Did you ever consider being a conductor?

*Blinks.

Some of the old time trains such as the Captiol Limited on the B&O had dormitory cars. Passengers are welcome, provided they pay.

IF they started to build sleepers onto a freight engine set, you could not get any sleep. Those turbos are about as big as a man and when howling in notch 8 it's like trying to sleep inside a machine for what it really is while being either roasted on the dynamics or gassed by the exhaust.

They could hang old Amtrack sleeper cars behind the engine with a cook down below for the crew if need be to run that train 24/7 No problem.

Wouldnt that be something.

Bottom line, you are a Train Crew, being away from home is something you give up in hopes to have a better prosperious future for you and yours. It is my prayer and heartfelt blessing to you that you have a peaceful spouse and children who appreciate your long hours and days far from home trying to make a life for them far better than what you had as a kid. And not stuck or saddled with a rebellious squabbling combative spouse and parasite kids who drain your soul as you break your bones against the demands of your bosses.

 

There are other conductor jobs that give you set days off. It just depends on the terminal you are working at. If you have enough seniority and can hold a yard job. Then you may work 3-5days a week on a fixed schedule. There are also jobs called "local jobs" where you go and pick up cars or drop off cars at industries like a refinery or grain elevator. Yard and local jobs are usually very high seniority.
On a road train you don't get to travel the country. You only run in your terminals territory. You get on a train and take it to the next crew change place or terminal. A usual roap trip consisted of 12hr shift out, a 10-24 hour rest period in a hotel and another 12hr shift bringing a train back to the terminal.

 

If a guy could get a decent run that'd be awesome. I could run Banff, AB and west into BC through Golden and Revelstoke none stop. I love that area.

 

I remember a old black and white photo of a gal with a tray of food being served to a local crew on a steam train in Virginia Creeper daily the picture showed the brakies in the baggage car paying her money and gathering the food for everyone to eat. This was around 1930 or so.

Makes me wonder how in the world railroad men communicated to local food places to have food ready for them daily at a spot and time according to a train's schedule more or less. If memory serves O Winston may have been the one that took it so it will be in his collection online somewhere.

 

How could anyone tire of the scenery here?

 

That pass has a wonder of the world engineering. It's a spiral tunnel of some 220 degrees and one level below emerging at a crazy angle below the advancing train trying to cross over.

People should see it. It's a creative solution to a mountain wall.

We don't have the steep epic mountain passes here in the east. There is one north of Hagerstown that requires pushers to puff it's way over straight up. And just as hard on trucks without big horse in that area. Another would be Front Royal. Used to have a recording of the Southern Cresent Ps4 steamer puffing slower and slower over it as it lugged a few thousand tons of heavyweights.

 

There's actually 2 spiral tunnels. The lower one is easiest to see. You can stop at a rest area on the highway and see it. The upper one requires some hiking though as it's above the highway.

 

My son-in-law recently obtained his engineer's license. He works a certain local route between lumber mills in our region. He's home every day. Unlike his old father-in-law who drives truck and is only home 2 to 3 days a week.

 

There is a local that serves what is left of industry in Searcy, but unfortuantely someone boarded up the Geep and painted it wild colors as a radio controlled remote toy. So sad. No one drives inside of it properly anymore but hang a radio belt on some poor sap who has to do everything by himself to save costs....