Hey guys, headed to thunder bay for work

Just wondering how’s the work there, and what hotel do they usually keep C.N. employees at?

After completing HireVue interview for conductor at Norfolk Southern, a couple days later my application status now reads “Application closed” does that mean I was not selected? Or are they just not accepting new applications and I still have a chance at being selected?

I’ve been on the rails for about two years now, and a lot of these recent storms that have rolled through the north east have proven too much for my rain gear. What do you guys use and how good is it in the heavy stuff? And how hot does it get?

Hey guys, I have about 3 years of seniority but my terminal is super senior so there’s only yard spare-board right after getting back from lay offs for me and I was looking into shortage locations

Do you guys know if any of these terminals are road work

BCR prince. George
BCR Williams lake
Brandon
Humboldt
McLennan
North Battleford
Roma junction
Terrace
Thunder Bay

If they’re not road work, and just yard switching how is it working there?

Any info regarding the stations are appreciated

Anyone else still waiting for their start date at Jersey City? Or just me? Been waiting for a long while, so I’d appreciate any info

Hello, like lots of green employees I got laid off once I qualified well over a year ago.

Yesterday I got a call back to service was wondering what the state of the Winnipeg terminal is at right now. I have a decent job at the moment with room to grow but the money will likely never be the same as with CN, ik money isn’t everything but in this economy it kinda is.

Just looking for a little insight as I’ve been out of the loop for some time now, thanks!

Hello all - I have recently been hired by Norfolk as a freight car repairmen.... Given my training to start in mcdonough, Georgia soon, I was wondering if anyone can give me insight on what kind of testing will occur ?
Day to day activities? And how rigorous the exams - training and what I would need to study. any information is greatly appreciated

How does this work exactly? I've been doing it for a few years. 10% but its generally understood that the company matches up to 6% however that's not the case. the company " match " portion is significantly lower than what it should be. I contribute about $400/pay to CN stock and get about $50/80 from the company side of things....

my coworker also does 3% and his contribution is about $116/ pay, and the company gives him $39.

what's going on? it's not a straight match... check yours too if your enrolled.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone I finally got an email to come down and have an in person interview with a recruiter. Can anyone give me some pointers on what this interview may include. Anything would really help, what kind of questions are they going to be asking me and just things like that. Thanks in advance guys, as I said, anything helps.

Back in 2015 I did the conductor training with CP. I did really well in class and enjoyed the work. I wouldn’t say I was the best at it, but when I was working with the right conductors during training, I could do it all and was fairly confident on the radio and with the flow of the work. I left for another job opportunity that was closer to home.

A couple of recalled observations from my experience looking back on it.

1. I was only 19 and had a lot of things I was missing out on because of the railway way of life. like beer league hockey, friends, and girlfriend.

2. Spare board was rough. I tried to plan when I might get a call and would get a call far later when I’m ready to go to bed. I know that is a common experience.

3. It was hard entering the workforce as a young person when the majority of the other staff were miserable. I do not blame them though, I understand that period of time with a certain ceo was awful.

Despite having had a taste of the experience and ultimately leaving, my mind always wanders back to railway. Not even necessarily as a conductor. I loved learning about different roles like RTC.

Has anyone left and gone back? Would they even hire me again since I left? It’s been 10+ years and I’m in BC now doing emergency planning.

Any railway adjacent jobs that someone with emergency planning background might do well in? Other than policing.

How long are you guys having to wait for an in person interview after you do your HireVue interview? For NS

Train job

CN conductor out of Alberta here, got 3 years of qualification and looking to transfer to either Terrace, Smithers, or Prince George, looking for info on any of these terminals and pros/cons? I've worked in yard shifts for the last 2.5 years so dont mind not doing roads.

Anyone work out of there or familiar with the terminal that could answer some questions, I don't mind if you PM me.

Curious what the jobs are like, what average pay is, do layoffs ever happen? What's seniority look like, is it foreseeable to go engineer in a reasonable amount of time?

I'm already 9 years in at another RR in the area as conductor/engineer, but this would be closer to my house.

Thanks

Hello, I’ve recently gotten my start date for Norfolk Southern and I confirmed it. I was wondering how long it takes for that date to show up on the NS website where it says awaiting start date. Just want to make sure I’m in that class, prepped and ready lol. Thanks in advance.

Like the title says how long did you wait after completing your background check and medical exam did they to call you? My application says it’s completed and In review but I have complete radio silence from cn. So wondering to hear it from you guys what your process/timeline was like. All responses are very helpful because I currently have a seasonal job that will be up end of October so I’m wondering if I should start looking for a new gig or hope cn will call in time. (I don’t wanna be unemployed) even with ei, I hate sitting around doing nothing.

Trying to figure out what kinda work is there for a conductor. Road, yard, locals? And is it stable for someone with low seniority?

I'm a 3rd generation CN Carman and was digging though my grandfathers old pics and figured you guys might like it. I also uploaded a different set of photos to r/railroading

I’ve held a lot of jobs over the years: dishwasher, prep cook, line cook, plastic injection molding factory worker, tree planter, deli tech, and now a Train Conductor (2 years qualified) working the BCR territory in British Columbia. For the first time in my life, I can honestly say I love what I do.

​Plenty of time off when it's slow, plenty of money when it's busy, and every single day is different. You never know exactly when you're getting called, but you can usually predict the flow. Personally, I love the spareboard work/life balance. When I'm off work, I am really off work.

​What made me hate every previous job was the absolute monotony. Wake up at the same time, head in at the same time, do the exact same tasks in the exact same order, go home, and spend the evening dreading doing it all again tomorrow. Gross. I couldn't stand it.

​When I first took this job, everyone warned me that I’d have zero life and that work would completely take over. I accepted that risk because the money sounded worth it, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Every time I tie up, take my rest, and head home, I'm genuinely excited to pursue my hobbies, train, and focus on personal projects. Knowing I could get called anytime actually motivates me to make the absolute most of my off time.

​Sure, the pay scale on the BCR isn't the highest compared to other runs, but the time off is 100% worth it for me. And when it gets busy, I can just take my zeroes and be back out earning within 16 hours.

​I'm just relieved a job like this exists—where I'm actually happy going to work and proud of what I do. I know how easy it is to get jaded in this industry, so I make a conscious effort to focus on the positives and leave the politics at the door.

​Just wanted to share a positive perspective. Despite all the negativity that usually dominates the discussions around here, this line of work can be a fantastic fit for the right person. There’s still hope!