Back to My Tools

 

     Last month the decision was made that I should go back to my tools, and I am not upset about it at all.  I missed getting dirty, I missed the camaraderie of being on a gang and most of all I missed building things.  I will not get into all the political BS that I know some of you reading this are hoping for. Sorry sunshine but the absolute biggest take away I have from my time in management is to focus on the positive, because the negative can easily consume your life.

     I really feel like I have been given a second chance.  When I was in management it was all life consuming, I worked ALL the time.  I went an entire month without even laying eyes on my horses or cooking my husband a meal.  That is not the life I want to live and I am so happy to have been given the chance to find a better balance.



First fish of the season!

     So the positive, I am back on an 8 on and 6 off schedule, so I have a little more time on my hands.  Of course me being me, I have quickly filled that time.  I have started taking a writing class, I found an old barn that needs to be taken down and I am waiting on permission to start recovering the wood.  I plan on riding more, writing more, cooking more, building more and enjoying the hell out of life more.  There are a lot of fish out there to catch and mountains to climb.

     My first week back was interesting, I had to drive the boom truck for the first time in 2 years and I was definitely a little rusty.  There was a little gear grinding going on and I did have to stop on a hill when I missed my downshift. It is coming back, but I could still use a little practice.

     I am on a crossing gang now and we have plenty of crossings on our schedule and each one requires a specific design so I shouldn't have much of a chance to get bored on this gang.  I am already pinking up the place with my pink tools, pink nails and pink phone charger but I made cupcakes so the guys can't get to upset with me.  In the future look for more posts with me in awkward and interesting positions.  If anyone has any questions they would like to ask, post them in the comments and I will try and answer them in future posts.


My pink phone charger in the work truck

5 Tips to get Hired on a Railroad

 

"How do I get on with the railroad"?  "I applied but I didn't even get an interview".

When I tell people where I work, one of these two things is usually the next thing out of their mouth. There isn't really some strange trick, nor do you have to be the brother of the president to get hired, but there are a few things that you can do to up your chances of getting a job with a railroad company.

There are a lot of different positions that major railroads offer, but most people are asking me about transportation, track or signal jobs.  Here are a few things you should know about these jobs before applying for them. Too often I see people get hired only to run the other way once the work actually begins. Railroading is not for everyone.  If you get called to an interview, the presenter will tell you this while also showing you all of the wonderful things that you will get if you are lucky enough to be chosen for the position.  Lets skip the cool video and smiling faces and get the bad stuff out of the way.

Railroading is 24/7/365

Time to go to work Timmy

If you don't want to work on your birthday, anniversary, Christmas, Easter etc., this job may not be for you.  In any one given year it is unlikely that you will have to work all of them, but you can bet that you will have to work some of them and you won't always know which ones.  If you work in transportation you do not get holidays. If you work in the track department and a train falls off the tracks on Christmas morning, open your gifts quick because you are going to work. If you work for the signal department and Gary the gate runner gets hit at a crossing on his way to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving dinner, tell your family to save you some pumpkin pie because you are going to work.  This is how these jobs work, you will get called in the middle of the night, when you are at a movie, when you are just getting in the car to go on that long planned date with your spouse.  So if you are looking for a predictable 9-5 type job, this job probably isn't for you.

Come rain, snow, sleet or hail...

Drowned Rat

In case you haven't noticed, railroading is also a mostly outdoor job.  If it is raining, you will get wet.  If it is snowing you will get cold and wet.  While most of the time we do try and take the weather into consideration, trains have to run and they need track and signals to do it so if you are working in these types of positions, there will be days that you resemble a drowned rat.

It's dark out at night.
This fact doesn't seem to register with some people until they are standing in the middle of the national forest at 2am trying to find a broken knuckle.  There are places in this world where there isn't a lot of light pollution, and railroads run through these areas.  If you are afraid of the dark, this job probably isn't for you.

Night Grinder

If you read through those 3 paragraphs and still think you would like to work for the railroad here are 5 tips to get you started.

1. Double check your online application.  Many times someone who is qualified will slip through the cracks because they have forgotten to check a box somewhere on the online application.  Go back through and double check that you have completed each section, answered all of the questions and that the box you have checked, is the box you meant to check.

2. Brush up on your basic skills.  Most applications require you to complete a basic math and reading test before being hired. If you are like me and have forgotten most of the rules of dividing fractions you can go to a site like this one to get a little free practice before you take the test.  Yes, I know it is for kids, but anyone that has seen "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader" knows that kids are better at this stuff than adults. 

3. Highlight outdoor or on call work on your resume.  As I said in the beginning of this post, this work is mostly outdoors and mostly on call.  If you have held positions in the past that have required you to work outdoors or on call make sure the person reading your resume can find that information easily.  Google even has a resume builder that can help you show off your skills. 

