Union Pacific Job Comments

[route246]

I am not a mechanic, nor am I in IA but I'm wondering people's opinions on this job listing. I'll copy/paste the heading because the link will go away when the job is filled. The reason I ask is because I am a rail-fan and interested in anything having to do with trains. Indirectly I am a UP shareholder so I'm curious as to how UP treats their employees and whether this is a good job or not.

Heck, if I could afford it I would pay money to do this job for a month or two just to gain access to these locomotives that I like so much.

Here is the link.

DIESEL MECHANIC

Work Location: Mason City, IA

Closing Date: Apply early as this job may be removed or filled as soon as there are sufficient applicants.

Salary: $21.44 per hour

Basic Purpose of Job:

Diesel Mechanics are responsible for the inspection, repair and maintenance of the engine and mechanical components of diesel electric locomotives. Physical duties involve occasionally climbing and maintaining balance on locomotive steps and ladders to gain access to the locomotive roof; maintaining balance when occasionally walking on catwalks, running boards, uneven terrain, ballast, and roofs while making repairs; stepping around objects and equipment on the floor; performing work while occasionally bending and stooping, and being in awkward postural positions; performing occasional overhead work for short periods of time; lift/carry and push/pull objects weighing 25 lbs (frequently) and up to 86 lbs. (usually with assistance); and remaining standing or sitting for more than one-half of every work day with the opportunity to periodically change position for comfort.

 

[Redex]

I am not a mechanic

Well I have some bad news: It says right in the listing minimum of two years experience.


BTW, the industry does not like railfans. Don't ever let them know you're a foamer.

 

[biscuit141]

Why does the industry not like rail fans? Would they want people who love and enjoy what they do?

 

[Redex]

Why does the industry not like rail fans? Would they want people who love and enjoy what they do?

Because railfan =/= good worker.

In fact, it's usually the opposite. Railfans treat the job as a hobby rather than a real job and they usually burn out quickly. Working for a RR is a lifestyle.

 

[mercman86]

Because railfan =/= good worker.

In fact, it's usually the opposite. Railfans treat the job as a hobby rather than a real job and they usually burn out quickly. Working for a RR is a lifestyle.

Yes, and it is a very difficult lifestyle. I am a Locomotive Electrician, and I am still getting used to it. Even after a year. Wouldn't trade it for anything though. If you truly want to get involved with a RR, try starting out as a shop laborer or maintence person. From what Ive gathered talking to the old timers that I work with, former foamers are the ones that get killed out in the yard. Standing afoul of tracks going "woooow."

 

[hefty lefty]

Because railfan =/= good worker.

In fact, it's usually the opposite. Railfans treat the job as a hobby rather than a real job and they usually burn out quickly. Working for a RR is a lifestyle.

I know some longtime railroaders that are still foamers but usually it gets very old very quickly. I was a diesel shop laborer for about a year and quit. I gave two weeks notice, had good work reviews, but when a few years later I applied for a conductor job I found that I had been blackballed. I had job offers from Loram, Sperry Rail and the like but never a Class 1. Doesn't bother me much today. I'm over 50 and wouldn't do it for anything now.

There are a number of perceived issues with hiring foamers and the bottom line is that a lot of them have not worked out. I was never a foamer: I like airplanes a lot more than trains. So if you want a railroad job you have to avoid acting, looking or talking like a foamer.

Remember, they have no way of knowing you are a foamer unless you tell them or convey to them you are....or unless you have been busted for trespassing or otherwise come to their notice.

As far as the lifestyle, it depends on what craft you are in and what jobs you are able to hold within it as a result. NO job on the railroad is as detrimental to family life as truckload carrier trucking...or being a sailor inn today's US Navy. Track gang or signals would be the worst but those are jobs for young men....and i do mean men...anyway. Train crews are usually home every other night or so, which is just like LTL union trucking. This always needs to be contrasted with truckload carrier trucking which will keep you out for seven to fifteen days a time.

Life on a Class 1 railroad today can be frustrating occasionally because of stupid or self centered management, but in general, all the railroaders I know who had careers before the railroad are pretty happy people more often than not. The ones who never did anything but railroad, their father and grandfather were railroaders, etc, are the unhappy campers and always convinced the railroad is out to get them personally and runs for the express purpose of frustrating, aggravating and screwing THEM. I know enough railroaders to say with confidence this is true less than 99 but more than 70 percent of the time.

