Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Becoming a locomotive engineer isn't easy. It's particularly
difficult if your goal is the head end of a passenger train, but
it's not quite so hard if you're after a job as a freight engineer.
Basically, it boils down to supply and demand. Most engineers,
or at least the older, married ones, seem to prefer working for
Amtrak because of convenience. An Amtrak engineer works a
set schedule and thus has the luxury of knowing in advance
when he'll be at home and when he'll be away. A freight engi-
neer, however, is usually on call and goes whenever and wher-
ever he's needed.
Then there's the matter of training. Before someone can
even be considered
for an engineer's job, he or she has to spend
ten weeks in a classroom. One section covers instruction in the
mechanical aspects of the equipment, another deals exclusively
with air brakes (reflecting the obvious importance of knowing the
hows and whys of stopping a train weighing many thousands of
tons), and the third is a detailed review of the operational rules of
railroading. From the classroom, an engineer trainee moves into
the cab of a locomotive working with a qualified engineer for
a full year of on-the-job training. Even after the classroom and
on-the-job experience, there's still no guarantee that the trainee
will be selected. Some would-be engineers are rejected because,
according to one veteran engineer, they “just don't seem to have
a
feel
for it.” No matter how long they've been on the job, every
engineer goes through refresher training periodically and must
take regular exams to qualify and requalify for the specific terri-
tory he or she works.
Of course, the engineer is the person who controls the loco-
motive that pulls the train. She alternately operates the throttle
to start the train in motion and keep it moving and operates the
brakes to slow or stop the train. She also controls the whistle and
constantly uses the radio to communicate with the conductor and
the dispatcher.
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