Carman or Freight Conductor?

If you had the choice between Freight Conductor or Carman what would you choose and why?

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and good luck.

Charlie

Although freight conductor sounds glamorous there is the possibility of getting furloughed when ever traffic slows down every year until you build up senority. I think carman would be a steadier employment position.
Any others with their opinions?

car knockers don't sit in some one-star hotel for days waiting for a train to work back to the home terminal.

Car knockers don't run for 12 hours, then get dumped into a siding by a train dispatcher and wait for a van driver to find them and drive them home hours after they outlaw.

Car knockers (for the most part) have steady shift hours except when there is a derailment.

NorthPennLimited wrote:car knockers don't sit in some one-star hotel for days waiting for a train to work back to the home terminal.

Car knockers don't run for 12 hours, then get dumped into a siding by a train dispatcher and wait for a van driver to find them and drive them home hours after they outlaw.

Car knockers (for the most part) have steady shift hours except when there is a derailment.

True. But car knockers don't make $80,000 a year either.

Yes. They don't make 80k, but they aren't forced to work mandatory overtime. Most of it is voluntary overtime if they elect to work a double shift, or their 6th & 7th day.

If you were forced to work a zillion hours, you'd make 80k a year too.

Depends on what your are looking for. Steady hours and steady pay.

Or irregular hours, pool freight, extra boards, hotels, and 14 hour days in exchange for higher pay and no family life.

I was a knocker and now a conductor. It all depends on you and what is required in your life. I thought carman was awful and love being a conductor!!

Best way to look at it is which job will be around in 10 to 15 years. There will always be cars and engines to work on because it's maintenance and that's just a part of it, but conductors? not so much I think as this site proves practically every class 1 road out there is overflowing with them. When business dries up, as it always does, somebody has to go to the house, some make it back some don't. For steady work down the road I'd bet on the carman job. It ain't sexy but 9 times out of 10 it'll be there. Can't say that bout conductor.

I wouldn't say the craft of conductor (or any train crew) for that matter is in danger because of too many people. They don't have enough these days. The only thing I would be worried about is if the railroads will cut the craft. BNSF is trying too, but the union membership vote is looking like it will be a no and legislation could be enacted requiring a conductor and an engineer on all freight trains. If they DO cut the job, most class 1s will probably follow. I doubt that would last long because a lot of people will get hurt. However, I'd say that most regional rail lines and shortlines are going to have conductors for another 50 years, so if you hire on a class 1 and get qualified, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting on a smaller road. It seems like they may not be as good but some shortlines are M-F operations, good pay, and some are union too.

I'm not an expert on the subject, but I've read a lot and have listened to a lot of guys because once I am done with school I want to enter train service. Crossing my fingers that those jobs will still be there.

My concern with becoming a car knocker would be that the craft could be farmed out to a non-railroad contracting outfit. Since the freight cars operate in pools shared by all railroads, there is nothing unique about any one railroad's cars. So a contracting firm that could service cars on one railroad could work on anybody's cars.

These firms solve the problem of getting damaged equipment to their car shops by traveling equipment and crews that can go to the railroads and fix cars right on the property.

Les

As for major overhaul repairs the carmen could be farmed out. Working on a train lacing airhoses, checking leakage, then doing an initial class 1 brake test they'll always be a need for a carman. The railroads also needs them for immediate repairs while in terminal. I don't think they'll ever be eliminated but could be reduced by closing shops. Today there is just a small fraction of what we had back 20 years ago. The railroads pretty much gutted & deboned every craft down to the bare minimum. Of course I'll never say never greed is always in the picture.

I know the CSX carmen were all over Boyles Yard, just changing brake shoes. You'd see them all the time.

COEN77 wrote:As for major overhaul repairs the carmen could be farmed out. Working on a train lacing airhoses, checking leakage, then doing an initial class 1 brake test they'll always be a need for a carman. The railroads also needs them for immediate repairs while in terminal. I don't think they'll ever be eliminated but could be reduced by closing shops. Today there is just a small fraction of what we had back 20 years ago. The railroads pretty much gutted & deboned every craft down to the bare minimum. Of course I'll never say never greed is always in the picture.

Greed is always in the picture, now ain't that a sad fact. Another great post COEN77.