Railroaders' Nostalgia > When did you finally "get it"?

I know this will most likely be a generational answer, but what was your "ah ha" moment on the job?

For me, I stopped using a cheat sheet I made for calling into work limits and after finally figuring out a couple of yards. Still learning things ever trip, but I think I've passed into the confident stage from the comfortable stage.

Posted from iPhone

I don't know that I ever had such a moment. I've been railroading 31 years and I still learn something new every day. In fact, the older I get, the less that I think I know. I will say though, that, as an engineer, It was about five years, in the seat, before every trip was no longer a white knuckled, bullet sweating experience for me and I slowly began to sit back in my seat, put my feet up on the heater and, eventually, not even think about running the engine, the same way a long time driver doesn't have to think about driving an automobile.

Railroading in a on going never ending learning experience.  I learned something I didn't know, overlooked, or forgot every time I went to work, and sometimes from guys who had just hired out and pointed things out to me that I had  mis read or misunderstood.  You never never can know it all , and anyone who says they have it all figured out is dangerous. 

Years 12, 15, & 19:  Year 12 as a hoghead similar to what Crackerjackhoghead stated;  Year 15 when I realized that I knew how to railroad; and Year 19 when I woke up one morning and knew I wanted to be retired!!

mopacrr Wrote:
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> Railroading in a on going never ending learning
> experience.  I learned something I didn't know,
> overlooked, or forgot every time I went to work,
> and sometimes from guys who had just hired out and
> pointed things out to me that I had  mis read or
> misunderstood.  You never never can know it all ,
> and anyone who says they have it all figured out
> is dangerous. 

That's about how I look at it.  Just when you think you've got it figured out, they change something, or introduce something new, so it's a continuous learning experience.  After a 41 year career, the best advice I can give is:  Don't get comfortable, thinking you have it all figured out.  As soon as you relax, that's when you open yourself up to overlooking something.

I'm in the crackerjackhoghead crowd. One day after about 5 years on the extra board, while driving home it suddenly occurred to me
that I can really do this job; that I was going to make 'it'. Of course an occasional kind word from an appreciative crew helped.
​Comments such as: "You can come on back on this job any time" or "Nice working with you", especially when it came from someone
​who was respected by other rails was a real confidence builder. This is ​not ​to be construed that I had arrived at a point where
​I knew it all. That day never came in my 51+ year career, and that's what made the job interesting. Always something to learn
or re-learn.

Charlie

cewherry Wrote:
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> I'm in the crackerjackhoghead crowd. One day after
> about 5 years on the extra board, while driving
> home it suddenly occurred to me
> that I can really do this job; that I was going to
> make 'it'.

That five year figure is interesting.

Back in the 60s, there was a university study of train dispatchers. The finding was that a train dispatcher was not considered competent until after five years in the chair - and that was the days when a dispatcher candidate had to have substantial experience as an operator first.

TAW

TAW Wrote:
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> That five year figure is interesting.
>
> Back in the 60s, there was a university study of
> train dispatchers. The finding was that a train
> dispatcher was not considered competent until
> after five years in the chair - and that was the
> days when a dispatcher candidate had to have
> substantial experience as an operator first.
>
> TAW

Interesting.  Anyone have any idea of what percentage of dispatchers on duty TODAY have 5 years in the chair?

BTW, what's an "Operator"?

 

An Operator is someone who worked in a control tower, usually at an interlocking, locally controlling traffic. Today's Dispatchers work from a centralized location and are often hundreds of miles away.

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LarryDoyle Wrote:
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> Interesting.  Anyone have any idea of what
> percentage of dispatchers on duty TODAY have 5
> years in the chair?
>
> BTW, what's an "Operator"?
>

Unfortunately, a dispatchers job is only a stepping stone to bigger and better things, these days, so, few of them are ever there long enough to become really good at it. The days of career dispatchers are over. Except the ones that are not good enough to promote and then is a whole other story.

i went from operator to dispatcher back in 1968. Starting breaking in last week of Jan as an NYC employee qualified 6 weeks later as a PC employee. Thought I knew what i was doing but it took 5 years (and ulcers) before I really knew what I was doing.  Back then 99% of dispatchers came from the operators ranks - which was good.  Today, with hardly any operators around, the railroad is getting people off the street to train as a dispatcher - which is bad.  Having centralized train dispatcher offices makes it even worse.  To the new guy training, those lines on that CTC board are all straight & level.  

