I can't speak for KC, but if I'm thinking of the same school in California, don't bother. That is a lot of money primarily for lessons in a classroom. I know there are some companies that won't consider anyone from there due to their "I already know it all" attitude and expectations of a big paycheck.

You miht try any of the industrial switching operations that seem to be hiring, but there is usually a reason for that. You need to realize that railroading to make a living is far different than railtoading as a hobby. Be ready to compromise.

Most of the Class 1s have people laid off and subject to recall. I knew someone that UP "trained" as a conductor in 2005 - and marked them up "fully qualified" in about 6 weeks. Lucky the kid had a head on his shoulders and survived!

Your best bet is to check out Soo Line (Canadian Pacific in the US) or related companies - they are hiring conductor trainees right now. Be ready for wild swings in the weather. I know that many years ago Soo Line probably had one of the best training programs for student conductors. They had several weeks of classroom with some hands on training. Then each student went to their home terminal and was assigned to an experienced conductor who volunteered to be a trainer. Back to class for a couple weeks for more training and a final rules test. Then back to their terminal for more OJT to learn all the various jobs. It was taking an average of five months to qualify a new conductor.