Mike Maclean wrote:
>
> 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
I tried to get on with CN about ten years ago, but was told that I could
not be on train crew because I wear prescription contacts. Thus ended
another boyhood dream......Went on to study Mechanical Engineering with
the idea of designing locomotives at London Diesel Division of EMD but
got sidetracked somewhere. Now I settle with having the Norfolk Southern
run directly across the street from me. Good luck at school, I have seen
the simulators and have always wanted to operate one. Run 8
Mark Snowdon
Greensboro NC
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