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My topic my seem a bit vague at first, but I really do mean to cover all the areas. How does anyone get the positions they end up with on Amtrak trains? How does the engineer get hired? Where do engineers get trained for that matter? I've never heard of any sort of "rail engineer" school or anything like that before. How do the conductors get their experience to get hired? How do the "common folk" get hired....from sleeping car attendants to dining car staff? What were their qualifications that got them hired? How high in demand are these jobs?
I know that's a lot of questions in there but a lot of it causes me to be a bit curious. I confess that my curiosity does stem a bit from the fact that I haven't had any luck getting started anywhere after spending 4 years at college hoping it would help.
You might try the above, which are found on the Amtrak website.
RRRICH Member # 1418
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Empire Builder - I believe there is one school out west somewhere that trains (excuse the pun!!) locomotive engineers. I see it advertised in Trains magazine every now and then, but I do not remember the name of the school or where it is located.
As for other jobs, back in the old days, when AMTRAK first started, many of the conductors and on-board service people were holdovers from the private railroads, who they worked for before AMTRAK. Nowadays, your best bet is probably to check with AMTRAK, as "Change at Jamaica" suggested.
D. David Member # 4055
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OT but ChangeatJamaica: Your nick sounds like an LIRR reference. Did you ever live in Queens or Long Island?
North Coast Hiawatha Member # 2323
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Seems like some Amtrak jobs are hard to come by because Amtrak rarely fires anyone, their employees have a heck of a union!
Its like a job on the supreme court---once on it, he or she is there for life!
I would try the Amtrak number or visit a large station like Washington's Union, Penn, or Chicago Union Station though, they may be able to help you.
CHANGEATJAMAICA Member # 3737
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D.David. Mybe off topic, but germane to RR'ing. From 1940 to 1954 I lived within ear/eyeshot of the LIRR station at Hillside and the adjacent Holban Yard where freights were shunted with steam and then diesel power all day and all night every day and every night. When I moved in 1954 I found it difficult to sleep due to lack of backround "noise". Also heard/saw the first scheduled passenger train powered by FBM C-liner as it alit from under the Rockaway Junction overpass just west of Hillside AND rode one of the first double deckers from Hillside to Hempstead. In addition commuted on the OB line to Glen Street and often rode the 5:14 from Hunterspoint Ave to Great River on the Speonk line (first stop Babylon, no CHANGEATJAMAICA, necessary)
Eric Member # 674
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Amtrak trains its Train and Engine crews at a facility in Wilmington, DE. The training lasts several weeks followed by major OTJ training at whatever crewbase the candidate has bid on. Most T&E start out as Asst. Conductors, and move up to Conductor and eventually an Engineer if they choose (if promoted). Amtrak does not hire engineers "off the street," as far as I know, as the positions are usually held for those who have already been in Amtrak train service for a few years. There are a few colleges in the US that offer RR programs. There are two in Sacramento (Modoc and Sac. City Coll.), and BNSF runs a program in Kansas City. Other Class I carriers have similar facilities. Check out http://thebecketts.com/beckettsdepot/depot.html for some good info... Good luck if you go for it!
Railroad Bob Member # 3508
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There have been a few rare occasions where Amtrak has experimented with hiring straight off the street into Engineer school a few years back. The program met with mixed success, and was not received well by veteran Conductors who had tried for years to get in (to Engine school) and were passed over. It was mostly a political thing. In my experience, the best passenger engineers come from those who cross over to Amtrak from being engineers on the freight RRs. It is much harder to handle an 11,000 ton potash train over undulating territory than a 5 car Surfliner.
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