Apply for a Railroad Job

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An Excellent Job Opportunity

"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week." H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

My husband applied for a railroad job and landed a conductor position with BNSF in 2006. We would like to help you do the same. At 40-something the retirement package is going to make things comfortable, can you imagine if you hook up in your 20's or 30's?

Our goal is to give you important information and links, the rest is up to you ... persist and post your information correctly. 

Please post your question/s in the Q&A form below...we are here to help.


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Using Your Computer to Connect 

Things You Need When Applying

Posting your information via online job boards has become increasingly popular and it's important to be a little computer savvy. Taking a course online and researching the job boards are just a few ways for you to get comfortable and less frustrated in the virtual world.

  • Resume: create your own, ask a trusted friend or associate for assistance, or contact a professional if you are stumped.
  • Work history: If it is:
    ~ limited highlight your goals
    ~ from a different industry emphasize your skills
    ~ a lateral move focus on your desire for change.
  • Current references: make sure to contact your references to let them know someone from 'XYZ' company may be calling them for a reference.

Tips and hints:
  • Once you have designed your resume make sure to also save one in a plain text document, most job boards misconstrue templated or HTML language.
  • When you are ready to apply for a job online pay attention to 'true/false' and 'yes/no' responses, plus review ALL your information before hitting submit.
  • No BS needed, simply represent yourself.

Full Steam to Placerville
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Setting Up Your Email 

It's all in the details :)

  • Make sure your email address is professional. For instance, roadkiller@abc.com or 69lover@somewhere.com should be changed to something more mainstream...like your name or initials.
  • And if you are using your initials make sure they don't turn out like this!
  • There are several free email servers, I have listed a few below. Make sure to read their spam policy and set up your account accordingly.
  • Do a Google or Mamma search for 'free email accounts'

Yahoo Mail        Hotmail

GMail

CN Railway 

Links and Information

Smoke Steam and Timber

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**When you post your resume and personal information make sure to set-up email reminders and updates**

Careers: "CN's goal is to be the best transportation company in North America. Employees working in rail yards, offices and intermodal terminals all bring essential skills to the process and play an important role in keeping our operations running smoothly."

Ports and Docks: "CN-served port facilities provide you with effective entry to the vast North American markets. We are also a key resource for any company interested in global trade. No matter where you are in the world - Asia, Europe, Africa, or the Americas - or where your customers are, there is a CN-served port perfectly situated to meet your needs."

About CN: "Over the years, CN has built solid relationships with the communities through which our trains pass, based on our mutual responsibility to ensure the safety of citizens and employees."

Role of the Yardmaster 

Locomotive Steaming in Station
Train Pic at AllPosters.com

Yardmaster: Coordinate the activities of workers engaged in railroad traffic operations. These activities include making up or breaking up trains and switching inbound or outbound traffic to a specific section of the line. Some cars are sent to unload their cargo on special tracks, while others s are moved to different tracks to await assembly into new trains, based on their destinations. Yardmasters tell engineers where to move the cars to fit the planned train configuration. Switches-many of them operated remotely by computer-divert the locomotive or cars to the proper track for coupling and uncoupling.

Resource: JobBank USA

About The CN 

A Wikipedia article

Antique Steam Locomotives, Elbe, Washington, USA
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The Canadian National Railway (AAR reporting marks CN) is a Canadian Class I railway operated by the Canadian National Railway Company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec.

CN is the largest railway in Canada, in terms of both revenue and the physical size of its rail network and is currently Canada's only transcontinental railway company, spanning Canada from the Atlantic coast in Nova Scotia to the Pacific coast in British Columbia. It also has extensive trackage in the central United States along the Mississippi River valley from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.

The railway was referred to as the Canadian National Railways (CNR) between 1918 and 1960 and as Canadian National (CN) from 1960 to present.

The Canadian National Railway is a public company with 22,000 employees and market capitalization of 21 billion USD in 2008.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

RR Terminology 

A few slang terms that are a hoot!

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Beans = mealtime
Foamer = people infatuated with trains
Hogger = Engineer
1,000 mile sandwich = PB&J sandwich

Click here for more RR terms.

CSX Transportation 

Links and Information

The Glory of Steam
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**When you post your resume and personal information make sure to set-up email reminders and updates**

Careers: Our Vision: "To be the safest, most progressive North American Railroad, relentless in the pursuit of customer and employee excellence."