In my business we deal with BNSF and UP, but both are minor customers. Truckload carrier truck lines, truck stops and other Class 6,7,8 truck maintainers are primary. So I deal with railroaders and truckers of all types and it's always interesting to see the various attitudes, mentalities and outlooks of all the subgroups and segments.

 

[cheechi]

People who repair things tend to see the negative side of everything first, and eventually remove or reduce the negative to a fixed state. I don't have much experience with railfans but let me give you a few examples I try to avoid.

Microsoft fanboy = ****** pc tech
Cisco fanboy = ****** network engineer
brand (dell, hp) fanboy = ****** contract negotiator

In any of those cases, I will try as hard as possible not to work with the above. I definitely wont send clients to them. The only exception is for warranty service and i will specifically say 'go to x shop, do not let this guy touch it'

If you fix things and you're not a negative *** pessimist you aren't doing something right.

 

[Sea_Chicken1]

Interesting thread, I just learned allot about the RR in a few posts. I am a structural and hydraulic mech in the Navy and have been looking at applying to the railroads when i get out. I want to take the knowledge and skills i have gained and apply it to diesel mechanics. The Burlington Northern and Union Pacific are some of the top veteran employers.

 

[jeffk14]

What's a "foamer" and where did the term come from?

 

[Imcrazy]

Me=10years with MP/UP and the wife = 32yrs with UP.

Rail management abuses their workers. It been that way for years and years.

They go out of their way to make sure you understand that you are nothing more to them than any other consumable item that they have to purchase. Once have used you up or injured you they will kick you to the curb so fast it will make your head spin. They have NO loyalty to their employees.

Their union jobs unfortunately pay just enough to keep you there.

As far as being a rail buff you will be sick of that in no time.

YMMV

 

[jeffk14]

Me=10years with MP/UP and the wife = 32yrs with UP.

Rail management abuses their workers. It been that way for years and years.

They go out of their way to make sure you understand that you are nothing more to them than any other consumable item that they have to purchase. Once have used you up or injured you they will kick you to the curb so fast it will make your head spin. They have NO loyalty to their employees.

Their union jobs unfortunately pay just enough to keep you there.

As far as being a rail buff you will be sick of that in no time.

YMMV

So What you're saying is, railroad management is no different than management in most of the rest of corporate America these days.

 

[Steinmetz]

Interesting thread, I just learned allot about the RR in a few posts. I am a structural and hydraulic mech in the Navy and have been looking at applying to the railroads when i get out. I want to take the knowledge and skills i have gained and apply it to diesel mechanics. The Burlington Northern and Union Pacific are some of the top veteran employers.

NAS Whidbey?

 

[hefty lefty]

Interesting thread, I just learned allot about the RR in a few posts. I am a structural and hydraulic mech in the Navy and have been looking at applying to the railroads when i get out. I want to take the knowledge and skills i have gained and apply it to diesel mechanics. The Burlington Northern and Union Pacific are some of the top veteran employers.

Yes, veterans and "Diversity Hires" are about all they will interview at BNSF right now. It is very political with Uncle Warren and his friend in the White House.

Before deciding between UP and BNSF find out the differences in seniority as they apply to craft or location transfers. When I worked there BNSF had craft seniority, which meant you kept your seniority wherever you went in your craft but if you changed craft you lost it. UP was the opposite. Makes a big difference if you are going into maintenance of way or signals at a young age, because you will want to change craft at some point. Track gang is physical work and no one in their right mind wants to do it past 30-35 or so or they will be a wreck at 45. Signals is rough stuff early on but you become a bench tech or CO telecom type once you have time in.

 

[Sea_Chicken1]

What's a "foamer" and where did the term come from?

Look up " Excited Train Guy " on youtube.

 

[hefty lefty]

So What you're saying is, railroad management is no different than management in most of the rest of corporate America these days.

If you want to railroad with a decent lifestyle and some respect, get on with one of the few, but not terribly rare short lines out there. They don't pay Class 1 wages but they pay well for the remote locales they tend to be in. There you can be an all around railroader. Downside, or upside, is the locations which are usually remote and there is nothing to do except hunt, fish, farm that kind of stuff.

Class 1 and 2 railroads are big corporations with big corporate unions (and a union is a business like any other). Some of the officials really are sadists or extreme incompetents, just as some of the craft workers are goldbricks, pilferers or what not. But overall, a union railroad job is the last good paying real blue collar job in America. I know a number of train crew who have college degrees who left successful business or professional careers to be railroaders and none of them would go back. Like anything else, railroading is not for everyone and if over the course of a few years if you are unhappy with it, leave. Go back to school, start a business, whatever. The RR pays enough there is no excuse for a railroader working several years not to be able to put a nest egg away to do something like that.

