Somebody's been staying up LATE lately....

[Cutter68CB]

    Class 1 Railroad...Union Pacific...We have a mandatory rest cycle of 10 to 12 hrs. after we work. But once we are (rested) their is nothing to protect us...

[tombogan03884]

 Do you keep log books like Truck drivers ?

[Walter45Auto]

Shift worker. ....

Yeah I prefer 2nd shift myself.... I hate getting up early...... Did I mention that Wednesday night at the range doesn't help me get to bed any earlier? Nit that I'm complaining......

[Teresa Heilevang]

I'm always up until at least 2..generally 3-4.
Marshal sometimes at least 2 nights a week will work all night long ( after working all day) and go to bed at around 8ish.. and I get him up around 1 pm on those times.
 We go to bed in the wee hrs...and are up at between 8-9.. unless I have massages ..then I'm up at 7ish.. and go strong..
 Never needed a whole lot of sleep.. I am a night person..( love it) but I do ok in the day..

[Cutter68CB]

Do you keep log books like Truck drivers ?

   The conductors has to keep a log of most everything that happens on the trip. Everthing from our speed and signals to what trains we meet and if the train has any work to do. There are a series of sensors along the track placed about every 20 miles that alert us to various things like overheated bearings and journals to anything dragging from the train. All these things are logged and the conductor has to keep his past 10 trips before he can throw them away. Our hours of service are logged in each time we tie-up from a job. FRA gets a copy of each one. FRA placed a new directive in reguards to how many days in a row we can work before we must have a 48 to 72 rest cycle. But they really didn't think it through before implamenting it. If I go to work at say 11:30pm tonight and get off around 10:00am tomarrow. Then go back to work at 11:45 pm the next night. that counts as 2 consecutive starts. But if instead of going to work at 11:45 but at 00:01, that counts as the next day and would only be 1 start even though there is only 16 minutes differance.

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Are you scheduled for a whole run or just one section  ?

[Cutter68CB]

Are you scheduled for a whole run or just one section  ?

    For the most part we are completing a section and then another crew relieves us to go on to the next section. Just depends on the starting and ending point of the train. A train starting in Houston to Ft. worth will have 2 crews or more. One will travel from Houston to around Bryan/College Station and the be recrewed from there to Ft. Worth. A train starting in Ft. Worth to Long Beach Cal. may have as many as 8 crews on it. FRA only allows us to run for 12 hrs. Where-ever we are at that point we must stop and wait for a relief crew to replace us...

[fightingquaker13]

    For the most part we are completing a section and then another crew relieves us to go on to the next section. Just depends on the starting and ending point of the train. A train starting in Houston to Ft. worth will have 2 crews or more. One will travel from Houston to around Bryan/College Station and the be recrewed from there to Ft. Worth. A train starting in Ft. Worth to Long Beach Cal. may have as many as 8 crews on it. FRA only allows us to run for 12 hrs. Where-ever we are at that point we must stop and wait for a relief crew to replace us...

To my uniformed eyes, 12 hours seems like WAAAY too long a time be behind the wheel. I mean truckers can drive that long, but they can also pull over, take a leak, stretch their legs and get a burger. 12 hours strapped to the cab seems a bit much. Whats your view?
FQ13

[shooter32]

To my uniformed eyes, 12 hours seems like WAAAY too long a time be behind the wheel. I mean truckers can drive that long, but they can also pull over, take a leak, stretch their legs and get a burger. 12 hours strapped to the cab seems a bit much. Whats your view?
FQ13

I think, OTR drivers are only aloud 10 hours driving time a day.

[Pathfinder]

Looks like there are more than a few train buffs here . . . .

When I had the cattle ranch, I looked out my window one night only to see my entrance gate light up like daytime. A BNSF train had "died under the law" (run out of their 12 hour stint) at my front gate, and were sitting there for their replacement crew. That's one of the times I got to go in the cab. Those headlights are HOT too - I walked in front of it and felt my skin start to curl. Very hot.

Do you run the heavy, slower stuff like coal or mixed freight, or do you get lucky and get to roll fast with the pig trains? And do you have any Amtrak on your lines?