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My schedule is laughablly easy, even though I have three academics. I'm taking English II Honors, Spanish I, Cypress Singers, and World History Honors. I have at most half hour of homework a night, as we don't do paperwork in Chorus, and my History teacher doesn't believe in homework or tests. In Spanish I pretty much nap and read Trains Magazine since everyone else in my class is too stupid to understand (too much pot I guess). English all we do is group work, so smooth sailing for me this semster. Although I'd rather be on a train than in school.
 
ARE YOU KIDDING ME. :eek: I get a pushed to the limit. 3 hours of homework each night, my teachers do "teach", but make it fun, plus I have AP Feild Biology, and a few electives outside of school. B-51 don't you have math or science? I would say you're in a true "Sophomore Slump". I went throught the same (a study hall, plus machnical drawing then rugualr classes minus the Latin). B)
 
I'm in between you guys as far as Homework goes. I do take electives that aren't too complicated (especially creative photo, where I'm bringing in some amtrak photos on tuesday). My teachers also "Teach"
 
My school has like absolutly NO budge so I take for granted the education I recieve from some really awsome teachers. For istance my Latin teacher is setting up a trip to Greece and Italy, and my Astronomy teacher uses his own money to buy many things that the school would never pay for.
 
battalion51 said:
Well I've been taking some heat lately at school because I'm (as the 31 year vet says) a Trekkie. My Spanish I (please excuse me while I hurl) notebook is plastered with equipment names, service names, shop names etc. Then yesterday I told this stupid freshmen that I wanted to work for Amtrak. She gave me this look and I'm like "Hey they make 45 Grand starting bi***!" Nobody disses me, Amtrak, or trains and gets away with it.
Way to go Battalion! I used to take a lot of heat for my obsession with transportation when I was in school. At least you were able to get away with calling the bi*** a bi***! :D In my day I would have been expelled.
 
battalion51 said:
My schedule is laughablly easy, even though I have three academics. I'm taking English II Honors, Spanish I, Cypress Singers, and World History Honors. I have at most half hour of homework a night, as we don't do paperwork in Chorus, and my History teacher doesn't believe in homework or tests. In Spanish I pretty much nap and read Trains Magazine since everyone else in my class is too stupid to understand (too much pot I guess). English all we do is group work, so smooth sailing for me this semster. Although I'd rather be on a train than in school.
B51,

I used to sneak copies of "Trains" magazine to school, too! :rolleyes:

Speaking of "Trains", have you read the September, 2002, issue?

There is an article titled "Hard Lessons" that you might want to read several times before deciding on a railroading career. I spent 25 years of my life in the transportation (but not railroading) industry. As a result, I have no wife, no kids, and very few friends. Bottom line: it's not an easy life. But if that's what you want, go for it!
 
I will read that soon, I'd like to go for something higher level in Amtrak if anything, otherwise my knowledge will go to waste.
 
I think Amtrak President Gunn has no kids and I'm not sure he has a wife either. I could live without a wife, but the crews aboard Amtrak trains seem to develop into their own little family and you probably will make a lot of new freinds. I do have railroad knowledge, however, I also have a lot of knowledge in Feild Biology/Sciences. I'm at that point in life where I really don't know what I want to do. Time will play its self out. B)
 
Viewliner said:
Allen, welcome to the forums. In school the most I get is a little chuckle out of the photos on my binder.
Thanks for the welcome!

In case you are wondering why my avatar is an Amtrak bus, I worked for Greyhound for 15 years.

You kids keep your grades up and pursue what ever vocation you think fits.

:)
 
If I could offer some advice (actually was given to me but I did not listen) work hard, get top grades, go to Harvard, Yale, U of Penn or Stanford Business School, and you'll have all of the ingredients for a road to the top with Amtrak (or any other railroad) :)

Good luck to you guys, I hope you get what you want!
 
