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  • NARS - National Academy of Railroad Sciences

  • General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.
General discussion about working in the railroad industry. Industry employers are welcome to post openings here.

Moderator: thebigc

 #622627  by conductbud64
 
Good to know info rwallace2fan1

Which GI Bill program did you use. There several different programs based on time in service, active duty or reserve, ect. You are suppose to lose one month of eligibility for each $1,321.00 paid.

If that is not the case then it is bull shit, because they will pay up to $2,000 for a stinkin’ licensing test.

I know there are many good things with the GI Bill, but there are also some things they will not pay for and some stuff they pay a whole lot for.
 #622900  by rwallace2fan1
 
conductbud64 wrote:Good to know info rwallace2fan1

Which GI Bill program did you use. There several different programs based on time in service, active duty or reserve, ect. You are suppose to lose one month of eligibility for each $1,321.00 paid.

If that is not the case then it is bull *, because they will pay up to $2,000 for a stinkin’ licensing test.

I know there are many good things with the GI Bill, but there are also some things they will not pay for and some stuff they pay a whole lot for.
I was active duty. From what I was told NARS was not a "long enough course" to be eligible for more. That comes from the VA person at Johnson County Community College.
 #637041  by scoonie79
 
I just wondered if you knew if i still had a great shot at getting hired even if my past work experience is mostly retail work and not outdoor type work or on call jobs. Also do you think i would have a good shot at a track maintenance job right now since the economy is bad and they arent hiring conductors? I applied for track maintenance in st louis and troy IL. Would graduating from NARS for conductor training help me get a track maintenance job?
 #637133  by SantaFeGuy
 
Conductor training won't help for track maintenance. Right now things are pertty bleak train crew wise, in fact any job wise with the railroad. If they're posting for track maintenance, then they must really need those positions filled very badly. According to the last issue of Railway Age, BNSF will furlough 500 more employees in Feb, so they're still cutting back. Freight volumes were down almost 8% from last year and those were down 17% from the year before that, so you can see where the problem is. No freight, then no trains running.

This is a great career, but it's not immune to this economy, it's the worst I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of them. I'd just apply for track maintenance and keep applying. I don't want to sugar coat it through, it could take you a year or two to get on at the railroad right now, but then again, to get any really good job may take that long. It' s really a lottery pick at this point.

But when this thing does break, there will be a wave of retirements and they'll have a need for a large number of new workers, so the longer term prospects are actually very bright. You've just got to be able to hang in there for a bit.
 #637214  by scoonie79
 
I just wondered how hard it is to learn everything once you get hired as a conductor. I graduated the conductor program at NARS but i know that theres a lot more to it than just that. I know that once you get out there and start training and riding with the crew you will learn most of what you need to know but how difficult is it to learn your territory and stuff like that? Also, right now im waiting out this economy for a conductor job. I graduated NARS last August and applied for a job in st louis but of course it was cancelled. Right now im just working part time at walmart in the one hour photo. I was wondering what i could be and should be doing right now to help my chances of getting hired once it picks up again. Like what kind of job should i be working to give me relevant skills and work experience there looking for? Most of my work past is retail work except one year i work at Walgreens Distribution Center. Also does anyone know of any jobs that could be available even in this bad economy that would be helpful work experience for the railroad like construction work or whatever?
 #637780  by scoonie79
 
Yeah i know the military is always an option but not for me. I just wondered if anyone knew what the recruiters are looking for as far as work background like relevant work experience and skills. I graduated NARS conductor program and have a stable work background for about 13 years but mostly retail work except a year of warehouse experience at walgreens distribution center but i just dont if i have what there looking for like working outdoors and on call or in jobs working with tools and stuff like that. Any tips on what i could do to improve my chances more and what jobs i could do now until the economy turns around and they start hiring conductors again?
 #637954  by SantaFeGuy
 
