do it. I am at a severe crossroads here. I NEED YOUR HELP!!! I have wanted to be an Engineer or Conductor since the first time I went to Strasburg RR and saw D16sb 1223. I was HOOKED!! My love affair began at 3 years old and has never stopped in 32 years later. I have close to $10,000.00 worth of HO scale trains, more pictures than you can imagine, and practically every book of East Coast railroading every published.
Please tell me this is a good thing. For the past few days I have been a nervous wreck worrying about this. The Mrs. and I have had numerous discussions about my taking the position. Yes, we would benefit in the long run, but we need help now with our living and financial situations and cannot afford to wait for everything to kick in 6 months to a year down the road.
Am I just better off having this as a hobby and pay $300.00 to be an engineer for a day in Valley Railroad (if they still have that)? Or do I do like one person said to "suck it up" and hope my Wife and kids (to be) waiting for me when I get home, whenever that is? Sorry this is so long, but I cannot make this decision alone and I request your help. Thanks again, Steve

Steve,

If you have a good job, keep it. BUT, if you have a less than stellar job, you might as well give it a try. You can always quit! It is nice to know that shortlines love to get their hands on employees trained by the class I's that are willing to sacrifice a little money for a chance at a real life. So, at worst, you can plan to take that route in a year or so. Also, you can put in for yardmaster, then you'd at least be home. Also, you might try to transfer to a dispatcher position if any are close to you - they can only work 8 hours a day, and then there are clerical jobs. At least you can get your foot in the door. Just some thoughts...

Michael Brown
Engineer (cut back to conductor at present)
GA Division
NS

My youngest son has been with a Class 1 for 3 years, and is an Extra Board Engineer. He works 6 days on, 1 day off, and during those six days, he averages about 10 hours at home between trips.

The key to your question is in your own post. If both you and your wife think that it will cause a rift between, then it almost certainly will. Also, if you decide to do it anyway, don't ever admit to your fellow employees that you are a railfan or like trains. This will be a bad thing.

My son is very fortunate. He's 23 years old, owns a nice house, in a nice suburb, has a delightful young daughter, with another on the way, and is married to a great young lady who clearly understood the railroad life BEFORE she married him. They live close by, so we can (and do) watch our little granddaughter so that they have more scheduling flexibility.

He doesn't think highly of his employer (which is why I don't mention the name), is not, and never was a railfan, but deeply enjoys his role as an engineer (along with the bloody enormous paychecks).

Hope this provides some background.


Doug (Hogger's Dad)

As someone who used to work for a class 1 I can tell you now that if your wife has reservations about it now, this time next year she will be signing the divorce papers. You have a hobby that you love and a wife that you love so you should keep it that way. Railroading will make you hate your hobby and make your wife hate you. You want to be an engineer? Join a local museum and volunteer. Believe it or not, most railroaders would rather have YOUR life!

As a former railroad supervisor (trainmaster, terminal superintendent, superintendent) I can testify that railroading is a fantastic career. And I also know that if you do not work at a job you love, you will be miserable your whole life.

Before you get seniority, you will have to work long and varied hours - it is a right of passage. After getting a little experience, you can become an engineer, yardmaster, train dispatcher, and yes - even a management official. BUT - job does come first.

That said - most young people today are just not able to "give their lives to the railroad", and if you wife is worried know about a railroad career, it's probably not going to work.

I am proud to say that I loved my 32 years with a Class 1 railroad - and I still have the same wife that I married before starting with the railroad. And I never took one day , even a sick day , off in 32 years.

Steve, buddy !!! It sounds like these guys are giving you some pretty good advice overall. My twist would be that you can always quit, so you should try it. I'm also going to say that if you really want to understand railroading, you have to work for a real railroad for awhile, as opposed to recreational railroading --- tourist, museum, or model railroading.

When I finally left the BN, I still had my train hobby, and it is better than ever because I've done it for real. On the other hand, a large percentage of hobby activities, publications, and groups, etc seem completely ridiculous to me in light of these experiences.

My ex wife and our two conspiring, crooked divorce lawyers got most of my extra board overtime, but nowdays I live happily with two cats. Many railroaders keep cats because they are noctournal, like we are, and they can take care of themselves when we can't be home for them. (By the way, the vasectomy was a good investment. Most of the guys I still know in the coal pool never take a day off, ever, because they have two or three ex wives to support, and four or five ex kids....)

Life's too short to let this eat you up. Try it, but be ready to bail if it isn't working for you. Good luck, and work safe.

Yea, and in Guatemala (I worked briefly for the narrow gauge down there) the guys either have a dozen dependants, or else they are totally single. Most of us fall into category two, but we have hookers to keep us company. It's usually just drinking, joking, and storytelling, and there are places near every terminal where we go regularly and which are safe for our extended family life. The girls are our peer group, and I'm fine with it, but this might not be for you....

I found the extra board pretty tough (at age 52), as they were short of people at the time, but was only on it for about two months before holding a job. But that was eight years ago, and one hiring on now will likely be on the extra board a long, long time. If I was still on the board, I'd be shooting myself for giving up a good car knocker's job, with two days off each week. As was said above, though, you can always try it and quit later (at least 30% of new hires here have quit), while making some good mortgage-reducing money in the meantime. Until about eight months ago here at Saratoga, it was actually fun to come to work, as we were a tight family, though not in the usual RR nepotism sense. Unfortunately, our two excellent Canadian supervisors were sent back north and now it is more like the usual Nazi- American style of RR management. Being a rail enthusiast here has never been a problem as at least 50% of the people here are, and many have model railroads besides. Fortunately, I only have 14 months until retirement..

