Saint James Train Crew Feb. 3, 2014 class

Hello. If anyone out there is going to be attending the Saint James/Saint Paul Minnesota UP train crew training at

-->Dakota County Technical College - 1300 145th St East - Rosemount 55068
-->1300 145th Street East
-->Rosemount MN 55068

starting February 3, 2014 and would like to split a hotel room for the 4 weeks, pm me.

UP doesn't pay for lodging at the training center?

Since the distance between my worksite and the training location is greater than 45 miles, I do get a 1 time payment of $1350. However, the training last 4 weeks and this 1350 will go fast. It would be much more economical to get a 2 bed hotel room and split with someone.

If I cannot find someone to go half with me for a room, I'll find someone on Craigslist who has a room to rent. There are a lot of rooms for rent in St. Paul.

Thanks for the info Jim. I considered a hotel at first but they are pricey. There are rooms on craigslist for $300/month where a month in a hotel can approach 1,000.

Just completed first week of UP train crew training. Good Times. While doing my prehire research, many people said there were few things you could do to prepare for class. I think this is false. At the very least, if you have some free time and are very motivated, you can start reading the GCOR. Many railroads use this manual as the foundation of their rule system. You will not know what many things mean but with a little research you'll be able to figure it out. Just an FYI.

Here is a link to one I found by doing a simple Google search:

http://www.westcoastrailroadersgroup.co ... -10_1_.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Be Well.

P.S. : If someone has already put this out there, I'm sorry for the repetition.

Just finished second week of UP training. This week dealt with "Track Warrant Controlled (TWC)" territory. You will take a series of exams during this training. If you fail any twice, you are kicked out of class and terminated from the UP; this is not a scare tactic--they really fire people for this.

The most difficult exams are the Hazardous Materials and TWC exams. Study beforehand. I have the signals exam next week but hear this is not as difficult as these other two. I'll keep you informed.