Eastern Railroad Discussion > Pan Am Extraboards

Any engineers working for Pan Am on this site? I've been playing around moving back to Maine (Waterville area). No place like home kinda thingy. I'm an engineer with CSX. Does Bangor, Waterville, or Rigby have their own extraboards or does one have to cover them all no matter where he is marked up. Are all the trains scheduled like they used to be? Do you have to be a conductor first? Any info can help. Thanks in advance.

well I heard the you have to be qualified on the entire system to get full pay and dont be surprised if you go to Maine and next thing you know you get bumped and have to work in Deerfield or worse Mechanicville. I have talked to a couple guys and wanted to see if the grass was greener so that I could transfer from the NECR but it didnt look to good. But to answer your other question they do hire Engineers so you dont have to be a conductor.

Hey hey,

I looked into this a few years ago when Tiff was working in Boston a lot. If you are wanting to get generally in the area, check out amtrak, mbta, maine eastern, pan am, and there are a few shortlines around. Best bet you have. CSX also has work in and around the Boston area. Talk to me if you want to hear the terrible thing about being trasferred as an engineer. Believe me, I've been that route. Hope all is well!

-Joe Williams

Please do tell of the possibility of getting and Amtrak or MBTA job out of The Boston area. I would love to land one but sending out a handful of Resumes didnt help me one bit. On those railroads your either lucky or you have to know someone. Also The NECR is always hiring or you can try the PW.

AMTRAK has system senority for engineer's. Low men get bounced around a lot. You may hire out in Boston, but you'll end up somewhere else until you have the whiskers to stay there. I knew a guy who hired out with AMTRAK in Garrett, IN. Soon he was forced to Chicago, then to Mississippi. Had no choice. Finally gave it up, and came off his leave and back to CSX.

Practice Safe CSX

Well from what I have heard from Engineers working the inland line (Springfield Route and Vermonter)is that not many Engineers want to be on the NEC as it is far to easy to get into trouble out there and its not as relaexed as other lines. But I have also heard that Not many CSX Conductors and Engineers want to work on the Boston Line but get forced there so I dont know what to believe. I was offered a job at West Springfield Yard about 1 1/2 years ago but turned it down as being and Engineer already I was in no mood to dish out $4500 for the CSX School to learn to be a conductor. I would like to move up someday and my 4 Choices are Amtrak NEC, Metro North, MBTA, or Florida East Coast so I will keep trying until maybe I get hired.

RS11 Wrote:
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> Any engineers working for Pan Am on this site?
Are all the trains scheduled like
> they used to be?

Since the strikes in the mid late 80's Guilford/ Pan Am doesn't run a schedule. Trains more or less move when there are crews available. This is why sometimes some trains sit for a day or more at sidings. Guilford is known for pulling crews off one train and placing them to another. So you could be on a local fright for a few hours tie down and be moved over to a mainline freight. The only two trains that run a fairly reliable schedule are the two intermodal trains that run from Ayer, MA to the CP connection at the west end in the early morning hours.