4. Discuss the job with your family.  The interviewer is going to ask you about this, he is a railroader and he knows that this job can be very tough on families.  Have a serious discussion with your family about how they will feel about you being gone a lot, on holidays and on short notice.  If you have already had this discussion with your family you can be confident when you discuss the topic with your interviewer.  Family issues are the number one reason people quit the railroad, showing your interviewer confidence in this area can be the difference between getting hired or not. 

5. What have you done for safety?  Safety is a big deal on the railroad, too many people get hurt or die doing these jobs, so you can bet that you will be asked this type of question.  Before you go to your interview think of ways that you have contributed to safety in your past positions and practice telling a short story about it to a family member or friend.

Good luck with your endeavors

The Dig From Hell

     I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I wanted to post about this particular dig and it has taken this long to get it done.  This is not a dig (no pun intended) on the crew working this job, this is just to illustrate what a giant pain in the hind parts this has been.
 
The task; dig a 6,000 foot trench and install power cable to replace a solar location.
     Sounds like a fairly easy job, grab the trencher and go to work, but that plan was not to be.  You see this location is solar for a reason, if it was that easy, there would already be power there.  No this location is on the edge of a mountain side, with a pretty good drop off into the Potomac.  To say that access is limited would be the understatement of the century. Add in that we were originally trying to do this in sub freezing weather and it all adds up to a 3 month dig. 
     After breaking some equipment, renting bigger equipment, taking a break to let the weather warm up and chipping back the side of the mountain, I am ecstatic to say that this job is finally done.   I need to thank the crew that worked on this, and the transportation department for working with us and giving us some great track time to get it done.

     I have a few more big digs coming up on another project and I am praying that I won't have anything nearly this exciting to talk about.  I have added a few pictures from the project for your viewing pleasure. 

Chipping back the mountainside

Dig man dig!

Follow Your GPS

Amelia Island, FL

         I hope everyone is enjoying their winter, or maybe you are more like me and are just praying for spring.  I titled this post "Follow Your GPS"  but it also could have been titled "I Really Need a Camera"  because in following my GPS I have seen some very interesting things, and only a few I have managed to get pictures of. 

       In my new role as a signal construction engineer, I drive.  A lot.  And I don't always know where I am going. I am often told to go survey one job or another, given a mile post or signal name, patted on the head and sent on my merry way.   Enter my handy, dandy GPS that is programmed with every mile post on the system.  This is a truly handy thing to have, but it doesn't always work as intended, or at least not how I intend it to work.  On occasion the GPS has told me things like "Turn left on road"  or "Navigate off road".  In both scenarios there is usually a corn field or a deer trail where it tells me to turn.  That leaves me driving around trying to find access to the right of way.  The bad part is I can usually see some railroad tracks they just right there!  Although there was the time I saw a back hoe, and a signal bridge and thought I found what I was looking for, only to find a crew of very confused NS signalman.  Ooppss wrong railroad.

      Even when you put in what sounds like a normal address, it does not always take you where you want to go.  For example, I punched in the address for the Days Inn in Bridgeport, WV and ended up on a single lane road in front of a lovely farm.  Honestly I would have gladly stayed at the farm, but it didn't look like they left the light on for me.  So I found a hill where I had 1 bar of signal and pulled over to call the Days Inn to get some real directions.  Judging from the number of cars doing U-turns on this road, I wasn't the only one with this problem. 

      So you really have to have a sense of adventure to do this job and blindly follow your GPS all over the countryside.  Sometimes it takes me down highways, sometimes back roads, the occasional dirt road and sometimes it is just confused and I am out in the middle of no where looking at one of those strange paper maps trying to figure out where to go.  The one thing I can always count on is that I will see something beautiful, strange, or otherwise interesting.  Although I hate the snow, some of the scenery it creates is amazing and I often find myself wishing for a better camera then the one on my phone.  Since it is currently the only option, I have included a few pictures that I have taken with my phone, and hopefully I will soon be the proud new owner of a digital camera, and can show you some of the other things I run across, you know, like the haunted mansion/campground. 

 Keyser, WV

Snownado

How To Kill A Truck

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year, Happy Nothing if that is your choice and Happy all of the other things that I forgot. 

      I have been happily employed as a Signal Engineer for about 3 months now, it is challenging, interesting, and I like the people I work with very much.  The problem I seem to be having is keeping my work truck road worthy.  Now it isn't really a truck, it's a Chevy Tahoe, but still, it is a bigger than average vehicle.  One that say a deer could see before it SLAMMED into the drivers side door! 

