Ask a Railroad Conductor

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

I'm curious about this as well. And as an extension, how long is a typical or average round trip?

I imagine it's something similar to a long-haul trucker type round trip, but I have always been curious if the train ever stops for the conductor to sleep...

We are bound by federal hours of service regulations which limit our maximum hours on duty to 12. When we hit twelve hours, we're done... if the train is out on the mainline somewhere, we have to stop and tie it down (hand brakes) until a relief crew shows up. Most railroads have a basic day of 8 hours, which means that's what their pay is based on. Unlike most jobs, we're somewhat salary, somewhat hourly in that when we get called, we are guaranteed a 'basic day's pay'... IE: If you work five hours, you still get your full day's pay, but if you go beyond that basic day, it's overtime. The railroad I work for has a basic day of 10 hours, so that's what my day consists of. After our day is over, and we clock out (which is called 'tying up' for us) Federal law grants us a mandatory 10 hours of rest, which means if I tie up at midnight, I can be back on duty at 10AM, but no earlier. Our trips usually just last two days... I'll take a train from my terminal to another, work the train (set out railcars, pick up railcars, etc...) and go to the hotel, then catch a train home the next day (usually)

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Reineke

What kind of wildlife have you hit?

Deer, fox, rabbits, a lot of possum, an owl (it ended up dead on the catwalk on front of the engine...) etc... I hit a puppy the other day. That sucked.

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by c_LoW29

Can you make a 2014 z28 fall off the train "accidently" and somehow end up in my parking spot?

If I could, it would probably somehow end up in my garage first lol

[family man]

Come on, admit it, you love blasting those horns at 2 am in a populated area don't you?

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by family man

Come on, admit it, you love blasting those horns at 2 am in a populated area don't you?

Only when we run through Royal Oak and all the drunks are stumbling out of the bars.

We were rolling past a baseball park the other day during a softball game; I was waving to those who waved at us, and apparently some little kid was doing the traditional horn pull hand gesture, so my engineer blew the horn... I watched this little girl, must've been ten years old, jump out of her skin... I can't deny it was pretty funny, but hopefully we didn't disrupt the count.

Otherwise, no... it's even louder and more obnoxious in the locomotive than it is for everyone else... except we get to hear it 100 times a trip lol

[Retro69]

I have to tell you I'm loving this thread! I've always been a rail fan since I was big enough to break my dad's HO layout. I work from home and every day I pickup some lunch and spend my lunch hour parked next to the UP line running through the town. Never get tired of watching the freights roll by.

The best time was watching Big Malley pull through on a cold winter day.

Keep the info coming!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Retro69

I have to tell you I'm loving this thread! I've always been a rail fan since I was big enough to break my dad's HO layout. I work from home and every day I pickup some lunch and spend my lunch hour parked next to the UP line running through the town. Never get tired of watching the freights roll by.

The best time was watching Big Malley pull through on a cold winter day.

Keep the info coming!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Keep the questions coming!

[Retro69]

Okay I have one...

The majority of the freight traffic that comes my way are fairly long trains. Coal trains in particular often have 100+ hoppers. More times than not they have helper units. Some have them in the middle while others have them at the end. Why one way vs the other?

[Jay_LHD3]

Not sure how to word this correctly. What is the job path(s)? Do you start at one job/position and work your way up to Conductor? If so what are those jobs. Do Conductor jobs and Engineer jobs cross paths or align with each other?

Same question as before but for the Engineers. What would their week consist of? (hours, task)

[toesuf94]

I am on the main track through Iowa that parallel's Hwy 30 and get stuck watching the trains all the time...always wondered: Is there a weight limit to a train? Also, what does a load of coal in a standard coal hopper weigh? As this is a performance site: Top speed and engine specs are expected of your ride.

[Est.July.4.1776]

By the time I take charge of our coal trains (130 cars, 19,000+ tons) the distributed power locomotives have been removed. All of our coal trains come to us from the BNSF, and the loads come with two head end locomotives, and one distributed power (DP) unit on the tail, which is removed when it hits our Battle Creek terminal. That's where I would take it over. The advantage to utilizing DP units is that it reduces the in train forces exerted on the cars' draw-bars. Our trains are traditionally around .75 ton per foot of length, so a coal train is 3x the weight. Distributed power is also crucial in instances of a steep grade to keep the lead locomotives from stalling out due to the excessive weight, and it helps with a quicker application of the air brakes. Undulating track (rise and fall) can exert a lot of force on a train, with slack rolling in on a downgrade, and stretching out on an incline... it creates a snapping rubber band effect, and a DP locomotive can help reduce those instances. I'm not sure as to an advantage for an intermediate DP unit vs. a tail end unit, but I can say that it would be more advantageous to run a tail end DP unit simply for the reduction in time and effort it would take to remove the locomotive when it is no longer needed (which is the reason they are removed by the time I take them over... our terrain is almost a completely downward grade, so gravity assists in the movement of the train and the extra power isn't needed)

Good question

[Est.July.4.1776]

Originally Posted by Jay_LHD3

Not sure how to word this correctly. What is the job path(s)? Do you start at one job/position and work your way up to Conductor? If so what are those jobs. Do Conductor jobs and Engineer jobs cross paths or align with each other?

Same question as before but for the Engineers. What would their week consist of? (hours, task)

I hired out as a conductor, and most of us hire out directly into the craft. Very few guys come from track or signal department into the Conductor/Brakeman craft.

Engineers are referred to as 'hogs,' and we have several conductors that are certified engineers who can run when we are short of engineers... they are called 'ground-hogs,' for the obvious reference that they are traditionally "on the ground" as conductors.

As far as how the jobs cross paths, in our railroad, even if you have experience as an engineer on another railroad, you work as a conductor first, and then you work your way up to engineer... if you consider it moving up. I had a conductor buddy of mine state that he had no desire to be an engineer, as he said, "You ever seen a skinny engineer?" Touche'.

[CamaroSkooter]

So, if there's 130 cars in a single train, wouldn't the couplers on the first car behind the locomotives have to be ridiculously strong?

[Witt]

I'm guessing you're a railfan as well as a railroader...

Did hiring on the railroad take any fun out of your hobby or are you still at it? I've spent 5 years on the ground and have 9 now in the seat and seems like most fans I've encountered that have hired out have either quit or aren't interested in their hobby anymore.

I think its the 3am calls and 12+ hours on duty drills it right out of them.