As you have already been told, it is not an easy life. Depending what company you are hiring out for, and the location, you could be on the extra board for a year or two; or a lot longer. Five or ten years in some cases. I lucked out with NS, and was able to hold a yard job after a year and a half of service. Then I was able to hold a pool job on a scheduled train. However I think I hired in at the right time. By the end of my first year with NS, there was over 30 people below me in seniority. It was great.

However that time on the extra board was hell, and that is why I really haven't tried to get back on a Class 1 since then. I gave up so much in that time. If you decide to stick it out and give it try, be prepared for a rough spell in your life. Because it will take some time for you and your wife to adjust to it. Plus if you have a child on the way, it is going to be more difficult. Just make sure you keep an open dialouge with your wife.

Remember working on the railroad is not a hobby. It is a lifestyle. I have seen so many people that are railfans, and model railroaders get involved in the industry. With in a few months they give it up. Most of them tell me they did not realize it would be hard or difficult, or the lifestyle was like what it was.

The only reason I still do it, is that I am a 4th generation railroader. I grew up in the industry with my father and grandfather. It is the only thing I really know. I enjoy it still, but not like I use to when I was younger. If you think you tough out the next few years more power to you. However if you don't think it is going to work, get out ASAP.

I spent close to forty years on the railroad business, from 1962 until I retired at the end of 1999, almost evenly divided between Class I's and short lines, starting with the PRR and ending with the Apalachicola Northern. None was spent in the operating department, though, it was almost entirely in traffic. I can say without a doubt that your employment with a Class I will terminate with the birth of your child. You expect to be present at the birth and your employer will expect you to be on duty at that time. The TM who demands that you show up will not be an idiot - if he lets you off then HE will be terminated. As the others have said, if your wife has migivings now, they will be 1,000 times stronger after you go to work for the railroad. BTW, Trainmasters have even less free time than train crews. I knew one that was called on the carpet because he could not be at two derailments 200 miles apart AT THE SAME TIME!

If you adore your wife, then don't do anything to make her more anxious when there's a bun in the oven. You can shop for all the opinions you want, rationalize all you want, but it sounds like she's apprehensive-and lets face it-not without some statistical backup.

There's a rule to risk management: you don't risk anything you aren't willing to lose, no matter how remote the chance.

Concentrate on whats important.

You might apply for work as a Hostler, Helper, or Laborer if there is a Roundhouse nearby. You can get the best of both worlds there as you will work a regular shift, and as you get more senority, can hold better hours. Sure, the pay isn't what the operating guys get, but the trade-off is a schedule. If you can work up to being a Hostler, you can run the locomotives (without cars). Later, if you decide to go into the Operating Department and be a Conductor, you won't loose any vacation time earned. Or you may decide to go into a shopcraft program and become a mechanic or electrician with better pay. In my 28 Years of railroading I can tell you I know more married men worked at the roundhouse than the road.

In addition, the skills you learn as a machinist, electrician, pipefitter or boilermaker will come in handy if you want to use them in the restoration/peservation hobby later on. There are plenty of people who want to run the locomotive or be on the train crew, but few want to do the dirty work necessary to make the wheels go around.

It really is about time I got a life, rather than broadcasting my opinions and passing out great advice via this board, BUT, brother, you seem to be in serious agony over what to do with the rest of your life, so here goes:

Based on 13 years hostling for BN, I would say these two previous contributers raise very good points. My advice, too, is to apply for a roundhouse job, and the route of laborer/helper/hostler/apprentice shop craft or engineer is a good path to follow if it is open to you in your location. You should try it out because it is obviously going to bug you for the rest of your life if you don't.

The wonderful thing about the roundhouse is that you're home when you aren't working. BUT, being able to hold regular, or even remotely decent, hours is not gauranteed just because you spend most your life waiting your turn, and covering your job. You will have to check out the variables
in your particular situation, and hope the train fairy deals you some playable cards. An entry level job like roundhouse laborer is a good way to learn your way around and position yourself for a move. And remember, YOU CAN ALWAYS QUIT.

The advice about picking up skills which could help a preservation project is also good because you will know the operating dept and the mechanical dept, and everybody in those departments in your area, and you will be able to see both points of view. However, I will again say that real railroading and recreational railroading are two different things which have a little in common. Quite often only those who share the experience of working for a real railroad will side with you in a public preservation project, and you will get tired of the others explaining railroading to you, and you will get tired of trying to explain it to them. In that case, your experience will still come in handy for some kind of train hobby all your very own !!! Maybe you'll still have your marriage, too.... and I got a whole lot better at fixing my truck while I worked in the roundhouse.

Best of luck to you, and work safe.

Every railroad situation is different, but from what I have seen in the Northeast there are next to no roundhouse/engine terminal jobs on the two major class I freight roads. About the only choices are road or yard, and as the low man on the roster, you really don't have a choice in that department. You end up wherever the senior people don't want to go.

There are tricks and games you can play to be off with displacement and other seniority moves (especially as you get a little seniority), and if you don't abuse it (especially on a weekend or holiday) you can get away with occasionally, very occasionally, marking off sick. There is also the very real possibility that you will be furloughed for the Winter, possibly in time for your new arrival. Of course that means you won't have any money then either!

The single most important thing is to not screw around during your probationary period. Think of it as sort of a boot camp. For 90 or 120 days or so, they can fire you without recourse. Look ernest, keep your head down, don't get out a camera and play dumb. Never tell an old head, "I know", because you don't - at least to them. Above all, the last thing you want to do is be the subject of the morning conference call.