Robert,
Don't laugh, I can probably get you a job on the railroad, but consider
this: you work 7 days a week with no holidays on most railroad jobs. Your
days last anywhere from 9 to 14 hours. You put in a minimum of 60 to 80
hours a week. Management rules through fear and intimidation, holding your
job over your head for the slightest infraction. Discipline is suspension
for anywhere from 2 weeks to a year or more. The job itself is dangerous.
In the 4 years I have been with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
(formerly Santa Fe) 3 coworkers have been killed, many more injured. I have
personally run over a suicidal man with my train and hit (luckily empty) a
stalled car at a crossing. This is not to mention the carnage I have seen
done with others trains. They say there are 2 types of engineers: those that
have killed someone and those that are going to.
Don't get me wrong, there are some railroaders that go there whole
career and never see any of this, but these are the ones who stay in the yard
to work. When your out on the road with the big frieght trains, its the
public that causes most of the problems with their ignorance. You just can't
stop a 10,000 ton train on a dime. You have to plan your stops.
It is not like this all of the time, but some people quit if it only
happens once. If your serious and want to move to the Southern California or
SouthWest area, let me know.
Mike MacLean-60 Sprite
robert weeks wrote:
> Mike,
>
> Sounds like a cool job. Where do we sign up???
>
> Robert (who is quickly tiring of computers and cyber-everything)
>
> _______
>
> At 12:51 PM -0800 2/13/99, Mike Maclean wrote:
> >Listers,
> > Will have to sign off the list for the next 2 weeks tonight. Going
> >to Overland Park, Kansas to take my final exam for Railroad Engineer. A
> >multiple choice exam and four Simulator rides to qualify. All this to
> >do something kids want to be when they grow up. Does this count if I
> >never grew up?
> > Mike MacLean-60 Sprite
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