Yee-haw! Choo choo's

[ODDJOB UNO]

my younger son was just offered a JOB with the UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD based out of green river wyoming as a crew member.



since hes a snow board hunting fishing fool he is smack dab btwn steamboat sproings colorado and jacksons hole wyoming. in the heart of ELK COUNTRY!



and he gets to buy a NEW VEHICLE AT COST for himself and (1) family member-ME, because the UP hauls so many freight cars.




mmmmmm we would (2) NEW GMC K-1500 5.3 liter 4wd, Z7-1's please w/sunroofs.



yep i told him the high temp for green river is 104 degrees F down to -40 degrees F!




cant wait til he sets me up with the teddy rooselvelt chair on the front of the engine so i can go shooting elk/antelopezz'/buffalo, from the front of the train!



hmmm note to self...............UP is hiring out the kazoo, maybe they are expecting mfg and increased freight coming up here.coal shipped out of green river is distributed to over 36 states coal fired generating plants. 150-175 car trains full of it, every stinking day.



hes gonna be a RICH 22 year old!

[VINMAN]

Freight conductor?

[scottmandue]

Super cool!

My job is just ok and my wife is just making a paycheck.

But I thank the Lord everyday that we have jobs.

[s_wilwerding]

I work in the IT Dept. at UP - great company, really great benefits (especially if you are you non-agreement, which you probably will be). If you're willing to work, yes, you're right, you can make very good money.

[ODDJOB UNO]

UP is hiring across the country. he will have 14 weeks of training, and then run from kansas all the way to the west coast. primarily from denver to salt lake.


full benefits. on call 24/7. 4 hrs to respond if called.



45K TO START!



yes we already know about salary/union vs mgmt issues.



mega mega super duper kick yer azz OVERTIME! and i told him to do it as long as he can stand it and build a foundation nestegg.



hes torn btwn joining USCG and this vs working 300ft up on wind turbines.


problem is he has to finish college(3 semesters) as we have told him the ONLY way to join the USCG is with a 4 yr degree and become an OFFICER instead of enlisted grunt.


UP will pay for him to complete his degree.



yes he is trading 300ft up on a wind turbine danger for the dangers of railroading.



but come on....................who the hell wants to work on wind turbines in illinois or new york. NO ELK/NO MTNS CLOSE for snowboarding.

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by s_wilwerding

I work in the IT Dept. at UP - great company, really great benefits (especially if you are you non-agreement, which you probably will be). If you're willing to work, yes, you're right, you can make very good money.

this is my son hes 22 years young(emphasis on young). kind of played a lil too hard snowboarding at NAU and mommy(ex) cut off his funds.


he went from mucking pools about a day and 1/2 a week last july, to working 6 days a week 12 hr days on wind turbines. 1st real job he has had.


he has saved up by being a curmudgeon, $10K bucks. not bad for july august sept oct working his butt off.


last july he couldnt rub 2 nickels together.



hes stoked, im stoked. we LOVE TRAINS! told him he can always apply for a transfer down to southern az. UP route.



but once he hits jackson hole powder and steamboat springs champagne powder, he will never want to come home again!



its pretty damn cool watching yer kids FLUTTER THEIR WINGS and PUT THEIR BEST FOOT FORWARD!



now with (2) kids i am batting .500 so far. the older one is selling windshield glass and welding corrals /fences part time. and only has a high school diploma. we are working real hard on turning his azz around. when he heard about his brothers job and what hes gonna make he about poo'd himself. typical older brother jealousy.

[tcar]

UP has diesels now...

I'd only do it if they still had steam engines,

4-8-8-4 Big Boy, baby... There's one here in Denver.

[VINMAN]

I've always been a huge train nut. In my younger days I would have killed for a train crew job.

[ODDJOB UNO]

when i was younger i applied to BNSF in san berdoo kalif. never got an interview.


hell i would do it NOW if i wasnt so damn old.



whenever hunting in the happy hunting grounds the 1st thing we do when scouting is find the train crews and ask them where the deer and elks are crossing.


had (2) friends when i was younger whose dads worked for BNSF or SF back then. rolling in the dough w/overtime new trucks etc. as they got a job with SF running "burro" cranes on derailments. had some great stories about boxcars of fords chevys dodge you name it being involved in derailment and the R.R.'s 1st priority is to clear the track for oncoming trains. they used to dig giant azz'd holes in the ground with front end loaders and then use the "burro" cranes and dump the boxcars/car haulers you name it in the holes and place 8ft of dirt over them as the railroads are self insured.


my buddy working out of belen new messiko also told me about the day the amtrack misread the signals and came barreling down the track at him at 75mph despite him in a D-10 dozer working on the tracks! it got kind of hairy for a while for him!


but hell we could be on our puters and get zapped by lightning and keel over dead.



