Slightly ...OT!

[IGoDwnTwn]

5th week:

Back out at Aurora/Eola yards this week. Last week before going back into the class room for more inormation and learning.

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Update:

Somewhere along the way I missed count on the weeks. Anyway, this week was the 8th week...how time flies. More rules....more rules...more rules. Next week will have me riding with a crew "on the road" between Aurora,Il. and LaCrosse Wis. I'm told that I'll be making the run atleast 2 times a week for the next 4 weeks. Wish me luck!!!!

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Ok....update time again.

This week was the "long pool" week. my instructor scheduled me to be with trains crew that moved trains between Cicero Ave yard in Chicago and LaCrosse Terminal in Wisconsin. Let me tell ya....there nothing better (other than sex) to riding in a Dash 8/9 44CW at 60mph. Especially when you have two more MU'd behind ya. I did the trip twice this week. First call rom BN was at 12:03am Monday morning. The scheduled conductor put me right in the front left seat, giving me all the paperwork and showing me how to fill it all in. I also had a "signal awareness form" whereby the conductor checks a box for each signal we pass. It's sort of a "keep you awake" thing from what I was told. I was able to receive and fillout forms for a track warrant (form B) and speed restrictions (form a). I got back in Chicago Wednesday after a good rest in a nice hotel (compliments of the BN). Got called for another run Thursday afternoon. Got to Lacrosse after 1am and right back on a train 7am for the trip back to Chicago (Cicero yard). This coming week is the "short pool" to Savannah Ill. About half the way to LaCrosse Wis. The key to these trips is getting rest. I found that as long as I got 6 hours of sleep, I was good to go.

Anyone watching these?...If not, I wont waste bandwith.

IGO

 

[Save Our Trains Michigan]

Ok....update time again.
This week was the "long pool" week. my instructor scheduled me to be with trains crew that moved trains between Cicero Ave yard in Chicago and LaCrosse Terminal in Wisconsin. Let me tell ya....there nothing better (other than sex) to riding in a Dash 8/9 44CW at 60mph. Especially when you have two more MU'd behind ya. I did the trip twice this week. First call rom BN was at 12:03am Monday morning. The scheduled conductor put me right in the front left seat, giving me all the paperwork and showing me how to fill it all in. I also had a "signal awareness form" whereby the conductor checks a box for each signal we pass. It's sort of a "keep you awake" thing from what I was told. I was able to receive and fillout forms for a track warrant (form B) and speed restrictions (form a). I got back in Chicago Wednesday after a good rest in a nice hotel (compliments of the BN). Got called for another run Thursday afternoon. Got to Lacrosse after 1am and right back on a train 7am for the trip back to Chicago (Cicero yard). This coming week is the "short pool" to Savannah Ill. About half the way to LaCrosse Wis. The key to these trips is getting rest. I found that as long as I got 6 hours of sleep, I was good to go.

Anyone watching these?...If not, I wont waste bandwith.

IGO

Welcome to the RR where you never get sleep I have been working off my rest for a week and a half and that crap get's old real quick. :angry:

 

[GG-1]

Ok....update time again.
Anyone watching these?...If not, I wont waste bandwith.

IGO

Aloha

I am, Mahalo. Not to much rail activity here, so I enjoy yours.

 

[AlanB]

Ok....update time again.
Anyone watching these?...If not, I wont waste bandwith.

IGO

Aloha

I am, Mahalo. Not to much rail activity here, so I enjoy yours.

I'll second that.

I enjoy hearing about your train training. :lol:

 

[Midland Valley]

I enjoy it too. I always said if I couldn't be a Methodist Preacher, I'd go back to farming but since that don't pay much these days, I'd go to work for the Railroad. Probably the Southern Kansas and Oklahoma. My nephew works for them as an engineer. I have ridden with him several times and love it. 25 mph max though. Old GP38's stc. I have a lot of UP guys in my church, (the old golden state route) they work lots of hours; don't see much of them. Lots of retired guys, with great steam and passenger stories.

Speaking of the BNSF, coming from an old AT&SF town, they are closing a bunch of rural grade crossings and talking about overpasses at several highway crossings. Mom says there will be one train every 7 minutes. What about it?

