It's been mentioned here many times that the conductor is in charge of the train. Why aren't conductors required to be engineers first and then promoted from those ranks?
It's kind of complicated....part of it's tradition, part of it's common sense, part of it makes no sense. Here's the deal, in a nutshell-Back in the day, when there were multiple crafts in T&E (Train and Engine Service) there were really two separate career paths.
Train Service-You hired on as a Brakeman/Switchman, (of which, depending on the RR, may have had it's own heirarchy....i.e. Rear Brakemen may get promoted to Head Brakeman, Switchman may have been higher than the Brakeman, etc etc. Again, different railroads, different methods). After several years working as a Brakeman or Switchman gaining operating experience eventually you could test and be promoted to Conductor. This was a BIG deal back then, and could take many years. The Conductor was TRULY in charge of the train back then.
Engine Service-You hired on as a Fireman, or Engineer Helper or similar term (depending on when in history we're talking about, and what RR) and shoveled coal/managed the fire/water, etc, and in diesel days, took care of keeping the diesels, steam generators, and other apparatus's running while the engineer stayed in the cab and ran the train. (remember, back then the diesels weren't as reliable, and the other devices like steam generators needed a bit of coaxing from time to time to do what they were supposed to!) Again, after several years of gaining experience, when an engineer slot opened up on the board, the senior Fireman would get promoted to Engineer.
So, essentially, back when there were 5 man crews, there was a natural progression from Trainman to Conductor, and from Fireman to Engnineer. They truly were two separate crafts.
Today, that's all gone-With just two on the train in most cases, most RR's progression goes from Conductor to Engineer. (yes, Amtrak has "Assistant Conductors" but I would bet the Asst Conductor is really a conductor, the title just establishes the heirarchy and pay based on seniorty...as in, an Ast Conductor COULD work as a Conductor, if called to work that job)
So, essentially, what we have today, is a promoted Conductor, who may be brand new, in charge of the train ran by an Engineer, who may have MANY years more seniority and experience. So, who's really in charge of the train? The Conductor.....BUT, a GOOD new Conductor better know when to not push the issue, if the Engineer makes a suggestion! After a year or two, depending on the RR, the Conductor either MAY go to Engine Service and learn to be an Engineer, or he MAY stay a Conductor, depending on the Railroad. Some RR's force conductors to go to Engine Service within a specified time frame (i.e. within 5 years) some don't, some RR's an Engineer can work as a Conductor, and vice versa, some don't- just all depends.
Some RR's have tried putting people right off the street through Engineer Training, and they never work a day on the ground. I personally am not a fan of that, I really think to be a good engineer, you really need to understand what your Conductor is doing on the ground, and the best way to learn that, is to do it. I personaly think it takes 1-2 years as a Conductor, to really be ready to get in the right seat. Some places have done it with some success, but in my opinion the more experience you have, the better off you'll be-Training someone to run a train that may have 18,000 HP and weigh over 14,000 TONS (or even 2500 HP and 2000 tons, for that matter....), is something you don't want to shortcut. There's just too many rules to know, too many proceedures to follow, and too many things that can go wrong, if you haven't had the experience of watching someone else deal with them first!
Any of that make any sense at all? As I like to say, the Railroad is 150 years of history, unimpeded by progress!