 

[Sea_Chicken1]

Yes, veterans and "Diversity Hires" are about all they will interview at BNSF right now. It is very political with Uncle Warren and his friend in the White House.

Before deciding between UP and BNSF find out the differences in seniority as they apply to craft or location transfers. When I worked there BNSF had craft seniority, which meant you kept your seniority wherever you went in your craft but if you changed craft you lost it. UP was the opposite. Makes a big difference if you are going into maintenance of way or signals at a young age, because you will want to change craft at some point. Track gang is physical work and no one in their right mind wants to do it past 30-35 or so or they will be a wreck at 45. Signals is rough stuff early on but you become a bench tech or CO telecom type once you have time in.

Thanks for the good info hefty. Track Gang sounds like being a E-1 in the line shack. I just want to do something that allows me to get my hands dirty and apply my skill without going back to destroying myself. Ill be 30 in a couple years and want to get out of aviation but the reality is it has to pay about the same. I might get stuck in aviation just to keep up the living standard for the short term. There are schools that can certify out the door without a gap in trade skill. Allot of the jobs out there want hydroelectric with a plus in diesel mechanics or vise vesa.

 

[hefty lefty]

Thanks for the good info hefty. Track Gang sounds like being a E-1 in the line shack. I just want to do something that allows me to get my hands dirty and apply my skill without going back to destroying myself. Ill be 30 in a couple years and want to get out of aviation but the reality is it has to pay about the same. I might get stuck in aviation just to keep up the living standard for the short term. There are schools that can certify out the door without a gap in trade skill. Allot of the jobs out there want hydroelectric with a plus in diesel mechanics or vise vesa.

From a maintenance standpoint airlines and railroads are very similar. There are still airline jobs if you want to go where they are. The A&P license is important and tough to get through the military unless you go to a vo-tec they ma pay for. FCC General Radiotelephone is a plus. Aircraft are generally cleaner to work on and the environment is too. All the airlines are union except Delta, I think is still not but they pay union wage and have a good history of labor relations.

If you have the intent of staying in the shop vs. railcrew TYE, or something else on the airline side, one is as good as the other. Railroad retirement is good but it is no longer the munificent deal it once was.

General aviation on the other hand...phooey, phooey, phooey. Stinks on ice as a career. One of the UP management guys we deal with has an Aeronautical Engineering degree from Embry Riddle, 4000 TT hrs, commercial, multi, ifr, CFI, CFII and ATP and an A&P and he finally gave up on GA and took a management job with UP. Doubled his last salary.

 

[route246]

Foamer is a term used for a ******** rail-fan. It is short for "foaming at the mouth" regarding the excitement of seeing a train pass by.

What's a "foamer" and where did the term come from?

 

[otis66]

Looks like a decent starting pay with basic job description. I'd go fo it, even if I did not have 2 years experiance, fake it till you make it.. Once you get your foot in the door other job opportunities will become available. It is very hard to get a job with a rail road company unless you know someone. The fact that you found a posting for the job changes your odds of getting the job. Good luck.

 

[hefty lefty]

Foamer is a term used for a ******** rail-fan. It is short for "foaming at the mouth" regarding the excitement of seeing a train pass by.

Yes, but it started as a pejorative, like "Yankee" or "Methodist" and adopted by the railfans themselves.

 

[Hghgrad]

Shops are some of the easier work where I'm at. I've been on the CN, former Grand Trunk/DTI for 13 years or so. Generally, transportation gets the super crappy end of the stick. We work the long hours, layovers, get constantly beat on by management. Shop guys to home every night, they work scheduled hours and they don't have quite the spotlight...although I'm sure they get their share.

I'm 3rd generation. I don't hate my job as an engineer...but I don't love it. There's a few foamers around here and they seem to still like it even years later.

Why not try it out. You'll get to see the complete other end and appreciate what we go through on a daily basis.

 

[Hiball]

Working for a RR is a lifestyle.

