Article by Scott Clay

After being furloughed for the winter, and working a temp job, I was finally able to bid back on. As I had said before, I could not wait for the weekend to end so I could get back to the railroad. Monday morning started like any other. The alarm clock went off, except that today I smiled. After over three months away, I would be going back where I belonged. I arrived in DeKalb at 6:15, spent some time catching up with some of the guys, and found out that Wayne Campbell, our Roadmaster would be retiring April 1 (of 2001). And although no one knew for sure, he would more than likely be replaced by a guy named Jim Nudera. While we were talking, Mr. Campbell came out of his office and informed me that I would be going with three other employees to the Holiday Inn at Rock Falls for the rules exam. I knew we would be tested on the rules, but I thought I would have more warning than this, and time to study! Now I was worried.

The rules exam is a yearly thing that we all have to go through. It's 100 questions, and you have to get 85 or better to pass. Any position above Trackman requires a passing grade to keep your seniority rights. At this point I only possessed Trackman rights, but I was still worried as I wanted to be successful, and continued success would not come unless I passed this test. When we arrived at the hotel we were greeted by Mr. Tobin. He would be conducting the test. The first day covered emergency response, lockout/tagout, hazmat, and various safety procedures. Prior to the test we went over everything that would be covered, every question, every answer. We started at 8:00, took a break at noon, returned from lunch and reviewed everything. Then we were given the test. This part seemed to go pretty smooth. The questions seemed fairly easy. When I finished I took my test to Mr. Tobin, who then corrected it. I got a 95 and I couldn't believe it! If the big part of this test (scheduled for the next day) was this easy, I would have it made!

Union Pacific B23-7 #127 drags a short freight past the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on a cool August night in 2002. Photo by Otto M. Vondrak.

After everyone had finished we were given a safety certification book to take home and read, then were released for the day. The safety certification book was the same as the one I was given when I went to the orientation the October before. It's kind of a goofy book with cartoon like pictures inside, and a 50 question quiz in the back. Just basic safety stuff. Inside the front cover is a decal that can be affixed to your hardhat upon completion of the exam. It reads "Safety Certified" followed by the year, in this case 2001.

The next morning I arrived at the hotel with butterflies in my stomach. Although I had spent most of the previous evening studying my rule book, I still didn't think I would pass. Today's schedule was pretty much the same as the day before. Even after going over everything, I really thought I would bomb this test. There were questions about Form B track bulletins, slow orders, Track and Time Permits, track warrants, radio rules, control points, foul time, and all kinds of other things I hadn't done yet. I had only worked for a month-and-a-half before being furloughed. I had never used the radio, called for warrants, permits, or foul time. I knew what all these things were but had never done them. I knew what control points were, but not how they tied in with track and time, and foul time, and I had no clue what a Form B was. Thirty minutes into the test I had about 68 questions completed, and was now at the part concerning all the aforementioned items and was stuck. I couldn't remember a damn thing that we had just gone over! I started to sweat as a lot of the other guys were already doing. I finally said to heck with it and just started marking what sounded logical to me, completed the test and plunked it down in front of Mr. Tobin.

When Mr. Tobin finished making marks with his red pen I figured I had failed. He counted all fourteen of my wrong answers, which when subtracted from 100 makes 86! I had passed! Albeit, by the skin of my teeth, but still a passing grade. The next day I would return to a schedule of 7:00 to 3:30 on the section. In the coming months I would take several other tests such as track buckling and medic first aid. I would find that Union Pacific is constantly training and testing their employees to ensure the highest quality of work, safety, and rules compliance (many of which will be covered in future installments).

Next month we will discuss seniority rights, and how they're established, as well as my first few weeks back at work. Until then... Work safe!