To be or not to be: Amtrak A/C Edition

[cpotisch]

The term actually originates from steam locomotives actually. A foaming engine was close to explosion so a bad thing.

Looking around the web, it seems like it was a combination of the two.

 

[Karl1459]

Two (off the wall) suggestions.

First, become a volunteer firefighter. You will become accustomed to working at any and all hours and functioning with your sleep patterns upended. Not railroading but you can find out if you can handle irregular schedules. Not to mention emergency medical and emergency situation management experience. Some of the very best volunteer departments provide EXCELLENT leadership training.

Second, consider a stint in the military. Besides the obvious benefits of learning how to be a cog in a huge bureaucratic machine Amtrak advertises it gives preference to veterans. Then there is the leadership training and positive life experiences you can get only in the military.

Also, in general, your stated desires as to "hands dirty" and not being tied in an office all day suggests to me that you would be a better fit for a small to very small company. For railroading you may try to first try to get on with a short line rather than one of the big 6 freights or the big A.

 

[AcrossTheOcean]

That said, I may have misunderstood the difference between a railfan and a foamer.

The term "foamer" is a slightly derogatory (I couldn't care care less about that, honestly) term for an avid railfan, since that's someone who "foams at the mouth" when they see a train. So I really don't think that the difference (if there even is one) between a railfan and a foamer would be that the latter must have social difficulties.

The social difficulties was the conclusion of the members of the other forum several years ago when discussing the difference between a railfan and a foamer. I appear to have drawn a different understanding of the term foamer than is accepted here.

Thank you for the clarification!

 

[MikefromCrete]

A foamer is basically an extreme railfan, It doesn't necessarily denote autism or a person who has social relations difficulties. It's just someone who gets really excited about trains. It's basically a derogatory term and often used by railroad employees about those who go overboard in their love of railroading.

 

[NSC1109]

During my 7 years at CSX Intermodal in a clerk position, working the extra board like all new hires do on the railroad, I concluded that the job would be great for an unmarried, no girl friend, 20-something living with their parents (free or low-cost rent). Fortunately, the extra board at CSXI was(is?) 'guaranteed', meaning that unlike all other RR extra boards that only work when called, the 40 hour guarantee means will WILL BE working 40 hrs per week. When not filling other employees vacation and sick days, the manager would tell me what scheduled job to work for the next couple of days. But I always had to remain within the area to be able to be there within 2 hrs of being called. Needless to say, that 2 hr requirement means one doesn't go out and get drunk with their friends. As a semi-regular Amtrak passenger, in talking with various A/Cs that began to recognize me and I, them, it was clear their extra board is 'you work when we call you any hour of the night or day to fill a job any hour night or day'. Fortunately, they were mostly filling vacation times only, as far as I could tell.

Being zero seniority at any RR job means whatever 'regular' position you (sort-of-permanently) fill, if you're lucky enough to get other than an extra board or relief position, you can be guaranteed that at some point, maybe 2 days or years from now, you will be bumped out of that job by a more senior coworker, not necessarily working from your crew base, either. The conductors and engineers I got to know at CSX had countless war stories of being bumped and some of the things they had to do as a result. Of course, with zero seniority, or close to it, if there's a cutback, you're on the street until they call you back.

Lastly, as an Amtrak A/C, perhaps the biggest thing you need to be is a 'people person'. If not, you will absolutely hate your job and all the <very derogatory descriptive term/expletive> passengers. I've witnessed Amtrak conductors that should have been a US Marines drill sergeant as they yelled at passengers 'in your face' style. Others complained about everything, especially the passengers. At the same time, expect passengers to yell at you for no reason, especially if they failed to get off at their stop, like you were supposed to hold the train until they took their sweet time to get off. You'll be dealing with drunks, those under the influence, sick and/or vomiting passengers, unruly kids running up and down the aisles, and, of course, loud people in the quiet car, or just about any other kind of jerk, a**hole, and too many other descriptions for passengers. If you can't stay calm and forceful, you likely shouldn't become a conductor.

Hi there, and thanks for the reply.

I stated before that I’ve been working in customer service positions since the beginning of my working life (16 y/o). First it was fast food (which I can tell you was absolute misery, and my first experience with bad management). Then I worked nights and weekends at MSU while I was a student there, dealing with students, often drunk or high, who decided to try and dump their problems on me: “oh I forgot my ID, can’t you just buzz me up?”, “I don’t have my key or ID, but I don’t want to pay for a lock change (a requirement in that situation)”, or my personal favorite, drunk students walking into doors with such force that they require medical attention.

Currently I’m working as a cashier at a grocery store on both the self scan and manned lanes. Haven’t had any horrible customers yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens soon.

I never considered myself a people person until I starting working my current job. I realized that everyone has a story, a different path that they’re following for their own reason. It made me think back to my trip last year: when I was on the SWC, I found a father and son who had just been reunited after a few years and decided to take the train home because it’s something they’ve always wanted to do. I made it a point to have dinner with them that night. I met a couple on the CS who was traveling the country like I was. A second couple, on the Builder, was headed to Milwaukee for family stuff.

I remembered how much I enjoyed learning about and helping others during their trip. Brought a smile to my face.

I won’t say I’m totally ready for encounters like you’ve stated, but I think I’m getting there.

As for the extra board, it’ll be a nightmare early on. But you gotta work for what you want, and hard works almost always pays off.

 

[neroden]

Signals is a position with massive responsibility (you're responsible for safety, *and* if you don't get things done quickly the entire railroad freezes up). But if you've got the right sort of precise mind, it has job security, and I'd expect it would be very satisfying to know that you're keeping the railroad moving safely.