Awards and Recognition: "We're proud to be nationally recognized by several organizations and publications for our ongoing dedication to excellence, best practices and a diverse workforce."

Environmental Stewardship: "Safety and the protection of human health and the environment are fundamental to CSX's management principles and good business practices." - Michael J. Ward, Chairman, President and CEO

About The CSX 

A Wikipedia article

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CSX Transportation was formed on July 1, 1986 as a renaming of the Seaboard System Railroad and Chessie System, Inc. into one entity. The originator of the Seaboard System was the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which previously merged Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, and later Louisville and Nashville Railroad, as well as several smaller subsidiaries. On August 31, 1987 the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, which had absorbed the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on April 30 of that year, merged into CSX. The merger had been started in 1982 with the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form the CSX Corporation.

On June 23, 1997, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern filed a joint application with the Surface Transportation Board for authority to purchase, divide and operate the assets of the 11,000-mile Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), which had been created in 1976 by bringing together several ailing Northeastern railway systems into a government-owned corporation. On June 6, 1998, the STB approved the CSX-Norfolk Southern application and set August 22, 1998, as the effective date of its decision. CSX acquired 42% of Conrail's assets, and Norfolk Southern received the remaining 58%.

As a result of the transaction, CSX's rail operations grew to include some 3,800 miles of the Conrail system (predominantly lines that had belonged to the former New York Central Railroad). CSX began operating its trains on its portion of the Conrail network on June 1, 1999. CSX now serves much of the eastern U.S., with a few routes into nearby Canadian cities.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

Railroad Information 

For all railroaders

Steam Train

RAILnews.net Rail news for railfans, railroaders, and train enthusiasts.

America's Freight Railroads Work Hard For You Everyday A cleaner and greener America works for everyone. And freight railroads are by far the most environmentally friendly mode of surface transportation...

Railroad Radio RailroadRadio.net is the most popular live railroad radio site on the internet. (Categorized by Time Zone, and listed roughly in a North to South order).

Railroad Links Directory Over 5,000 railroad links. We've searched the web to bring you the best in railroad websites. Hop on board at the Information Train Station and travel to train sites around the world. Online since 1996 and continually adding more listings, we're one...

Association of American Railroads You could actually spend hours on this site! Covers a myriad of topics all about...you guessed it...the railroad.

BNSF Railroad 

Links and Information

Steam Train, Durango & Silverton Railroad, Silverton, Colorado, USA
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**When you post your resume and personal information make sure to set-up email reminders and updates**

Careers: "I'm Matt Rose, BNSF's chairman, president and CEO. Thank you for your interest in learning more about BNSF and the range of career opportunities we have available for you.

As you navigate through our site, you will find that BNSF is on the frontier of shaping the future of the freight railroad industry. We play a vital role in the global economy and..."

History: "Today's BNSF Railway is the product of some 390 different railroad lines that merged or were acquired during more than 150 years.

While many different railroads combined to form the modern BNSF Railway, all shared one or more common features:..."

Diversity: "We've covered great distances in our diversity journey at BNSF, and it all begins with every employee valuing the differences we each bring to the workplace."

Role of an Engineer 

Stephenson's
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Engineers: Among the most experienced and skilled workers on the railroad they operate large trains carrying cargo or passengers between stations.
  • Receive starting instructions from conductors
  • Move controls such as throttles and air brakes to drive the locomotive
  • Monitor instruments that measure speed, amperage, battery charge, and air pressure, both in the brake lines and in the main reservoir
  • On the open rail and in the yard, they confer with conductors and traffic control center personnel via two-way radio or mobile telephone to issue or receive information concerning stops, delays, and the locations of trains
  • Interpret and comply with orders, signals, speed limits, and railroad rules and regulations
  • Have a thorough knowledge of the signaling systems, yards, and terminals on the routes over which they travel
  • Must be constantly aware of the condition and makeup of their train, because trains react differently to acceleration, braking, and curves, depending on the grade and condition of the rail, the number of cars, the ratio of empty cars to loaded cars, and the amount of slack in the train.

