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Originally posted by Goober1000:
Greetings

How far do Amtrak train crew work on a train before going home?

Is it one day out then the next back home?

Thanking you
Goober1000

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Welcome Aboard Goober1000,

How far an Amtrak crew works depends on the train and also whether the crew member is primarily involved in operating the train or if they are providing on-board service.

The operating crew would include the engineer, the conductor, the brakeman, and any assistant conductors or assistant engineers (formerly fireman).

These people generally will work a train one direction one day and return home the next. Operating crew members change about every 8 hours or so at predetermined points along the route....Florence, SC for instance for the Auto-Train, Silver Meteor, and Palmetto.

On long-distance trains, On-Board Service crews such as those in the dining and lounge cars or the coach and sleeper attendants do not change. They work the entire run of the train regardless of how far it goes. An on-board service person on, say, the California Zephyr will work three days out, spend the night in California, and then work three days back to Chicago. These are the folks who sleep when they can in the crew dormitory car which most long-distance trains carry. They then have 4 or 5 days off before they make another trip.

On-Board service crews in the corridors (NEC, San Joaquin Valley, Midwest, Cascades, etc) work pretty much like the operating crews because an entire run for most corridor trains is only like one shift.......two at most.

Hope this helps,

David Pressley
 

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Posted by Goober1000 (Member # 3732) on :
 
Thanks for all that information, much appreciated.
 

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Posted by Railroad Bob (Member # 3508) on :
 
Good answer from David (notelvisthankfully). All I have to add to his discourse are a couple of remarks. The Operating Crew maximum federally allowed day is 12 hours and they frequently can see that, esp. on the transcons that get delayed. If they "die" they have to be replaced by a fresh crew (it's called "dogcatching" in RR jargon) where they hit the 12 hour mark. It's federal law and applies to all Class 1/union operations. Not sure about the rules for non-union short lines, but none of them handle Amtrak to my knowledge. As to the corridor trains, David is partially correct. In my district of the Surfliners, the LSAs (bar attendants) and TA Business class can easily work longer than the operatiing crews, up to about an 18 hour day. For example, the LSA may start in San Diego and go all the way to Santa Barbara or SL Obispo, then back to LA or SAN before he is through for the day. Then he may only have about 4 or 5 hours sleep and have to do it again, where the operating crews are mandated about 8 or more hours sleep before they can go on duty again. By the way, the whole thing about "service time" was originally based on the "100 mile day" and how long it took a crew to go that far. As speeds increased on railroads, the 100 mile day got shorter, and eventually they went from 16 to 14 to 12 hour maximum service days. The unions fought rightfully for this as it is a safety issue. However, Amtrak On Board Service crews can still work "until they drop," with no iron clad federal hours of service law to protect them. Just a fact of life that the crews deal with and live with...they do get paid for all those hours. Hope this helps answer the question a little more.
 

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Posted by Genesis803 (Member # 122) on :
 
Thanks for the great information. I have a few questions though. Does the on board service crew get paid for A) the times that they are away from home but aren't actually working on a train, ex. a layover between trains, and B) does the on board service crew get paid for any time that they may be able to sleep while on the train in the dorm car ect.?
 

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Posted by MDRR (Member # 2992) on :
 
Genesis803...The answers to your questions are no and no.
 

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Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :
 
The 12 hour law is exactly that. A law. Union, non-union, shortline or class 1.
 

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Posted by Barty (Member # 3746) on :
 
Hello,
Say when an Amtrak train is running on BNSF rails, is it run by a BNSF crew, or does Amtrak have it's own crews?
 

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Posted by Railroad Bob (Member # 3508) on :
 
Right George, but what about the Zoo train that runs around Balboa Park in San Diego? I don't see the FRA with stop watches there. Sorry, just had to inject a little humor here. Genesis, it's a complicated question, but extremely long OBS layovers (don't think they exist anymore at ATK;) did pay some partial hours. There used to be a very long San Antonio layover that paid an 8 hour day per 24 hours waiting at the hotel. It was a Sunset job for LAX crews. And the sleep hours in the Dorm car are not paid, unless interrupted or shortened by an emergency, late train, conductor request, medical situation, etc. Then pay can be continuous. Maybe a current A-traker can clarify how many down hours they get now. When I worked long hauls, the downtime was only 4 hours in a 24 hour period.
 

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Posted by Railroad Bob (Member # 3508) on :
 
Barty,

Amtrak has its own crews, qualified to run over the various RR divisions. They must pass all the necessary exams and student trip requirements. There are some exceptions, where you might end up with a pure freight crew, such as a BNSF crew as you mention:

1) The regular Amtrak crew has "died" or exceeded the Hours of Service, and the Dispatcher staffs the train with the nearest rested freight crew, if an Amtrak crew is not available. Or,

2) An Amtrak train is being "detoured" over freight-only trackage (a railfan's delight, regular passengers nightmare!) and no regular Amtrak crew is qualified on those rails. Sometimes a "pilot" is placed in the engine to inform of the rules to the Amtrak engineer. The "pilot" would either be a qualified engineer or officer of that railroad's division, such as a Road Foreman of Engines.

3) There may be other exceptions.
 

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Posted by Barty (Member # 3746) on :
 
Thanks for the info Railroad Bob ! I've always wondered if Amtrak had their own crews or not.
 

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Posted by MDRR (Member # 2992) on :
 
Bob, It hasn't changed... still "guaranteed" 4 hours of down time during the night. Everything else as you stated is still the same.
 

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