 

[EmpireBuilderFan]

Anyone watching these?...If not, I wont waste bandwith.

I've always wondered what is involved with working for the railroad, so I'm enjoying reading your experiences. Please keep posting them up. If you're able to sneek up a couple of pictures, that'd be appreciated as well.

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

I enjoy it too. I always said if I couldn't be a Methodist Preacher, I'd go back to farming but since that don't pay much these days, I'd go to work for the Railroad. Probably the Southern Kansas and Oklahoma. My nephew works for them as an engineer. I have ridden with him several times and love it. 25 mph max though. Old GP38's stc. I have a lot of UP guys in my church, (the old golden state route) they work lots of hours; don't see much of them. Lots of retired guys, with great steam and passenger stories. Speaking of the BNSF, coming from an old AT&SF town, they are closing a bunch of rural grade crossings and talking about overpasses at several highway crossings. Mom says there will be one train every 7 minutes. What about it?

Believe it!!... The rails are getting over worked. BNSF is also trying to have as little contact with crossings on most of their lines. Double track is the word around here. By the time I graduate (early May) there will be so much work available because if guys on vacation, retiring, or marking off. And traffic from the west coast shipping yards will be very heavy. Creating over passes reduces traffic on the streets, accidents that cars make going around the gates, and decreases travel time for transcontinental trains .

Just this week I was conductor for a train from LaCrosse Wis back to Chicago, a trip that normally takes 6 to 8 hours. We did it in 12 because of all the traffic and "died" just before reaching the yard. We had to stop the train right on the main line....heheehehh. In a way, it's a good sign of the economy. But alot of trains and a shortage of employees is not good.

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Forgot to add one thing. The Ride to LaCrosse includes passing through Rochelle. I've never been there as a visitor, only saw the place through a webcam. Ride on a Dash 9 through the diamonds was the highlight of the trip....waving to the crowd on the ground instead of the engineer/conductor on the motor was a very different aspect!!!

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Update time.....

This has been week 13. Two weeks left to the final GCOR test. My class was scheduled to do Hostler and RCO tests this week, However, the company( BNSF) is not continuiing RCO (Remote Control Operations) in most BNSF rail yards around the Chicago area except at Logistics Park.

Hostler is a person that is allowed to move engines around in the service area and the yard.

I passed my Hostler's test today with 98%. Had to have 90 to pass!!!. Next week is OJT ( on the job training ) and I'm not sure yet where I'll be scheduled...I hope it's the Metra yard at 14th street.....it's my favorite place to work.

Two people in my class were dismissed Monday. One for falling asleep while on the road in the conductor's chair on the locomotive. It was stated that they were sleep the whole trip. The second one was dismissed for not reporting to work for 2 days as required. Rules are that even if your train is cancelled or the switch run will not happen....we are to report to work as usual. It was hard to believe that these people went 13 weeks and decided to do something so stupid. Friday (4/8/05) starts membership with the unions so the dismissals would have been much harder to do.

Anyway, wish me luck.....and for the faithful....say a prayer for me..

IGO

 

[engine999]

Good luck! Do you get training for metra service as part of your current training?

 

[Midland Valley]

You got the prayer too!

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Good luck! Do you get training for metra service as part of your current training?

Yes, after training ..I will be trainman, switchman, and brakeman. This allows me to work various jobs in different yards.

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

You got the prayer too!

Thanks....it's appreciated!!

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Update:

This is week 14. I'm at BNSF's Cicero yard in Chicago. Working a tranfer run all week between this yard and Corwith yard about 6 miles away and that's if you drive in a car. Nothing major to report.

IGO

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

This is week 15!!!....It's been since January 10th that I started this long journey to become a real railroad worker. I've had two month's worth of on-the-job training, and about two months of classroom instruction. I've been "on the road" and worked at multiple railroad yards including Chicago's Metra yard that BN runs cummuters from to Aurora. I've learned so much information. If you "foamers" ever saw the books that I had to study fromand carried for these four months, you would respect railroading in a whole different light. I've met many people that shared many different experiences and knowledge of the "RR" with me. Some I want to forget and others, I will never forget because of little things they taught me that made such a big difference...

Now the big news!!!!!

