sprules1996 Wrote:
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> I recently applied with UP for conductor jobs in
> Oakland and Fresno. I was just wondering if anyone
> here knows where crews run to from those two
> places. It sure would be interesting to see many
> of the lines I have railfanned from the cab.

Oakland and Fresno are both "Away From Home" terminals for pool crews. Both locations have primarily yard and local jobs, plus one or more Extra Boards that cover any vacancies, including occasional "Made Up" pool runs that can go in any direction.

Couple of things to mull over before you take that giant leap of faith. First, just because you get hired at Oakland or Fresno doesn't guarantee you'll be working at either location. UP can force-assign you to practically any location in the Roseville Service Unit as a result of the so-called Hub Agreement.

Second, unless this has been fixed since I retired 13 months ago, UP was not paying for lodging for new hires. For example, a lot of people from the San Joaquin Valley had been applying for jobs that UP advertised in Oakland. The initial classroom and OJT stuff takes weeks to complete, and UP was not providing lodging during that period. The small per diem amount they pay during training didn't come close to what it was costing the new hires out-of-pocket.