Resource: JobBank USA

About the BNSF 

A Wikipedia article

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The BNSF Railway (AAR reporting marks BNSF) headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the four remaining transcontinental railroads and one of the largest railroad networks in North America. Only the Union Pacific Railroad is larger in size. With globalization, the transcontinental railroads are a key component in the containerization of trade from the Pacific Rim. The BNSF Railway moves more intermodal freight traffic than any other rail system in the world.

It was formed December 31, 1996, as the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad. In 1999 the BNSF Railway and the Canadian National Railway announced their intention to merge and form a new corporation entitled the North American Railways to be headquartered in Montreal, Canada. The United States' Surface Transportation Board (STB) placed a 15-month moratorium on all rail mergers, which ended this merger. On January 24, 2005, the railroad's name was officially changed to BNSF Railway.

The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, the holding company formed by the September 22, 1995 merger of Burlington Northern, Incorporated and the Santa Fe Pacific Corporation. According to corporate press releases, the BNSF Railway is among the top transporters of intermodal freight in North America. It moves more grain than any other American railroad. It also hauls enough coal to generate roughly 10% of the electricity produced in the United States. The company's northern route completes the high-speed link from the western to eastern United States.

This was the route of the Great Northern Railway's Silk Extras in the 1920s. They had priority over all other trains, stopping only for refueling and crew changes. These trains transported silk to the east from ships arriving in the Port of Seattle from Japan.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

US Railroad Retirement Board 

Sunny Smile

The following link provides information about job vacancies reported to the Railroad Retirement Board's (RRB) field offices. The list includes orders that the receiving field office does not expect to fill locally, and which according to RRB records remained open as of the end of the month.

RR Job Vacancies Reported to the RRB


**Additional Job Board Links**

Hot Jobs on Yahoo: "Even if you're not ready to leave your job, you can make sure a better opportunity doesn't pass you by..."

Monster Jobs: Join this FREE job network site to access jobs and company searches, plus excellent advice about resumes,cover letters, etc.

USA Jobs: Provided at no cost and offers information on 42,893 U.S. government job opportunities worldwide.

UP Railroad 

Links and Information

Steam Train on the Way to Darjeeling, West Bengal State, India, Asia
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**When you post your resume and personal information make sure to set-up email reminders and updates**

Careers: "Never in Union Pacific's 145-year history have there been as many opportunities for employment and rapid advancement as there are today. With baby boomers retiring in record numbers and the intense demand for our transportation services, we're hiring in unprecedented numbers in every part of our company."

History and Photos: "This is the story of the first transcontinental railroad; the greatest, most daring engineering effort the country had yet seen. The time was the 1860s. Imagine the task. The idea was to span the west with iron rails from Omaha to Sacramento, to build a railroad across two-thirds..."

Fun Facts: Highlighting the lighter side of life is always a good thing. Enjoy!

About The UP 

A Wikipedia article

Steam Locomotive of Heber Valley Railroad Tourist Train, Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Utah, USA
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The Union Pacific Railroad (AAR reporting marks UP), headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.

UP's route map covers most of the central and western United States west of Chicago and New Orleans. As of 2005, UP operates on 32,426 miles (52,185 km) of track, of which it owns outright 26,949 miles (43,370 km), both numbers representing the highest amount of any railroad currently operating in the United States. It has achieved this size thanks to purchasing a large number of other railroads, notably the Missouri Pacific, Chicago and North Western, Western Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and the Rio Grande (including the Southern Pacific). Currently, Union Pacific owns 26% of Ferromex while Grupo Mexico owns the remaining 74%.

UP's chief railroad competitor is the BNSF Railway, which covers much of the same territory.

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

Railroad Job Search Q&A Form 

Please sign the guest book below

Moving train


Please post your relevant question here. We will get back to you with an answer. We also encourage other reader's to give their feedback. Random or off topic entries will be deleted immediately.**Important note** If you do not hear back from the railroad and really want to 'get on the train':
  • Be persistent (don't harass); find out who your local rep is and call or e-mail a cover letter.
  • Don't be intimidated! Instead of letting the job description rule, apply with confidence. Describe your best qualities for the position, even if it's two or three out of ten requirements.
  • Refresh your RR job board listing and search/post for jobs on a weekly basis.
  • If you have military experience contact your local Job Source office for advice.
  • Contact family and friends to find out if they know someone working with the RR. Sometimes a good reference or connection will get you headed in the right direction.
Our best to you!