That sums it up right there... I've seen lots of people come and go in my 17 years, its not for everyone.. What's funny is every time I meet someone for the first time and I tell them what I do for a living. Is always the same response, "locomotive engineer" Wow, what a cool Job, Your so lucky... I'm here to tell you, it loses its coolness factor real quick. Especially early on when your working every weekend and holiday, I'm not complaining the pay/benefits are good, its dealing with all the other BS that gets old. Don't even get me started on management trainees, you can't learn how to railroad by going to college.. Railroads in general are heavy on hiring veterans right now, I'd be willing to bet that better than 50% of the new hires have some military experience. It used to be that you needed to have family or a inside connection to get hired, it seems at least with NS they have kinda got away from that, I've talked to lots of guys who couldn't get there family hired recently. I'm not sure if its because most railroads are using outside agencies now or what.

 

[Hghgrad]

CN has also strayed away from the family connection. Our process is mostly online now.

Being an engineer is a great job, when its raining or cold . Those are the days I like it the most

 

[Hiball]

CN has also strayed away from the family connection. Our process is mostly online now.

Being an engineer is a great job, when its raining or cold . Those are the days I like it the most

Lets not forget about Hot days...AC is Especially important when sitting inside a Black engine... I had a conductor the other day who had forgot to pack His rain gear, I told him he could borrow mine, his happiness quickly subsided when I pulled my engineers license out of my wallet.

Lol

 

[Hghgrad]

Lets not forget about Hot days...AC is Especially important when sitting inside a Black engine... I had a conductor the other day who had forgot to pack His rain gear, I told him he could borrow mine, his happiness quickly subsided when I pulled my engineers license out of my wallet.

Lol

It's hard having a leaky window

We're just starting to get ac on our yard units. I really don't work the road but a few months a year, but we don't have a whole lot of road units with ac in this area either.

 

[Hiball]

It's hard having a leaky window

We're just starting to get ac on our yard units. I really don't work the road but a few months a year, but we don't have a whole lot of road units with ac in this area either.

I used to be tougher, but I cry like a little girl when I don't have AC.. It's tough getting Air into a wide body, it can be done by cracking the front door.. But that bring a extra element of danger to the ball game.

Do You work per a "mileage agreements" (road) or the Cn/IC type?

 

[jaymz1967]

Look up " Excited Train Guy " on youtube.

Wow that guy likes trains.

 

[trackwelder]

Guess I'm one of those guys

I could have transferred to almost every dept, but I prefer m&w. Working in a loco or car shop would send me to the nuthouse.

 

[Hghgrad]

I'm hourly, working under the CN IC agreement. 10 hour basic days, but the pay is pretty great. Our engineers board is a guaranteed 10/14 board. We get 2 consecutive scheduled days off a week, and get paid for 5 days a week as long as we protect. It's a pretty sweet deal for the most part.

 

[Sea_Chicken1]

Wow that guy likes trains.

That guy gives me the creeps. Something ain't right in his head.

 

[Hiball]

I'm hourly, working under the CN IC agreement. 10 hour basic days, but the pay is pretty great. Our engineers board is a guaranteed 10/14 board. We get 2 consecutive scheduled days off a week, and get paid for 5 days a week as long as we protect. It's a pretty sweet deal for the most part.

How many jobs did you lose when you went from mileage to the Cn/IC agreement?

 

[Hghgrad]

We lost an entire shift, but we were short handed anyways.

The former CEO hunter Harrison wanted everything streamlined, so they found something we had left in an agreement from like 1960 that cut us out of all our arbitraries. We were screwed either way, so we picked the way that paid better.

 

[Hiball]

We lost an entire shift, but we were short handed anyways.

The former CEO hunter Harrison wanted everything streamlined, so they found something we had left in an agreement from like 1960 that cut us out of all our arbitraries. We were screwed either way, so we picked the way that paid better.

Pm sent.. <-- I'm sure these guys don't want to hear us ramble about RR stuff. Lol

 

[cheechi]

I'm sure these guys don't want to hear us ramble about RR stuff. Lol

Well I thought it was interesting. Not from the foamer perspective, from the 'I also kind of hate my job just like everybody else' perspective.

 

[bobcatdan]

This thread has been very informative and timely. For shits and giggles I applied for a conductor portion with CN. Passed their online testing and waiting now to see if I get an interview.

 

[mercman86]

I work for BNSF. You lose your seniority if you change crafts. You also lose it if you go out of your seniority district even if you stay in the same craft. Even that's too risky because you have to "quit" and re-apply for the same job just like anyone else. We had a guy who wanted to work in Los Angeles and that's what he had to do.