Hey, Viewliner and others; This piece of advice----save your money....if I had followed the advise I was given when I was some of your ages I would have been able to take an early retirement and would be riding Amtrak all over the place all the time . As it is I will be "slaving away" until 66......so.....save that dough......really.....I mean really.........
 
Welcome to the forum, Allen Dee. You will find it a lot of fun. I am an old-timer but I try to keep up. You will do well. On the subject of TRAINS, referred to several times already. I used to be given old copies of TRAINS as an award for performing chores when I was young.They were at an old book store--eventually I was to start a sbuscription. Today, I can proudly say that I have every edition of TRAINS ever printed, since its inception about November of 1940. It used to have a much smaller page than it has today. I think about 1949 it expanded its page size to about what it is at present.
 
Bill Haithcoat said:
Welcome to the forum, Allen Dee. You will find it a lot of fun. I am an old-timer but I try to keep up. You will do well.  On the subject of TRAINS, referred to several times already. I used to be given old copies of  TRAINS as an award for performing chores when I was young.They were at an old book store--eventually I was to start a sbuscription. Today, I can proudly say that I have every edition of TRAINS ever printed, since its inception about November of 1940. It used to have a much smaller page than it has today. I think about 1949 it expanded its page size to about what it is at present.
Thanks for the welcome, Bill.

I am an old timer, too, though not in the railroad industry.

I have read that David Gunn has a similar collection of "Trains" magazines. I think that it is great that Amtrak finally has a seasoned railroader (and railfan) for a CEO.

I can remember reading old issues of "Trains" magazine when they were new. When I was a small child, the husband of one of my mother's best friends was a Motorman on the now-defunct Pacific Electric Railway that served a great portion of southern California.

On the Saturdays that my mother had to work, which was quite often, this guy was my babysitter. He took me to work with him.

His job was the Catalina Special. The PE ran special trains from downtown LA to the Catalina Island steamship dock. I got to ride in the cab. You can imagine what a thrill it was for a kid infatuated with trains high-balling down the 4-track main.

Every time I hear the song "26 miles accross the sea, Santa Catalina is a waitin' for me" I get goose bumps!
 
Amfleet said:
Thank you for all your encouragement. It does mean a lot to me as well. B)
When I was a senior in high school my civics textbook had a chapter that predicted the future of transportation in America. You have to bear in mind that this civics textbook was written in the early 60's.

The author of this civics textbook stated that all Pullman sleeper service would be eliminated by 1965, that all passenger train service would be eliminated by 1970, and that the majority of the freight railroads would abandon their routes by 1980.

The author went on to state that the airline industry would remain at its present level, that the interstate highway system would be 10 times what it is today, and that the majority of freight and passengers would use the highways instead of other modes.

Well, he was partially right, and I bought into his theory. I abandoned all thoughts of a career in either the railroad or airline industries.

Many years later, while I was working for Greyhound, I ran into several drivers who read the same textbook and made the same conclusion that I did.

The bottom line is: don't let anyone talk you out of a railroad career! It's not an easy life, but if you can hang with it, go for it!
 
tp49 said:
If I could offer some advice (actually was given to me but I did not listen) work hard, get top grades, go to Harvard, Yale, U of Penn or Stanford Business School, and you'll have all of the ingredients for a road to the top with Amtrak (or any other railroad) :)
Good luck to you guys, I hope you get what you want!
I didn't start college until I was 28, Greyhound and the Vietnam war got in the way. My major was Transportation Management, and it was an awesome course of study.

The general education courses were typical, but the transportation courses were absolutely fantastic. Most of the students were "older" people like myself, but there were several "kids" just out of high school who made the classes very interesting.

These kids brought videos to class of both railroad and airline themes. The instructors allowed these kids to play their videos in class. I will never forget the video of a UP "Big Boy" taking on Sherman Grade out of Cheyenne, WY.

My advice, kids, is to pursue the highest position you can in the field of transportation.
 
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