To answer your question, is it hard to learn you're way around. It's not bad, but it's not a slam dunk either. There's a lot of rules between railroads and yes there's a lot of stuff, but you won't be alone. Your engineer and your conductor will help you A LOT normally. Just remember when you go into training, you have two ears and one mouth, use them in that ratio! Listen. Don't pretend like you know it all, that makes everyone annoyed. Ask questions, guys like to know you are sure you're doing the right thing. Keep a low profile, always be on time. During training, NEVER miss a call out, that's a death sentence. NEVER be late, if you have an accident or a problem, CALL your training coordinator ahead of time. If you have a problem only once and you let everyone know, it's no problem, but if you don't or you have more than one or two, you're history. The training coordinator can fail you and not have to explain. In St. Louis, the guy is an ok person. In fact, in St. Louis, everyone was very nice, a lot of decent guys. And the yard is in an easy to get to place, so if that's where you end up, you could do A LOT WORSE and not much better. Yardmasters and trainmasters are good people in general there also.

In terms of positioning yourself for hiring, you've done what you need to and about all you can. With BNSF and KCS, NARS is a big deal, in terms of showing preparation and interest. Rail work, especially train crew is very specialized, so in terms of those specific skills, not much more. Yes, what you learned is must an overview and a sampler, but it's way beyond what anyone off the street has. Your NARS training will mean more than virtually anything else you will do between now and when the economy breaks. So in terms of that, you're set.

Other things that help, it sounds like you're in about the right spot, I assume that the distribution center involves a lot of team work and planning. Train crew work is being able to work with others on tactical plans. Every day is different, so what you'll want to do is spin any job you have between now and then in terms of, how you're good at working with a small team, being able to adapt when the situation changes and come up with new plans, and most of all you'll be emphasizing that how you understand safety and and you know the work rules and how to follow them but at the same time get the job done as efficiently as is possible. So between now and probably early to mid next year, just keep working on your presentation of how all your jobs contribute to those ends, team work, flexibility, safety. Visualize what it will be like to have your one shot, the interviewer and one other person sitting across from you, and asking why they should hire YOU over the 100 others out there right now. Play that over and over, on your drive to work, play it out loud, it sounds different than when you say things in your head. Think of surprises they might throw at you. For those few moments, you're a salesman, and the product you're selling is you. Do that between now and then, and you'll be able to go in and sound polished, like you've really researched the job well, and know it, that level of enthusiasum coupled with your NARS background and your research will make them think of you as a lock. It's like sports, practice hard and long, so when the real game comes, your ready, it's fun, and you win.

Things to watch out for, avoid any driving blemishes all that sort of thing between now and then, a DWI or a DUI is a death sentence, avoid any kind of substances, they drug test before hiring and then randomly afterward. Someone on drugs will get people on your team killed, there is no wiggle room there, but based on your posts I really doubt any of these warning apply to you, but just for informations sake. And keep applying, when 6 months is up, reapply and apply for any jobs you see coming up. Yes, it may SEEM like a waste of time, but it isn't. down in Ft. Worth, they will keep seeing your name show up month after month, and they'll know you're still interested. It will make a difference. Remember about reapplying every 6 months unless you already got a BNSF new hire letter and your class was cancelled. If that happened, then you're on a short list anyway of those they'll call back when the situation breaks.

If that's the case, what will happen is this. I think you said St. Louis was where you applied, well, when hiring starts, you may wonder if they're every going to call, you'll see postings all over, but they'll have the schedule, and St. Louis will be on it, as the time approaches for a class there, totally out of the blue, you'll get a call from someone. And it may NOT BE BNSF, in my case it was A YEAR later, I'm driving to the car wash and suddenly I get a call from a drug testing lab, asking me to set an appointment time for my employment drug test. I'm wondering what the (*&(* is THIS all about. So I called them back, and asked for what and they told me, for BNSF railway in Ft. Worth. I was like totally blown away, so I set it up, and go in. The next day, some lady from BNSF calls and asks if I'm still interested (by that time I'm working at Lowes). Just when I thought it would NEVER happen, and I'd forgotten about it, blam, totally didn't see it coming. Couldn't believe it, I went from having spent months wondering what would ever become of me to, I"VE GOT A FUTURE! So hang in there. And NARS in my case made all the difference. They did NOT advertise the class, it was all NARS grads only. And I've talked to a lot of guys who've had similar experiences, since late 2005 hiring was slowing down. Railroads lead the rest of the economy into recessions, but they also lead back out, BNSF's volumes will start to recover and they will start hiring before the rest of the economy starts recovery. That's because businesses have to start restocking inventories before business really starts to pick up. And from what I hear, the railroads think it will be late 2009 before things start to pick up,

