How to get hired on a railroad has greatly changed over the years. One of the best stories I heard must have been about 75 years ago. A young man in Minnesota didn't wasn’t to work on the family farm, so hiked into town to the NP or GN depot. He asked the agent which way the track gang had left that morning, and hiked down the track until he found them. He asked the foreman if there were any positions open. Being a small town, the foreman probably knew him, at least by reputation. Hired on the spot, he spent the rest of the day working with the gang. At quitting time, they loaded the push car and headed for town. Along the way, they stopped and retrieved a body from under a tree to take into town. The reason there was an open position is that one of the track gang workers had dropped dead that morning.

Today's hiring and railroading is very different. In the great recession of the 1980s, most railroads didn't hire for several years. Once they did begin to hire, the process seems to have shifted to the human resources department, in large part due to changing regulations regarding hiring practices to conform to new regulations regarding equal opportunity and to create a more diverse workforce. It is not uncommon now among Class 1s or the larger shortline groups for the entire application process to be done over the internet, and any interview to be limited to a HR person, not anyone that may be your potential supervisor or coworker. The railroads seem to go through phases as to their hiring practices. One HR manager actually told our class that they often limited their recruiting to areas which would potentially supply the greatest diversity in applicants. Of the class of 17 experienced conductors we had two minorities, and it was one of them that took the two HR ladies to task for that statement as being an unfair practice.

A few years ago, I did apply for a Class 1. Internet application and miserable online testing. Short notice (within a few days) to travel 100+ miles for an early morning hiring session led by the regional HR manager. Morning was spent in a seminar with him describing the position (which he did a fairly good job of considering), then individual interviews scheduled after lunch. The group of applicants was interesting. I was, not surprisingly, one of the oldest ones there (though I had been previously qualified for the position). Most seemed to be in their 30s, quite a few veterans, and no one seemed to be much younger. There wasn't anyone mid-20s or younger. My interview was, like many, a waste of time. The HR guy seemed to think I would be better qualified for a position in the mechanical department. I was aware of an open mechanical position that I was probably more qualified than 95% of any applicant, but I wasn't interested in moving to that town or working nights and weekends for no telling how long doing that work. Needless to say, I didn't get a job offer. Those who did were required to get a physical, drug test and take a physical agility test at some sort of exercise facility which ironically was 45 miles from one crew terminal and about 100 miles from the other. Assuming they passed those, they were required to be in class within a couple weeks, too short of time to give a current employer decent notice, or to settle personal affairs/relocate.

Amtrak had its own peculiarities; the interview was a combination of the local operations manager and a HR manager. They stressed the need for customer service contact for an Assistant Conductor, while most railroads want applicants with outdoor, heavy machinery and/or shift experience. Seniority is EVERYTHING on a union railroad. You never know when just one or two slots will make a difference. One railroad class was determined by age, Amtrak's seniority order was based on the appointment order for your physical, which again, was just a few days notice. Transferring employees were given preference over the new hires, then by age (at least for the new hires). Two on-board employees were on a multi-day trip and missed the original physicals, so they ended up on the bottom of seniority even below the new hires. Another knew what was coming and had laid off a trip so he got one of the higher seniority slots. So be prepared for short notice – and don't delay or ever be late.

Outside of train crew, there are plenty of other positions in track, other engineering, mechanical and signal. Based on the amount of electronic crap they are putting in things, some electronics training would definitely come in handy for sir brakes, signal or locomotive electrical – all which seem to be specialized to the railroad industry. In many ways, these positions could be potentially better than train crew as far as quality of life. Signal and track typically work Monday-Friday, but contractors and traveling gangs that may work out of town for days on end, often at night. And any shop craft may require shift work.