DANGER IS EVERYWHERE!

[peppy]

My brother was a brakeman for N&S. It is hard work.

[onlycafe]

tell him not to mess with this guy!

[MotoSook]

Wind turbines wll not last...and it'll be a long time before railroads are put out of business. Tell him to horde all the hours he can while he's got the energy, then use his degree or get a degree to move up the UP ladder or go somewhere else.

[jcwade]

I have worked for the Railroad for 34 years. First with the Southern Pacific and then the UP. I started as a brakeman and am now in management.

Railroading in general and the UP in particular can be a rewarding career.

The potential for advancement in the next 5-10 years is phenomenal. There will be a huge amount of retirements in all crafts and departments. Me included.

I would advise him to get his degree and get into management.

As a Transportation Manager, you get to ride any freight train you want to (you won't want to), but if you get high enough (VP Level), you get your own train.

John

[MotoSook]

John,

What does a VP do with his own train?

[ODDJOB UNO]

hey hes a kid. just turning 22 in about a month. as mentioned he went to community college 2 years, then went to NAU for a year. the PAR-TAY time and winter games at snow bowl greviously injured his GPA. his mommy frowned on this greatly and pulled the plug and it went downhill fast.


typical low self esteem, hated muking pools, hated life, couldnt understand why he wasnt the freeking CEO right out of the chute. and hated the fact he wasnt gonna see a ski slope for a damn long time.


understand the "job" he had at snowbowl ski area was in rentals. and his other "job" was chasing gnarly moguls and partying .


and of course "dad" being "dad" gave him the drastic REALITY BATTLE/WAR CRY of ....................GET A FREEKING JOB! about 62 mill-yon times every HOUR!


so he took my advice, and started searching for jobs. found this wind turbine job and off like greased lightning to rochester new york then ontario canada, then bloomington illinois..


hes getting real damn good at planes trains and automobiles just like his "dad".


yes i was a road warrior and made good bucks. and i learned ALL ABOUT EXECUTIVE CAMPING in some la quinta, hampton inn holiday inn super 8 motel 6 blah blah .


right now as i write i was on the phone answering questions about his applications. he hit the job ACCEPT BUTTON and he is on his way.


cant be prouder. his older brother about poo'd himself silly that his lil dum azz squirt brother got a damn good MEGA JOB in this economy let alone being on the road for 4 months STRAIGHT and making decent bucks.


hell i didnt have $10,000 bucks in the bank when i was 22! so yeah older brother is EATING CROW BIG TIME! hope thats the impetus for him to get off his lazy azz.


but the BEST PART..................iz im a gonna catch me some TROUTS in the green river and shoots me some ELKS and ANTELOPEZZ'z in wyoming and have a place to fall asleep for FREE! hahahahahaha


and its a GREAT IMPETUS for me to buy the younger one a .454 casull or .460 smith this xmas for those PESKY WYOMING BEARS!


i always wanted a nice BIG BEAR RUG!

[gr8fl4porsche]

I'll wave to him as he goes by if he runs as far as the mighty Mississippi.

UP passes 28 times a day about 170 ft from my front door. There goes another one! Mostly coal cars now since the local Chrysler plant shut down.

[Embraer]

I got offered the Transportation Management Trainee Job at UP several years back, (I was furloughed from a flying gig). Seemed like a really great opportunity. They told me to expect 80 hour weeks, in all weather. Pay was great to start...think around $45K or so.

Sometimes I wonder what I'd be doing if I would have taken it...

[ODDJOB UNO]

hey go to UP's website. they are HIRING BIG TIME for anticipated heavy freight all over their trackage.

[enzo1]

my BNI friend sent me these pics...

[slakjaw]

Cool!

I was offerd a tech job at the Omaha HQ but I opted for a tech job with Sprint in MN for a bit more money. was a huge mistake though I do like MN living.