submit
  • Reply
    clouda9 clouda9 Nov 8, 2009 @ 10:18 pm | in reply to Charles T. White
    Charles please take the time to apply via the links here. We are fairly confident that a family history of working on the railroad makes you a perfect candidate. Be persistent.
  • Reply
    Charles T. White Charles T. White Nov 8, 2009 @ 9:27 pm
    Hello my name is Charles T. White. I found the list of facts and articles above to be interesting and would love to be a working link in the chain that makes the history and future of this company and way of life so sttrong. I can attest to the rewards of hard work and an honest living working for the railroad, my father is a employee of CSX for over 30 years. I would love an oportunity to provide a simular life for my kids that my father provided for me due to a life working on this countries rails.

    Thank You,
    Charles T. White
  • Reply
    Trevor Lowder Trevor Lowder Oct 15, 2009 @ 11:05 am
    This site is great! My good friend works for the RR here in AZ and I am inspired to get on board someday. I'll put my app in somewhere soon and maybe get hired in a few years lol. I know that's not really funny but...yeah, ahem. Anyway, thanks for all of the amazing and upbeat info!
  • Reply
    LindaJM LindaJM Apr 10, 2009 @ 12:40 am
    I love all the job descriptions and railroad information! Angel blessing and 5* for a very helpful lens!
  • Reply
    clouda9 clouda9 Mar 13, 2009 @ 9:02 pm | in reply to Lilly Smith
    You can click on any of the links for careers or job board for the individual railroads listed here. Make sure you let us know if you need more direction. Good luck!
  • Reply
    clouda9 clouda9 Mar 13, 2009 @ 8:59 pm | in reply to Ricky Bolton
    I wanted to make sure to let you know that this is an informational page for finding work with the railroad, it is not the place to put your resume or request for work. Please click on the job links listed for any of the railroads on this page and follow the steps toapply online. Thank you for visiting and we wish you the best of luck in finding a job that will help you provide for your family.
  • Reply
    Ricky Bolton Ricky Bolton Mar 13, 2009 @ 8:28 am
    My name is Ricky Bolton in live in the Wilcox Country area and i was layoff back in November of 2008 I want back to school to get my GED I will take last part of the test March 14,2009 I am a very good working and really do need a job I am a man that really believe that a man should support his family and without a job I can't do that so please gave me the chase I promise I want let you down I am 43 years on and is in very good health don't do drug or anything elfs just man in need of a job
  • Reply
    Lilly Smith Lilly Smith Jan 23, 2009 @ 9:34 am
    Where can I get a application for the railroad?Or were can I apply in person?
  • Reply
    ElizabethJeanAllen ElizabethJeanAllen Dec 15, 2008 @ 6:29 pm
    This is something I think my son would enjoy.
    Thanks
    Lizzy
  • Reply
    Daren Barnes Daren Barnes Sep 15, 2008 @ 2:35 pm
    Just wanted to express thanks for the website and all the encouraging information. I am currently working for the airlines. With little over two years in and formerly laid off with the possibitlities of another lay off from the airlines, I am searching for railroad employment. Would love the security and benefits of a railroad position. I have applied for conductor positions in four different locations. I hope the information on this website can further my chances of employment with the railroad as well as a peace of mind from further layoffs.
  • Load More

Role of the Conductor 

A Steam Engine Chugs Through a Valley Near a Field of Wildflowers, Silverton, Colorado
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Conductors: Coordinate the activities of freight and passenger train crews. On freight trains they review schedules, switching orders, waybills, and shipping records to obtain loading and unloading information regarding their cargo.
  • May move engines using radio control devices.
  • Before a train leaves the terminal, the conductor and the engineer discuss instructions received from the dispatcher concerning the trains route, timetable, and cargo.
  • Use two-way radios and mobile telephones to communicate with dispatchers, engineers, and conductors of other trains.
  • Use dispatch or electronic monitoring devices that relay information about equipment problems on the train or the rails and arrange for the removal of defective cars from the train for repairs at the nearest station or stop.
  • Additionally, they may discuss alternative routes if there is a defect in, or obstruction on, the rails.

Resource: JobBank USA

The Reading Railroad Room 

Everything you ever wanted to know about trains

Easily search for your fave book about trains!

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