If that holds, your class will probably be rescheduled in late 09 or early in 2010. If it's late 2009, (the most likely scenario, unless the economy gets even worse) you'll go through training and it will end about a week before Christmas. You'll mark up, but things will slow down and you'll probably end up being furloughed in early to mid January. You'll stay on the furlough board until probably early March, (maybe only mid February) and then you'll be called back, and work will pick up from there. For the next two years, make sure to save enough money to help with bills for the January / Feb swoon, as being low on seniority you'll get furloughed then, but after that, you'll be good.

So just hang in there. Review your presentation if you've not been interviewed yet, be prepared, but don't be a phoney, just be yourself, answer all the questions truthfully and be open, keep reapplying, and keep the record clean. You'll make it, it's just an issue of when.
 #638767  by AZRR08
 
SanteFeGuy, I am also a NARS graduate(12/08) and your last post was extremely appreciated. You stated that BNSF plans on furloughing 500 more employees this month but, do you know if that is for all crafts systemwide or is it just for TY&E? Thanks again.
 #638952  by SantaFeGuy
 
That number was in Railway Age two weeks ago, and it was for the whole railroad. BNSF always runs pretty tight, they have 32000 employees, and have furloughed only 2500 so far, so that's better than most. But it's a really tough economy.
 #640535  by gp35
 
AZRR08 wrote:You stated that BNSF plans on furloughing 500 more employees this month but, do you know if that is for all crafts systemwide or is it just for TY&E? Thanks again.
They don't know yet if further cuts will be necessary. Volumes are generally slow at this time of the year due to the Chinese New Year. We will have a better picture by the end of the month.
All furloughs are TY&E.... Other crafts don't get furloughed.
 #649592  by Brook100
 
I am thinking about going to the NARS program in Kansas. However, after reading all these postings I am having second thoughts.

I am willing to relocate just about anywhere. Also willing to work for a short line.

If I score 90 on the gcor does anyone know what may chances of getting work as a conductor would be once I get out of the six week NARS program? Would it be fifty-fifty? Better? Worse?

Also, how long would it take me to find a conductor job? One year? More?

I am totally new to this and so any reply would be greatly appreciated.
 #649616  by sugarhill1978
 
Don't do it right now because we are laid off? They are not hiring anyone when we are laid off save your money.
 #653569  by scoonie79
 
I am a August 20008 graduated of NARS. When i was out there and they had the interviews they gave us a paper that showed the projected upcoming hire locations and had us look at it and pick your top three choices. When i was there they only had like 6 locations they were going to be hiring at over the next 6 months which is how long your interview is good for. All the locations were way out west and i didnt really want to move there so i didnt go to the interview and decided to wait until something a little closer came up. Well as everyone knows the economy has tanked and no railroads are hiring any train crews. My first question is will the economy and the time i have to wait like everyone else until it picks up and the railroads hire again affect my NARS training and make it not so important? Second, will the fact that i didnt interview out at NARS to wait for different locations take away my preference in getting hired? I would love to hear some of your comments on this issue. Thanks.
 #653786  by AZRR08
 
Scoonie,
To answer the 1st question- a passing aptitude test score at NARS is good for two years and is very important if you apply within that time. And to answer the 2nd question- The interviews held at JCCC are only good for the three locations that you would have chosen, so no, waiting did not take away from your preference in getting hired. You just need to apply when they post a position ( which hopefully will be soon).
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