NECR career questions

Hello I have been searching and reading I have a few questions if I may
I have an interview in a few days with NECR(new England central Rail) for Train Services

1. good company anyone with experience here? I know trick question consider it a ball park question
2. Train services and Conductor same job? reading through some of the posts it sounds like the two are one in the same
3. any Advice? I have 13 years military and 10 years in the corrections field, live 1 block from the company HQ and 1 street from the main yard I'll be walking to work if hired.
I know all about never having a normal schedule and being away my main question Is it worth jumping careers I know pay is a tricky subject and every RR is different so that's why its NECR specific thanks.....

Hello,

While I cannot speak for NECR in particular, I can say that T/E (Train and Engine Service) is essentially the train crew (Conductor and Engineer.)
Unless they are very pressed for engineers and you are certified, however, you will most likely hire on as a conductor.

Thanks a condition of employment is I have to be able to get my engineers license so at least I know I can move up wish me luck I am hoping this could be the start of a new career.

They are no worse than any other RR, or at least it appears that way from the outside. I work for their neighbor to the south, the VTR. Hope all goes well, if you do get hired, and you come down into Burlington or the WACR yard in White River Jct. between 1400 and 2200 I will be talking to you.

Well I got the verbal hiring offer today have to pass the drug and physical and then I am In
and I will be in the white river yard from time to time already been told that. I am sure I will be talking to you.

Congrats, hope it works out for you!

I miss working at the NECR, actually. I felt there was a real sense of community there. It's been about eight years and some change since I worked there, so I don't exactly know what the atmosphere is like now. I worked everywhere from St. Albans to New London. I don't miss switching in Italy Yard in the winter, though. That's one of the reasons I transferred to Palmer, MA.

well, he must not have made the cut, Because Ive met all of the new hires......and there isn't one named Dave

Yes I did Make the cut was waiting for the jax office Got the Final offer today so I will start the next school in Jan. I know the first year will be a challenge. and as always tons of questions and unknowns..

Davew wrote:Yes I did Make the cut was waiting for the jax office Got the Final offer today so I will start the next school in Jan. I know the first year will be a challenge. and as always tons of questions and unknowns..

ahh congrats, and welcome aboard! feel free to PM me if you have any questions. As trust me I know they are not that forthcoming with information. I'll help you the best
I can!

Where will you be assigned?

Who knows it's extra board. There is no assigned work; however, if I had a choice it would be Saint Albans so I could walk to work.

Uhmmm So your home terminal is Going to be St. Albans? You will probably spend most of your time up there. Though you will be a spare board employee you will still have a home terminal where you spend most of your time. Being that the nearest outlying terminal is WRJ 2hours away you wont get sent out too much. Depends on how long they Keep Burlington as a terminal though. I cant imagine it will be too much longer before the burl-bethel stone train is done.

Things have changed a little since I was at the NECR. At one time I was the only person on the extra board at St. Albans. I remember being called for a one man assignment: sweep up, and pick up trash around the engine house for six hours in order to get my 40 hours for the week. It was nice being able to walk to work. I used to live up on Lincoln Av. I could get to the engine house faster on my bicycle than I could in the car. When I moved to Monson, MA, I was 5.5 mi. to the Palmer yard office. Those were the two shortest commutes to work that I have ever had....except for my current situation, where I can now walk to work in about two minutes.

Italy yard is kind of a fun place to switch; or it was anyway. Just give the cars a little bump; and pull the pin when the slack runs back in, and the cars just walk away down into the yard. It gets brutally cold there; I was on that PM switcher one winter. We would build warming fires in a 55 gal oil drum, stopping to rewarm our toes while we walked up and down the lead getting switches. MOW would thaw the switches out during the day and the water would be trapped by the surrounding snow; this puddle would refreeze at night leaving the switch submerged under solid ice. I timed it one night: On average it took 20 minutes to thaw one switch to get it to throw properly.

Enjoy Vermont, because Ohio is mostly beige, barren cornfield in the winter months. You look forward to snow, just for some visual contrast.

kevin.brackney wrote:Things have changed a little since I was at the NECR. At one time I was the only person on the extra board at St. Albans. I remember being called for a one man assignment: sweep up, and pick up trash around the engine house for six hours in order to get my 40 hours for the week. It was nice being able to walk to work. I used to live up on Lincoln Av. I could get to the engine house faster on my bicycle than I could in the car. When I moved to Monson, MA, I was 5.5 mi. to the Palmer yard office. Those were the two shortest commutes to work that I have ever had....except for my current situation, where I can now walk to work in about two minutes.

Italy yard is kind of a fun place to switch; or it was anyway. Just give the cars a little bump; and pull the pin when the slack runs back in, and the cars just walk away down into the yard. It gets brutally cold there; I was on that PM switcher one winter. We would build warming fires in a 55 gal oil drum, stopping to rewarm our toes while we walked up and down the lead getting switches. MOW would thaw the switches out during the day and the water would be trapped by the surrounding snow; this puddle would refreeze at night leaving the switch submerged under solid ice. I timed it one night: On average it took 20 minutes to thaw one switch to get it to throw properly.

Enjoy Vermont, because Ohio is mostly beige, barren cornfield in the winter months. You look forward to snow, just for some visual contrast.

Yah there's no dropping cars anymore, the yard switcher is usually a 2 man crew...occasionally 3. Sad but true