Western Railroad Discussion > Conductors and engineers

Did you always get along with your co-workers? Have any good stories of them? Possibly didn't like their train handling? How often did you work with the same one? Thank you!!!

Posted from iPhone

Liked most, not all. Only one so far that I loath and dread working with. Out of hundreds of railroaders, if I can only find one bad apple I think we're doing alright.

mp423 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you always get along with your co-workers?

Absolutely not! While there aren't many that I'll lay off to avoid, there are some I'd rather not work with if I had the choice. On the flip side, there are some that its an absolute joy working with. As a matter of fact, I kinda want to lay off this next trip but I'm lined up with a good conductor so I think I'll just stay marked up.

> Have any good stories of them?

There are lots of stories on the Railroaders Nostalgia forum. I probably have a few but can't tell any as the statute of limitations has yet to run out.

> Possibly didn't like their train handling?

As an engineer, I don't get to like or dislike a coworkers train handling, unless a qualified conductor wants to run. Any more, I'll usually let them. Had a student engineer once that was awful and wouldn't take direction. I kicked him out of the seat and didn't let him run home. There are some old head per '85 engineers who go on overtime after 8 while us post '85 engineers and conductors have to go 9' 36". They will just coast along to make some overtime and I hate getting stuck with them.

> How often did you work with the same one?

The good ones, not often enough. The bad ones, too much. I've worked for the UP for 11 years and I am still working with people I have never worked with before. Sometimes you get in a grove and work with the same person several trips in a row. Once, I made 7 complete round trips with the same guy. Luckily, he's one of my favorites, so it worked out well.

How often can ppl lay off? Is that frowned on? How long til you get lined up again if you do lay off?

Posted from iPhone

Railroads do have an availability policy that frowns on frequent weekend and holiday layoffs. They also frown on pattern layoffs like taking every Tuesday off. The railroad will take you to investigation for frequent layoffs. The punishment, ironically, is more time off! But really, you can lay off what you can stand, meaning what your wallet can stand. If you lay off often, you will run out compensated days. That means, if you lay off often, you don't get paid.

As for lining back up with someone, who knows. It could be the next trip or the next year. Currently, the KC to Marysville pool has about 66 engineer turns and a similar number of conductor turns. It's usually off a number one way or another. So, everything being equal, we keep falling back or moving forward a coworker. Now, don't get me started on federal rest, extra rest and dropped turns. I got hosed last trip being 18 out, they dropped 9 turns of people who laid off and the other 8 were all in undisturbed rest, so I was the first in ok status. I went to work at 0030 very tired. Ended up pacing the cab most of the way trying to stay awake. The conductor helped a good deal by keeping me talking. The recent accidents in California and Missouri were very fresh on my mind.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/13 14:44 by imrl.

I like working with most as long as I don't have to baby sit. F.N.Gs I don't mind because I was new once but people that have been out here awhile that still don't have a clue, I'd rather not.

I never had to lay off to avoid working with somebody I didn't like. I was usually able to get along with just about everyone; even ones I didn't like personally. I have always said that if your having a bad or long trip, if the person your working with is someone you like; then you can usually deal with the bad or long trips.

I had a fellow switchman who somehow got assigned to the same job I did five days in a row. I could handle his stupidity in small doses, but after four days (three of which were 12 hour days), I decided I couldn't handle a fifth. I laid off that one night just to keep from going insane.

mp423 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How often can ppl lay off? Is that frowned on?
> How long til you get lined up again if you do lay
> off?

You need a masters degree to figure out the RR's availability policy. They close the gaps to try to get people to work more. If you are on call 24/7 you can usually layoff 2 weekend days and 5 weekdays. It gets really complicated from there. The new favorite is low hours. Getting people who use the system to their advantage to not work very much and stay within the availability policy. Its starting to feel like a prison.

As far as coworkers go... Its like any job, sure there are people you butt heads with. One reason I like the railroad, is the variety of people that work there. There are some crazy and fun people. Sometimes you draw the short straw. You just try to get through the day without getting fired. I've held some decent jobs cause no one else wanted to work with "that guy."

Pools sometimes aren't equal. You might have more conductors vs engineers so you don't line up with the same guy all the time. Its pretty rare I work with the same guy for more than one round trip.

From yard to road, the crew mentalities differ so much, IMO. I've been lucky with my engineers, and I haven't had any real problems aside from the normal bitchin' and whining some will continue, from switch to switch. Its rare to keep the same crew on your return trip here, so I'm constantly meeting new ones, especially with run-throughs and double-ended pools.

Posted from Android

One thing I learned years ago was...

"You don't have to like somebody, you
just have work with them".

I found the best way to avoid problems
was to put aside your dislikes and do the
job!!

Mike

I do enjoy catching one oldhead on trips, because he always has a great story to tell.
He started out as a young seat chair car attendant; as a conductor, he made the very last trip that train 19 (Chief) made, from Raton to Albuquerque in 1972, by way of Amtrak; he met stars like Lucille Ball, Liza Minnelli and Daryl Hannah.

I wonder what stories I'll have.

Posted from Android

A loaded water bottle with the cap off takes good care of a sleeping conductor! ;-)

No.
No.
Yes.
Too often.

mp423 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you always get along with your co-workers?

NO!!!

> Have any good stories of them?

Plenty, I could go on all day about various humoring experiences that have happened to me or others I work with.

> Possibly didn't
> like their train handling?

There is one guy I work with that can not shove to save his life, constant slack action. You generally don't want to ride the shove if you have this guy. Every terminal has one or two of these folks.

Another Engineer at one time had a bad habit of falling asleep. Well there is one segment on a territory I used to run that was a long flat straight that went into a grade. This Engineer would often be dozed out and start losing serious speed going up hill and you'd have to bug him to notch up. Well something of a game started between the various conductors in the pool. Basically, it was to see how slow you could go without stalling before said engineer would wake himself up. Management found out of this little game when someone actually DID stall and couldn't get it moving again...

> How often did you work
> with the same one?

Some folks mark off, others make seniority moves, others just grunt and deal with it. There were a pair of old heads on a local that would scream at each other every day almost constantly, but neither would bid off the job because of the money they made on it.

> Thank you!!!

Anytime...

.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/13 18:37 by jkchubbes.