 

[Kracin]

I am not a mechanic, nor am I in IA but I'm wondering people's opinions on this job listing. I'll copy/paste the heading because the link will go away when the job is filled. The reason I ask is because I am a rail-fan and interested in anything having to do with trains. Indirectly I am a UP shareholder so I'm curious as to how UP treats their employees and whether this is a good job or not.

Heck, if I could afford it I would pay money to do this job for a month or two just to gain access to these locomotives that I like so much.

Here is the link.

DIESEL MECHANIC

Work Location: Mason City, IA

Closing Date: Apply early as this job may be removed or filled as soon as there are sufficient applicants.

Salary: $21.44 per hour

Basic Purpose of Job:

Diesel Mechanics are responsible for the inspection, repair and maintenance of the engine and mechanical components of diesel electric locomotives. Physical duties involve occasionally climbing and maintaining balance on locomotive steps and ladders to gain access to the locomotive roof; maintaining balance when occasionally walking on catwalks, running boards, uneven terrain, ballast, and roofs while making repairs; stepping around objects and equipment on the floor; performing work while occasionally bending and stooping, and being in awkward postural positions; performing occasional overhead work for short periods of time; lift/carry and push/pull objects weighing 25 lbs (frequently) and up to 86 lbs. (usually with assistance); and remaining standing or sitting for more than one-half of every work day with the opportunity to periodically change position for comfort.

you had better get some experience on your resume first OP.

i applied for the same job a while ago, and they want someone who has done it before, been there, done that etc, that has some sort of degree or cert from a school for diesel mechanics.

i worked at a foundry as a mechanic for a while not even a couple miles from UP, had to see their damn trains on display going over the bridge back into omaha every day. if you are looking for a mechanic job, there are far better ones out there, right now the one i landed pays much better than up does, and imho, is a better gig for somebody who doesn't want to travel around all the time for their job which for the UP job, it was specifically asking about travel multiple times on the job questionaire.



there are a few places out there that don't require experience to get into, just a good standard knowledge and they will train you, but i don't think UP is one of them

 

[TexMedium]

I met "Excited Train Guy"s" brother or uncle or cousin or something this past weekend. We endured a series of steam engine excursions out of my terminal. The goofball told me that "he pitied me" because i wasn't jumping around like a ten-year-old with his first hard-on on account of "that beautiful Locomotive!" I came very close to activating the guy's dental plan. But seriously, what the other railroaders have said is true, it isn't a bad paycheck, but it is the most painfully earned, and begrudingly paid, paycheck i've ever brought home. If the carrier could force us to do it for free, they surely would. Which means they might be better off hiring more "foamers", THEY would do it for free.

 

[Kracin]

I met "Excited Train Guy"s" brother or uncle or cousin or something this past weekend. We endured a series of steam engine excursions out of my terminal. The goofball told me that "he pitied me" because i wasn't jumping around like a ten-year-old with his first hard-on on account of "that beautiful Locomotive!" I came very close to activating the guy's dental plan. But seriously, what the other railroaders have said is true, it isn't a bad paycheck, but it is the most painfully earned, and begrudingly paid, paycheck i've ever brought home. If the carrier could force us to do it for free, they surely would. Which means they might be better off hiring more "foamers", THEY would do it for free.

in a mechanics line of work, generally the harder the job was the more satisfying it is to complete. if all you want to do is the easy stuff all day, a different line of work would suit you (that is, up until you get near retirement age which is where i see all the old timers slow down and prefer the simpler stuff because they have been through the routine for so long). just the way i feel about the kind of work that does beat you up sometimes every day before you get home. gives you a better sense of reality than the people who complain about hard work and you see they don't do much all day, see it all the time.

 

[Hiball]

in a mechanics line of work, generally the harder the job was the more satisfying it is to complete. if all you want to do is the easy stuff all day, a different line of work would suit you (that is, up until you get near retirement age which is where i see all the old timers slow down and prefer the simpler stuff because they have been through the routine for so long). just the way i feel about the kind of work that does beat you up sometimes every day before you get home. gives you a better sense of reality than the people who complain about hard work and you see they don't do much all day, see it all the time.

I believe when he is referencing "painfully" earned, he isn't referencing the difficulty of the actual job, its the incredible amount of hoops you must jump through to complete even the simplest tasks. There is No satisfaction in taking 15 minutes to do something that would normally take 2-3 minutes, its just a bye product of the world we live in. It's hard to take, but as long as there paychecks don't bounce, i try to comply.. Lol