The Good Points About Working For The Union Pacific

What about some of the good things about the job. I have read all the bad and it really dont seem to bad, because if it was why is everybody still on after 30 years?

truckerdude98

Otto requested we try to stay away from vague topic headings, so i tweaked yours a bit dude.

Theres alot of reasons i like my job.

1. Both sides of my family worked for the Union Pacific for a long time. This is where home is at for me. They worked here, the old heads worked with them, now i work with them.

2. Its a thrilling job to have, from kicking cars, bombing off hills, skating light power around, packing the mail. Sometimes it like riding a rocket. Your getting to play with the railroads train set.

3. The pay aint bad for the work i have to do. I've done alot more work for alot less pay. Contract switcher, seismograph company. "I get to stop switching cars at 12 hours?" "I dont get dropped off and walk threw the desert laying and picking up cable for 14 hours?"

4. It can get pretty comical sometimes at work. Theres a whole lot of different "cats" that work for the railroad. It makes it quite interesting sometimes.

I'll think of some other ones here, but the main thing is to try not to get sucked up in the crap and bad attitudes down there.

Good things?

I've not had a paycheck bounce

I'm done in anywhere from 2-12 hours without having to take home work

Everyday is different

You get see some pretty incredible stuff, nothing like walking in the snow on a nice clear moonlight night along the mainline walking your train east of Carter without using your lantern for light, seeing bald eagles along the Great Salt Lake, prong horn antelope, elk, deer, rabbits, snakes, etc, etc, etc

Finding and looking at old stuff like the little cemetery next to Bryan west of Green River.

Going down the rails at 70 mph on a Z-train and knowing the guys in the trucks looking at you at the RR crossings wish they had your job

SW USE 1BATMAN1. 'nuff said...............

thanks guys to get it started i would like to see this post get filled up.

every job has the bad things but very seldom does people talk about the good things

i hope i can post my own good things soon

truckerdude98

sorry golden-arm what does that mean?

There's a lot of good things about working for the railroad,
It's just not as much fun to talk about them.

It is fun to watch a bunch of grown men making 90+ per year, getting really wound up over someone getting denied a $2.00 claim

truckerdude98 wrote:
sorry golden-arm what does that mean?

We use a program at work called TCS, you type that in and send it.
Think theres jokes or something on there.

5. It's a job where its pretty easy to have some pride in what you do. <--- that make any since? I've been on both ends of the spectrum and every spot in between.

It is fun to watch a bunch of grown men making 90+ per year, getting really wound up over someone getting denied a $2.00 claim

I have seen that also. When I was a CIT the conductor did not get his $8 for a student trip. He about came apart. To give him credit though I think it was more then that single event.

Last week I worked a local. First day we went over 14 hours, we all requested 12 hours of rest and got a dead day. The third day, we went over 15 hours and got a dead day. I layed off the last day. So, I worked 2 days last week and got $1400 for my troubles. Works for me.

The views are real nice also! Here is a link to a few pics I've taken...

This is from Pocatello to Green River.

Some Pics

Those are some good pictures dude.

You got it, UPRR. THE best place, for on the job jokes, and railroad humor. Was the subject of a heated battle, in 1998, with attempts to fire the employee, who created that location, for posting humor. No rules about what you do, in your off time, the final ruling was...........