Pros
The job is actually fun. Pay is decent and I absolutely love all of my colleagues. Being a conductor is great and everything you imagined as a kid but … this review isn’t about the actual job it self, so let’s move on to the cons…
Cons
Horrible executive leadership , local managers are snakes and will literally fire you if you walk wrong, toxic environment with very low moral. We haven’t had a pay increase in 2 and a half years and it sounds like we’re looking at a pay cut shortly, divorce and suicide rates are high, there is absolutely no work life balance, new hires have to work at a reduced pay rate for their first 5 years, being on call is to be expected with this job but when the phone rings to go back out after being only being home for 10 hours gets old fast, the rule book is 3 inches thick and they make amendments almost daily making it difficult to keep up with, a certain strategy or maneuver that was perfectly legal yesterday might get you fired today, and then be legal again tomorrow, trains have tripled in length and weight since 2019 with no extra pay, most locomotives you see on trains are shut down for “fuel conservation” making for a grueling 15mph trip, unions are very weak and just want your money so all the chairpersons can get together for an all inclusive trip to Las Vegas.