College or trade school isn't necessarily a bad idea – but be very careful as the positions you are considering won't necessarily support paying off substantial student loans. There was a time that the big railroads wanted applicants for train crew to have college degrees (presumably so they could be promoted to future managers), but the railroads seem not to be stressing that much now, and they often take college grads with no previous railroad experience and stick them directly into management trainee programs. Be careful of railroad schools (Choo-Choo-U). Some of these are very expensive, and even if hired you will be left struggling to pay any tuition loan off. Those that are sponsored by the railroads would be your best bet, but even they won't guarantee you a position or even an interview.

For train service – assuming you can get past HR and your age, and get hired – be prepared for what is to come. Typically training pay is at a far reduced rate and you may have to find your own lodging to attend the classes. Sitting in class trying to get through the rules is extremely boring, and a bad instructor makes it worse, but you are required to pass the test or be fired. Likewise the hands-on training can vary from something very good to absolutely horrific. Once you mark up for work, be prepared to go to work on 90 minutes notice 7/24/366 – but the railroad usually can't give you any idea whatsoever as to when you might go to work, and you might be gone four hours or four days. The new hours of service laws have made railroads awful stingy about giving time off at your request – you need to hire an attorney and an accountant to decipher their pay, discipline and time off policies. Your seniority district makes a big difference, and HR usually can't or won't give you a straight answer during the hiring process. Railroads have two tricks – one is to hire and train somebody at one terminal, but once you mark up you discover there are no jobs you can hold and as a result you are forced to move to a often less desirable terminal. I believe that BNSF has a rule that lets them force you back to the terminal you hired out of anytime in the first five years. And be ready for layoffs. I know someone that had hired out on the UP as a conductor, barely got through their probationary position before being laid off. They found others jobs before being recalled, and a few months later laid off again. The last I knew he was still working and said that the current hiring is because many of those recalled did not return. The dropout rate for train crew is phenomenal. One national short line group has an average employee turnover of once a year. I think the retention rate on most Class 1 railroads for conductor is something like only 25-50% still working after three years. With all the FRA required training for almost every position, railroads have gotten obviously picky about hiring new employees, because they need them to stay, or return after a layoff, to keep training costs under some sort of control.

All Class 1s that I am aware of are union. Most shortlines and industrial operations used to be, and paid close to Class 1 pay scale. Nowadays, there are still a surprising number of shortline/industrials that are union, but few of them have a pay scale approaching a Class 1, and in many cases they are about the same as non-union operations. As someone stated, shortlines and industrials generally pay far less – but don't discount them just because of that. Remember that on a Class 1 the 75% starting pay rate is often close to starvation rates in some expensive areas to live, and even after 5 years and hitting 100% pay your seniority is often worthless as some terminals have so few yard, local and scheduled jobs that everyone but maybe the top 10% in seniority are stuck working pool turns or the extra board, or force assigned.

Shortlines and industrials can vary greatly. Some of the bigger ones might have the same working conditions as any Class 1 but at less pay. Others might primarily work Monday-Friday in daylight with holidays off, in which case the lower pay is balanced by actually having a personal life. In my experience, many shortlines have a more stable workforce as they don't want to continually recruit and train new employees. Yet some of the national shortline groups have similar hiring practices, rules and policies approaching those of Class 1s. Some shortlines are a little too "casual" in their operations and are best avoided.

All the railroads seem to treat applicants differently, but there is little chance of finding out in advance, or the policy will change. Some will not hire smokers, or someone they perceive to be a "foamer". Others will not hire anyone with any previous railroad experience or training; many shortlines will typically concentrate on hiring locals and training them.

If you do succeed in getting hired, the best of luck to you. Remember that railroading as a profession is very different than as a hobby. It will not be what you expect, and it will change over time. Regardless of what anyone claims, you will find that as often as they preach about safety, too often they don't want to admit their own stupidity or liability and expect the priority is for the job to get done – so it is up to you, not the company, to insure your own safety and those of your coworkers. Learn how to do your job, remember there are various ways of doing it so pick to one that is safe, rules compliant and you are competent with. If you do work for a union railroad, you also need to learn how to make the money under the agreement.