Should I go from Norfolk Southern to Amtrak??

Last time I posted on this site, I was asking questions about becoming a conductor with Norfolk Southern. Well here I am, all marked up and have my union membership. I work out of Abrams yard just outside of Philadelphia. I really like working the locals and recrewing road trains, but I absolutely can't stand yard shifting. I don't have to shift very often thankfully.

Anyway, I just got a call from Amtrak. They want me to come to Penn Station, NYC to test for a Conductor Trainee position on the Northeast Corridor. I know Amtrak has the best pay, and eventually becoming an Amtrak engineer seems to be the the place to be in terms of compensation. Is there anyone out there that can help me with this decision? If they offer me the job I'll have to decide pretty quickly which way I want to go.

I live in Philadelphia, PA. If I took the job with Amtrak on the NEC with NY Penn Station as my home terminal, would I be able to commute to work on Amtrak and get there on time working the extra list if I lived right next to 30th st Station in Philadelphia? If anyone can offer insight on this I'd appreciate it a lot also.

Thanks so much for any info anyone can provide.

Do you like dealing with people?

That is the question you need to ask yourself if you want to work as an amtrak conductor. Do you want to wear a suit play nice with the public? Or are you more at ease slamming freight cars around?

You say you don't like yard shifting, but you haven't been doing it very long. Trust me, when I was new I hated the thought of yard shifting. But then I got a spot in a smaller terminal (much like Abrams) and was able to hold yard jobs. Once you get some experience and confidence in yard shifting, you may actually grow to like it. I know I did. Planning moves ahead of time, blocking trains in the fewest moves was awesome fun. Sure beats road trains which are boring in comparison. If you really just wanted to do road trains, there are road jobs and lists you could work in your seniority district. And trust me, being an engineer isn't all its cracked up to be, either. It can get awful boring cooped up in that cab. And there's a hell of a lot more stress on that side of the control stand.

If you want to work with people, jump ship and don't look back.

phillyrail wrote:I live in Philadelphia, PA. If I took the job with Amtrak on the NEC with NY Penn Station as my home terminal, would I be able to commute to work on Amtrak and get there on time working the extra list if I lived right next to 30th st Station in Philadelphia? If anyone can offer insight on this I'd appreciate it a lot also.

maybe, yes. Lots of people, from all departments, ride the trains to work. In T&E, "my train ran late" isn't gonna cut it for an excuse, if something goes wrong. Always have a backup plan.

To assist in planning commutation, you can request a longer call time (standard is 2hrs), and the callers will try to honor it when possible. But it is not guaranteed, and you are still on the hook to show up either way.

You see I prefer boring. And I can't stand puzzles, so the appeal of yard shifting isn't there. I get no joy out of figuring out the best moves! But I do like dealing with the paperwork, calling signals, and setting off and picking up blocks of cars. Basically I want to make the most money. I'm pretty good with people. And I like the clean cut look too, haha.

Amtrak yard Conductors are like puppets. They are the puppets and the Yardmaster is the puppeteer pulling the strings. The Yardmaster usually gives a step by step list of the moves to be made. It's ridiculously easy for the most part.

I know several people who went over to Amtrak from freight. I've never seen one that was unhappy with their choice.

Thanks for the comment. I also signed a document that stated if I quit NS for another railroad in less than 2 years I would owe them back a ton of money for the training they gave me. Does this actually happen, or is it just a scare tactic?

NS might have you on that one. It's a contract. Talk to your local chairman. If I remember correctly CSX had the same except it was for a year. Then again that might of been on transferring to another department. I know a few in the last couple years that left transportation went into the signal department etc..

Run, do not walk! I did 10 in freight, on year 7 in passeger. Every time I pass a freight and start feeling nostalgic, I look at my bank account and my lack of an overnight grip....

I worked for the UP before heading over to Amtrak in Salt Lake City and then transferring to Miami. Love that fact that I have nationwide seniority and can move if/when I want.

No Amtrak YardMaster in Miami however. We do it all from building the trains, switching and moving cars from the pits to the wheel true, etc.

Don't do it just for the money however. Do it because you want a career on the rails. If it is only about the money you'll soon grow tired of the BS and hate your job. Then you start taking short cuts.

Not good.

slchub wrote:
Don't do it just for the money however. Do it because you want a career on the rails. If it is only about the money you'll soon grow tired of the BS and hate your job. Then you start taking short cuts.

Not good.

That's right do it for the love of the job not the money. At times I regret not moving over to Amtrak when they started the shift to their own crews. It was a good deal they gave you 18 months before a final decision to give up rights on which ever freight rail a person had seniority. As a Locomotive Engineer I wouldn't of had to deal with the public very often which would of been a good thing for me. I have no regrets staying with freight. As a Conductor it would of been to much interaction with passengers. Even my Conductor friends who made the switch years ago get frustrated at times. lol