      That is what happened the first week I had the truck.  I believe I had it for about 6 days.  There I was driving along and I see a deer standing on a high bank on the drivers side of the road.  I slowed down in case he ran out in front of me, but I guess I screwed up his timing, because he ran into the drivers side door, took out my drivers side mirror, used his little spike antlers to carve a scrape in my window, spun around hit the drivers side rear door, and got up and ran off.  So not only did I have to do an accident report 6 days into my new job, but I didn't get any venison out of it either.  This type of incident will also allow you to test your heart functions and your vocabulary, as your heart rate rapidly increases and some colorful language follows. 

     So I got the truck fixed while I was on vacation in November (see shameless brag photo below) and all was well, or so I thought.  Just before Christmas I was cruising up route 81 and dash lights start flashing and the engine starts making a god awful noise. Not good.  I pull into a Sheetz station and called the fleet service.  (A Sheetz station is a gas station + minimart + deli, kind a like a super WaWa for those of you in the northeast) 

     The shop got to it the day after Christmas and low and behold I needed a new engine, there is a piece on one of the lifters that tends to wear out, or so the man at the shop told me.  So in the span of 3 short months I have had to replace a door, a mirror and now an engine.  If this keeps up I am going to have a whole new truck in a year.  They have given me a Toyota 4 Runner to drive in the meantime, if I break this one I might be in trouble. 

     As I mentioned I also went on vacation in November, and we had a blast.  We went to a resort on the Estero Bay in Florida and I went on my first private fishing charter.  Oh so worth it! So here are my shameless brag pictures.  (I did catch the biggest fish!)

My Yearly Whine: Womens Winter Clothes

     I whine about this every year, and to be fair it has improved, especially in the women's hunting gear area.  However, it still has a long way to go.  Most of the time women's winter clothes are half as thick and twice the price as men's winter clothes. Men also have a ton more options. When I go to the Cabela's website and click on long sleeve shirts for men I get 3 options; light, medium and heavy weights.  On the same site I click on the long sleeve shirt for women, and that's the only option I have.  In the men's section there is also a tab for flannel and chamois shirts. 

     Even in Tractor Supply today there were 2 racks of long sleeved shirts for women, one with really thin shirts, one with some slightly thicker shirts.  There were about 6 for men and they were all thicker with the exception of the sale rack from their summer shirts.

    
Lets look at some examples.

This chamois shirt is a light weight cotton for $39.99

For the same money you can get a medium weight men's chamois shirt

For another $5 you can get the men's heavy weight version.

Here is a better example of the money doesn't equal fabric equation.
Women's version $79.99 Flannel with Sherpa lining

Men's version $50.00 (granted this one might be a close out)

     I should probably also mention that I hate clothes shopping, and in general find women's clothing to be outrageously priced.  Marshals is probably my favorite year round store, but there is no way I am going to find real cold weather gear in Marshals.  So guys, this may be one of the reason that your girl is freezing while you stay toasty.

     Normally this would just lead me to wear men's clothing all winter long, but now that I am a supervisor I am supposed to look professional, not like a grunge kid from a bad Seattle band.  So this year will be particularly challenging.  My goal is to stay warm, not go broke and look like some type of professional.  As always, I am always open for suggestions. 

Goodbye Transportation, Hello Signals

      So another chapter begins.  This week will be my last week as a train master, next week I will be back to the signal department as a signal construction engineer. Actually next week I will be on vacation, but I digress.  I am very excited to be back on the signal side, the signal department brings some great challenges and the technology tickles my brain in just the right way.  I am also looking forward to sleeping on most nights. Working all night is probably what I have had the hardest time with as a train master, I guess I am not as good as I once was. 

     My experience as a train master has been great and I have really learned a lot through this job, both personally and professionally.  On the professional side, I feel like I have learned that preventing fires is much easier than putting out fires.  On the personal side, the biggest thing I have learned is to shut up and listen.  There is tons of great information out there and you don't learn anything with your mouth open. I also know I probably need to work on that one some more.

     So now that that's out of the way lets talk about some of the other things that have been going on.  First I need to add something to my list of strangeness from my last post.  Ever have someone call in late because of exploding cantaloupes?  Yea, it happened.  There is only one large highway in Cumberland, and many of the guys use it to get to work, but when a cantaloupe truck catches fire, the cantaloupes heat up, the juice begins to boil, which creates steam and BOOM! exploding cantaloupes.  So for fear for their own life and the life of others, the fire department shut the entire highway down, causing a several mile back up in both directions.  The ensuing back up of course caused some folks to be late, so then you get, late for exploding cantaloupes.

      We also had a steam engine come in on a flat bed to go to the Western Maryland Railroad to be refurbished.  Wow there were a lot of really excited people out there about that thing.  Sorry foamer friends, I did not get any pictures.  Once it is refurbished I promise I will get a few pictures of it. 

     And just a few random things that I have come across.

 This is my new favorite meme

  

This is what the dispatcher writes when he doesn't know how to spell your name