I hope this link is legal and works- to the Roanoke Times. Nice story and interesting career path planned.
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Sounds good. He appears to have enough railroad interest to keep him on the job when things get rough. On the other hand, if he gets to see the railroad from the inside, where it isn't as shiny as it is from the outside, he may be disillusioned.
I have a friend who worked for 40 years in engine service for Santa Fe and then for Amtrak, and he complained daily. But he stayed. Another guy I knew as a young railfan came to us and was hired as a Conductor. He never could become a really trustworthy crew member because, to him, the railroad was a full scale layout and he was always paying too much attention to details of cars, etc. He was fired once for causing a sideswipe because, while shoving cars, he turned to watch an unusual foreign line engine passing by on a freight train. You never know how a railfan will fit in (or not).
On the other hand, I worked with some railfan Engineers and Conductors, Towermen, and Operators, who were interested in real railroading, not just in trains, and they excelled at their respective jobs.
So let's hope that this young fellow has the aptitude for the work and the personality to see the big picture, and can handle his life when away from work. If so, railroading will be as rewarding as he anticipates. 
I wish him luck. But, I wonder if there will be any need for Conductors by the time he is old enough to apply for a job with a railroad.
@Hot Water posted:I wish him luck. But, I wonder if there will be any need for Conductors by the time he is old enough to apply for a job with a railroad.
The industry is pushing to reduce two person rail crews, an engineer and a conductor, to one person crews.
John
@Craftech posted:The industry is pushing to reduce two person rail crews, an engineer and a conductor, to one person crews.
John
If that happens, then this young man, presuming he is a Conductor at that time, will be able to use his union seniority on a "mobile Conductor" position, or will be severed and receive a union-negotiated severance payment. Any who are severed will have to find other employment. It has happened in the past, and could happen in the future.
