by MattAPaul
Hey Everyone,
Looking for a few words of advice from some old heads or anyone with railroading experience. Here is a little background on my career thus far:
Two years ago I was a Conductor/Engineer on the Walt Disney World Railroad in Florida. I wanted to get into railroading for real so I applied and was offered a position in Wyoming as a Conductor on a Class I. There was a ton of hiring going on so I thought everything was going to be great. After I graduated and received my Conductor Card I was offered the option to furlough or transfer to another terminal. I broke my lease and moved to Arizona where I worked for 5 months in the yard and was offered the same option again. I then went to Los Angeles, CA for a month, then San Bernandino for three days, then Gallup, NM for a month.
After this I decided to give up and furlough in Arizona. I applied for a Fireman job at a Passenger Railway. I am currently still working there and have worked my way up to earning a second Conductor Certificate, this time a Passenger Card. The pay and lack of benefits make this an infeasible career.
The freight industry isn't looking that great and it's not showing any signs of improvement.
Would it be a good move to apply/take a job on another railroad or wait it out on the Class I?
One railroad of interest is Brightline back in Florida, but they haven't posted any positions yet. As a general note, I don't regret moving out here one bit; I've received so much experience from my railroading career thus far and hopefully two Conductor Certifications will help me on the path of of switching, if that's what I choose. Thank you all for any input!
Looking for a few words of advice from some old heads or anyone with railroading experience. Here is a little background on my career thus far:
Two years ago I was a Conductor/Engineer on the Walt Disney World Railroad in Florida. I wanted to get into railroading for real so I applied and was offered a position in Wyoming as a Conductor on a Class I. There was a ton of hiring going on so I thought everything was going to be great. After I graduated and received my Conductor Card I was offered the option to furlough or transfer to another terminal. I broke my lease and moved to Arizona where I worked for 5 months in the yard and was offered the same option again. I then went to Los Angeles, CA for a month, then San Bernandino for three days, then Gallup, NM for a month.
After this I decided to give up and furlough in Arizona. I applied for a Fireman job at a Passenger Railway. I am currently still working there and have worked my way up to earning a second Conductor Certificate, this time a Passenger Card. The pay and lack of benefits make this an infeasible career.
The freight industry isn't looking that great and it's not showing any signs of improvement.
Would it be a good move to apply/take a job on another railroad or wait it out on the Class I?
One railroad of interest is Brightline back in Florida, but they haven't posted any positions yet. As a general note, I don't regret moving out here one bit; I've received so much experience from my railroading career thus far and hopefully two Conductor Certifications will help me on the path of of switching, if that's what I choose. Thank you all for any input!