Amtrak Engineer Jobs

[had8ley]

From the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen website comes a solicitation for Class 1 RR certified engineers to fill Amtrak vacancies in Jacksonville, Raleigh, Florence, Miami, Washington and Richmond. If you have any Class 1 freight friends that want to swap over now may be a good time to do so. I understand that many,who have attained age 60, have opted for retirement.A former retired General Chairman tells me that Amtrak is in real need of qualified people. You must attend their school which I believe is in Wilmington. Fax resumes to 202-906-3349 Attn: Saray Ray, Engineer Position @_____ (location.)The difference between Amtrak and freight is you know when and where you are going. Although you run as a first class train on a TT there really are no guarantees as to when, and if, you reach your final destination in less than 12 hours. Beats freight where I have spent 8-10 hours on the train, after hogging out, waiting on transportation. (compliments of the Sunset's host~ the UPRR.)

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

This reminds me of my time in the classroom at British Rail, back in the early 1970’s. I had applied for a job as a “second man”, the engineer’s assistant, a sort of equivalent job on diesel locomotives to the fireman on steam engines.

Broadly speaking, one progressed by seniority when train drivers (engineers to you yanks!) vacancies arose.

I think we only had two weeks in school, learning about distant, home and starter signals, rules and regs, hand and lamp signals, and how to couple the engine to a passenger train, and then we were out on the loco with a driver... having passed a non written verbal test.

Although it was laid down that it was a two man job, after a few months, most engineers would let you have a drive of the engine, and if you were safe, your regular driver might take turns with you to have a bit of time off. This was only done where it did not affect safety. I remember proudly the trust my driver displayed in me as a young man, by letting me drive the locomotive responsible for switching (we call it shunting) and pilot duties at Liverpool Street station, an 18 platform main line London terminus. (He of course was tucked up asleep in bed!) That was how train drivers were made in those days, one mostly learnt on the job, and it was a great time. I have driven trains pulling nuclear waste flasks, loose coupled (unbraked) goods, passenger trains, and high speed freightliner trains, and never ended up as a driver, or engineer as you say. Because of the slow promotion, one had to wait for someone to leave, before moving one step nearer. I worked at Stratford Depot in East London which has since been replaced by commercial and other buildings... Happy Days!!

(A repost of an earlier reply.. seems pertinent to this post too!)

Eddie

 

[Guest]

Hi,

This reminds me of my time in the classroom at British Rail, back in the early 1970’s. I had applied for a job as a “second man”, the engineer’s assistant, a sort of equivalent job on diesel locomotives to the fireman on steam engines.

Broadly speaking, one progressed by seniority when train drivers (engineers to you yanks!) vacancies arose.

I think we only had two weeks in school, learning about distant, home and starter signals, rules and regs, hand and lamp signals, and how to couple the engine to a passenger train, and then we were out on the loco with a driver... having passed a non written verbal test.

Although it was laid down that it was a two man job, after a few months, most engineers would let you have a drive of the engine, and if you were safe, your regular driver might take turns with you to have a bit of time off. This was only done where it did not affect safety. I remember proudly the trust my driver displayed in me as a young man, by letting me drive the locomotive responsible for switching (we call it shunting) and pilot duties at Liverpool Street station, an 18 platform main line London terminus. (He of course was tucked up asleep in bed!) That was how train drivers were made in those days, one mostly learnt on the job, and it was a great time. I have driven trains pulling nuclear waste flasks, loose coupled (unbraked) goods, passenger trains, and high speed freightliner trains, and never ended up as a driver, or engineer as you say. Because of the slow promotion, one had to wait for someone to leave, before moving one step nearer. I worked at Stratford Depot in East London which has since been replaced by commercial and other buildings... Happy Days!!

(A repost of an earlier reply.. seems pertinent to this post too!)

Eddie

Sounds very similar to how Samuel Clemens described the situation of learning to be a steamboat pilot.

 

[Acela150]

When boarding trains at PHL and RTE when it's a toaster you can see the Engineer and some look to be around that retirement age. But if I was working freight I would switch. It's a federal job!

Steve

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Can't wait until I'm old enough.

Wait.

Um-- Can't wait until they come to Ohio!

 

[had8ley]

When boarding trains at PHL and RTE when it's a toaster you can see the Engineer and some look to be around that retirement age. But if I was working freight I would switch. It's a federal job!

Steve

I dunno about it being a Federal job Steve. The best explanation I ever got was that Amtrak was a quasi-public entity. Not that they act like it most of the time. Both freight and Amtrak employees enjoy basically the same benefits and retire from the same system~ Railroad Retirement~ which is based on your last five years of earnings before retirement. It is roughly twice what Social Security pays but RR'ers pay in twice as much as Social Security.

 

[Trogdor]

Amtrak employees are not federal employees.

 

[rile42]

Can't wait until I'm old enough.

Wait.

Um-- Can't wait until they come to Ohio!

Then you better hope that John Kasich is not elected governor. He said last week he would stop the 3-C iniative. He said he didn't know one person that would ride the "39 mph train".

 

[George Harris]

Then you better hope that John Kasich is not elected governor. He said last week he would stop the 3-C iniative. He said he didn't know one person that would ride the "39 mph train".

So make it faster. Can't think of a better reasson. I have been hearing this 39 mph, but it makes no real sense, considering that many of these same lines hosted 50 mph trains 50 years ago.

 

[John Bredin]

I have been hearing this 39 mph, but it makes no real sense, considering that many of these same lines hosted 50 mph trains 50 years ago.

39mph is (an estimate of) average speed, not maximum speed. You couldn't get a 39mph average with station stops unless the train routinely exceeded at least 50mph. Nonetheless, the opposition is seizing on the lower number like a starved dog on a bone. It's the same tactic used to describe Acela (which, quibbles about how much it runs at 150mph aside, routinely runs between 110 and 135mph) as an 80mph train, which is true but IMHO misleading.