College Choices

BrianS Jan 4, 2001

  1. BrianS

    BrianS E-Mail Bounces

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    Greeting, all. I'm currently researching my options in the area of a career in the railroad field. What college majors would support a railroad career? I'd prefer a school within my home state, Ohio, but I'd also entertain the idea of attending other schools in the lower Great Lakes region. Any suggestions on a school? Thanks for all your help!

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    Brian Schmidt
    railohio@hotmail.com
    ICQ #21630753
    AIM - railohio
     
  2. Gregg Mahlkov

    Gregg Mahlkov Guest

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    Brian - traditionally, railroad operating people had a degree in civil engineering, or possibly mechanical engineering and this is still true to an extent today, although many more seem to have MBA's or law degrees today.
    In your area Purdue University (whose teams still call themselves the "Boilermakers") was THE school to attend for a railroad career. Quite frankly though, at the end of a 38 year career in railroading, I am not sure I would advise a college graduate to plan a railroad career, as I foresee a constantly shrinking rail freight industry unless there is a sea change in the way the Class I railroads do business with what smaller customers they have left. If the treehuggers get their way and the coal fired power plants are shut, it's goodbye railroads.
     
  3. Big Al

    Big Al TrainBoard Member

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    Check with Niagara University in New York. They have a transportation management focus within their business department. If you search for their website the descriptions are there, just dig in a bit.

    BTW, college not required to be an engineer/conductor and those positions usually pay better than office jobs. You just have to handle the wierd hours.
     
  4. Colonel

    Colonel Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Brian,
    The Railroad Industry offers a wide range of careers. From civil, electrical and signalling infrastructure to operations (including despatchers, engineers) also large railroads run vast computer networks that require computer engineers etc, of course railroad management is another aspect of the industry. I personnally believe the best managers or engineers are those who have worked their way from the bottom. I have worked along side many engineers and always found the most knowledgeable were those who started as workers or cadets and learnt the industry out of real life experience rather than a book.
    The first thing you need to decide is what aspect of railroading you want to be involved whether it be building , maintianing rail infrastructure or is it getting behing a SD80 MAc and having control of all that horsepower. For me it is Rail signalling, nothing like being involved in a system that safely allows trains to run without the dangers of collision. Signalling is now a high tech area of railroading which includes multiprocessor signal systems to vast networks of optical fibre cabling that allows train information to be sent across the whole system.
    What ever you decide I wish you well, I have been in the railways for 21 years and have very few regrets

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    Regards

    Paul #1-Moderator & Member number 50
    [​IMG] SPAD Investigator #1
    ICQ 61198217
    http://users.bigpond.net.au/railroad2000

    [This message has been edited by Colonel (edited 04 January 2001).]
     
  5. Maxwell Plant

    Maxwell Plant TrainBoard Member

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    Carl Sandburg College, Galesburg, IL. [​IMG] They offer "railway" studies and I believe they get help from the BNSF. Also, Check out the BNSF web site for more information about Railway Schooling.

    <marquee>GALESBURG, IL. THE MIDWEST'S (AND POSSIBLY THE WORLD'S) "MECCA" OF RAILROADING!</marquee>

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    Brent Tidaback, Member #234
    BNSF Railfan-to-the Max and a N-Scaler to boot!
    Ship it on the Route of The Roadrunners! The Aransas Odessa & Western, a division of the BNSF
     
  6. Ed Pinkley#2

    Ed Pinkley#2 TrainBoard Member

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    i just wonder how the coal industry will totally shut down the railroads if they leave?gosh we still ship mail,vehicles,grain,oils,syrups,car parts,and many other goods.
    i know the coal industry is a major part of the railroad buisness.i dont think it will shut down without it though.the national economy depends upon rail and other services.
    as far as schooling i will agree with max plant.carl sandberg college has a lot of the classes.but now a days when people are hired on they are sent to schooling by the railroad they were hired by.the ns does all of its schooling in McDunough(excuse the miss spelling)Georgia.they do it at the railroads expense.the csx has a school that you go to at your expense(last time i checked anyway)and then i dont know if they pay you back or not.i'm not sure about the other railroads.
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    anyone need a car call ed pinkley,home of the pinkley taurus.

    [This message has been edited by Ed Pinkley#2 (edited 04 January 2001).]
     
  7. braska

    braska TrainBoard Member

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    JCCC Johnson Community C(?) College in Kansas City actualnaly I believe its in Lenexa Kansas but everyone says KC. Thats where the BNSF sends all of the railroaders for MOW, TY&E, Trainmasters and Yardmasters from around here plus other job titles. Thats why we call in BNSF University they built their own wing at the college.

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  8. Gregg Mahlkov

    Gregg Mahlkov Guest

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    Brain, when you said majors, I assume you are talking about a 4 year degree. Evidently some have missed this and are recommending 2 year community colleges that offer vo-tech courses that the Class I's are using for all new hires, whether in maintenance of way, train and engines service, etc. If you aspire to become an executive, civil engineering, marketing, or the law are the degrees that are rising to the top. At the merger rate though, there may be only two top executives in all of North American railroading!
     
  9. Rule 281

    Rule 281 TrainBoard Member

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    <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Al:

    BTW, college not required to be an engineer/conductor and those positions usually pay better than office jobs. You just have to handle the wierd hours.[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

    Very true. Quite a few in mgmnt. are shiny new college grads but the operating folks come from all kinds of backgrounds. Also to consider, I believe many of the office jobs are salaried so no matter how much you work, the money is the same. T&E people at least get paid for the insane hours. In Brian's case, it might pay to go after a degree that travels well to another field given the crazy climate in the RR industry these days.
     
  10. Fred

    Fred TrainBoard Member

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    Brian, I've been "workin'on the railroad" for over 34 years and have to agree with The Colonel- decide what area or field on the railroad you'd like to be connected with- train & eng employees are usually just high school grads, make decent money but have to put in long hours day & night. Supervisors use to come up thru the ranks but nowadays get hired right off the street to fill train dispr and trainmaster positions. The rr is becoming more and more computer depended thus I would suggest getting familiar in that field, top mgmt anymore seems to be "bean counters" who aren't really in touch with the operating dep't just concerned about operating ratio and how to eliminate another position. I might sound bitter as I have worked thru the demise of the NYC, the collapse of the PC, and the rise and fall of Conrail.
     
  11. MAIL8

    MAIL8 New Member

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    Brian..last time I was in Toledo, Owens Community College out near Stanley Yard was offering a course I guess subsidized by the CSXT on railroad service. That is the closest that I am aware of. Mail8
     
  12. rsn48

    rsn48 TrainBoard Member

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    For Canadians interested in degrees, there is a marked paucity of anything. But, I have heard that Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Lethbridge Alberta is offering courses so that one can become a rail road engineer.

    Although the rail roads are being cheap and down loading their training costs onto parents, this isn't a bad thing as now you don't have to be connected to a railroading family. This strategy opens the railroad from the traditional closed shop it has been in Canada, so that other's may access the field. Engineers on CP and CN are making $95,000 to $105,000 on the big freight jobs.
     

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