Today, April 21 2005, I passed the GCOR test !!!!!!!!! This test is required by all railroad companies that employ new workers. Actually, the test has been around for a while. but due to accidents and what ifs, it has grown in size over the years.

The next step,?....Well I start training to be a hostler. (a wha?) A hostler is a certified trained person that can move engines around yards. yes, that means 4000hp in my hands....watch that crossing..LOL!!!! That will run for two weeks. The next 2 weeks after that....I'm training with Metra to be conductor and collector.

Thanks to all of you that said prayers and wished me luck. The fact that I passed has not even hit me yet.....dont even know how to feel as the moment!!!!!!!!

THANKS TO ALL!!!

(ps. I'll keep updating )

 

[Midland Valley]

The next time I have to go to the burbs for a hotel, maybe I,ll have you for a conductor.

Maybe the railroads would be in better shape if more employees had your enthusiam and love for the job. Keep it up!

 

[gswager]

And remember the very top line- SAFETY!!! You don't want it happened as they did in Halieah with those incompetent CSX crew.

BTW, congratulations!

 

[battalion51]

Congrats IGO! Echoing whast Greg said, Safety, Safety, Safety (that goes for anyone who goes anywhere near a railroad).

 

[AmtrakFan]

Good Luck.

 

[AmtrakFan]

Update:
This is week 14. I'm at BNSF's Cicero yard in Chicago. Working a tranfer run all week between this yard and Corwith yard about 6 miles away and that's if you drive in a car. Nothing major to report.

IGO

I railfan along the BNSF look for the guy in the Blue Camara case with the Nikon Camara at MP21 that is me.

 

[AmtrakFan]

I enjoy it too.  I always said if I couldn't be a Methodist Preacher, I'd go back to farming but since that don't pay much these days, I'd go to work for the Railroad.  Probably the Southern Kansas and Oklahoma.  My nephew works for them as an engineer.  I have ridden with him several times and love it.  25 mph max though. Old GP38's stc. I have a lot of UP guys in my church, (the old golden state route) they work lots of hours; don't see much of them.  Lots of retired guys, with great steam and passenger stories.  Speaking of the BNSF, coming from an old AT&SF town, they are closing a bunch of rural grade crossings and talking about overpasses at several highway crossings.  Mom says there will be one train every 7 minutes.  What about it?

Believe it!!... The rails are getting over worked. BNSF is also trying to have as little contact with crossings on most of their lines. Double track is the word around here. By the time I graduate (early May) there will be so much work available because if guys on vacation, retiring, or marking off. And traffic from the west coast shipping yards will be very heavy. Creating over passes reduces traffic on the streets, accidents that cars make going around the gates, and decreases travel time for transcontinental trains .

Just this week I was conductor for a train from LaCrosse Wis back to Chicago, a trip that normally takes 6 to 8 hours. We did it in 12 because of all the traffic and "died" just before reaching the yard. We had to stop the train right on the main line....heheehehh. In a way, it's a good sign of the economy. But alot of trains and a shortage of employees is not good.

IGO

Sounds like the Typical BNSF Line in Chicago.

 

[IGoDwnTwn]

Update Time:

Week 15...

Worked at Cicero yard in Chicago as Hostler gas-ing and moving motor power from service track to storage tracks. Also had a chance to go to an NS yard and bring back 3 pumpkins. We also have some of the new GE ES series in stock now. One new feature...just press a button next to the handbrake wheel...and it sets itself....real cool.

This week ( #16) .I will be working the Metra 's 14th street yard as hostler again..moving engines around. This is the ultimate in railroad dreaming. 4400 horsepower a your command.

IGO

 

[engine999]

Update Time:
Week 15...

Worked at Cicero yard in Chicago as Hostler gas-ing and moving motor power from service track to storage tracks. Also had a chance to go to an NS yard and bring back 3 pumpkins. We also have some of the new GE ES series in stock now. One new feature...just press a button next to the handbrake wheel...and it sets itself....real cool.

This week ( #16) .I will be working the Metra 's 14th street yard as hostler again..moving engines around. This is the ultimate in railroad dreaming. 4400 horsepower a your command.

IGO

That "auto" hand brake functions is really cool. Is that going to be included on all the new locos from ge?