I have a theory about railroading and so far, it seems to be spot on:

I think most folks have the majority down by year 5. In 5 years, you will probably see 90% of everything you would see on the railroad. The last 10% take the rest of a career to see. Lots of this stuff is the weird or horrible stuff. I'd say it took me at least 5 years. I'm on year 18 right now. 22 to go. The stuff i'm bound to see now is going to be the weird and terrible.

Joe

joeygooganelli Wrote:
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> I have a theory about railroading and so far, it
> seems to be spot on:
>
> I think most folks have the majority down by year
> 5. In 5 years, you will probably see 90% of
> everything you would see on the railroad. The last
> 10% take the rest of a career to see. Lots of this
> stuff is the weird or horrible stuff. I'd say it
> took me at least 5 years. I'm on year 18 right
> now. 22 to go. The stuff i'm bound to see now is
> going to be the weird and terrible.
>
> Joe

I'd say 90%, then 9%, then the 1% that still doesn't have it figured out after 35-40 years.

LarryDoyle Wrote:
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> Interesting.  Anyone have any idea of what
> percentage of dispatchers on duty TODAY have 5
> years in the chair?
>

I haven't heard a figure in a decade, but at that time, the number that was given to me was that the average railroad experience (not dispatcher experience) in the BNSF control center was less than five years.

TAW

CPCoyote Wrote:
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> An Operator is someone who worked in a control
> tower, usually at an interlocking, locally
> controlling traffic. Today's Dispatchers work from
> a centralized location and are often hundreds of
> miles away.
>

He knows quite well, he's being sarcastic, ironic, or both.

TAW

I've had 39 years on the railway starting in train service then progressing through the signalling grades (Tower operator) to become a Signalling Inspector which then lead to managerial appointmments in various Control organisations (Similar to your Dispatching offices) I was lucky to have some good teachers and role models in my formative years which was a great help, you know the ones that'll have a quiet word in your ear and tell you to calm / slow down etc, etc before you make a complete ass of yourself. Even now I'm still amazed by some of the situations I'm faced with sometimes on a daily basis. Anyone who says running passenger trains is easier than freight trains is living in cloud cuckoo land as they both have their challenges.  I was told a long time ago that you spend the first 20 years taking the knowledge out and the next 20 putting it back in, thinking about that over the last few months I consider that my account is pretty much balanced and its time to let some of the better trained youngsters have a go.

I had a mini get it when I became a dispatcher.  I had been an operator and knew how to copy train orders in the prescribed form, but until I became a dispatcher I didn't fully understand their meaning.  At the time I became a dispatcher in 1977 the five years to become competent was constantly drilled into us young DS.  

In the late 90's after I had moved on from dispatching I was talking with a new dispatcher and mentioned it would be 5 years before he was really competent and he got quite upset.  I tried to explained he needed the experience to be familiar with the many things that happen on the railroad, but he just got more upset.  I guess the old heads don't use that 5 year rule anymore.

TAW Wrote:
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> cewherry Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm in the crackerjackhoghead crowd. One day
> after
> > about 5 years on the extra board, while driving
> > home it suddenly occurred to me
> > that I can really do this job; that I was going
> to
> > make 'it'.
>
> That five year figure is interesting.
>
> Back in the 60s, there was a university study of
> train dispatchers. The finding was that a train
> dispatcher was not considered competent until
> after five years in the chair - and that was the
> days when a dispatcher candidate had to have
> substantial experience as an operator first.
>
> TAW

TAW Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CPCoyote Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > An Operator is someone who worked in a control
> > tower, usually at an interlocking, locally
> > controlling traffic. Today's Dispatchers work
> from
> > a centralized location and are often hundreds
> of
> > miles away.
> >
>
> He knows quite well, he's being sarcastic, ironic,
> or both.
>
> TAW

I suspected as much after I posted.

When I hired out at Amtrak, there were still quite a few old heads in L.A.  I was fortunate enough to be able to learn passnger train operations from them.  Quite a variety from SP, UP and Santa Fe.  I found I learned something new everyday I worked.  Tommy Johnson told me early on "try to learn something new every job you have."  Great advice!

The day after I retired. Work was just a means to retirement.

EO