dagenius69

Thanks guys for the feedback.

 

Just to clarify, one of my instructors said put it like how it says in the book and that's it, nothing more because he said if they ever questioned you then you can show them the book but we had another instructor this week (only for this week because our main instructor had to do something) said you have to write it out more because the book (Induction book) is too vague and he said they will question you further.  So the substitute TSS had us doing signals practice everyday this week (first time we practiced signals, 4 weeks in) and he is adding words, sometimes an extra sentence in where it doesn't say it in the book and its kind of screwing up the students on which one they should study and memorize. The whole class did terrible. He was surprised and asked us why we aren't doing this everyday in school car from week 2/3. We are behind a good full week from what is on the schedule because orientation got screwed up and we had to finish what we didn't do at orientation at week 2 and 3.

 

Maybe once we get the signal book, that book will have more of a complete definition than the induction book ? From what I read here we are suppose to get the signal book the 1st week right ? We are going into the 5th week man w/o that signal book.

a few of you need to call school car and tell them you are in your 5th week and still haven't gotten your signal guide. There is no reason for that. It's just a matter of making the copies and have your TSS go pick them up or maybe even someone from your class going to get them.

 

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Question about the signal test. I am getting conflicting answers from different TSS's.  One said we should write it verbatim exactly like how its written in the Induction book (we didn't get the signal book yet, going into 5th week) and we should have no problems but he stressed NOTHING MORE because you might write yourself into a wrong answer.  Another one said we should add to it because they may question you asking you to expand it more.

 

Example.

 

Home Signal: 2 Green.  "Is a fixed interlocking home signal which indicates proceed on main route" <== book just says "proceed on main route"

 

The 2nd TSS recommends saying it "Is a fixed interlocking home signal which indicates proceed on main route at allowable speed, expecting next signal to be clear"

 

 

There are other examples where the ending in the book is use "Restricted Speed and Extreme Caution" but the 2nd TSS recommends adding in "Restricted Speed and Extreme Caution, expecting to find the track occupied, broken rail, or any other obstruction in the block"  The only time the book adds in this is with the "Call-On" method and that's it but he wants us to add it in with the "Key-By" as well.   There are more example of him adding more wordings in to other signals not listed in the book

 

Did you guys write to verbatim exactly like how it is in the book or did you guys add more to it where it is NOT printed in the book ? To those who did write what is only in the book and no more did you guys get questioned about it and told to elaborate ?  Just want to get an idea because I studied hard these past 5 weeks on the signals and learned it pretty much verbatim like how it is in the book but now adding new words in left and right is kind of screwing with my head a little. Thanks for any inputs

for the write in they want the whole definition of the signal. "Green over green is a fixed interlocking signal. It means proceeded on the main route expect the next signal to be clear." Do not put any more info than you need to! You can put one wrong word and then the whole thing is wrong. As far as rsec you have to put the whole thing down on paper. You need to know the whole definition and what your looking for in that situation. If you don't put it they are going to ask you for it. Also I don't believe that's on the signal test, it's on the midterm. At least it was when I took it a year ago. Also I know the signal test is very stressful but try not to lose sleep over it. The test is very easy if you know your signals. There are no trick questions, it's just your basic signals.

 

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Can anyone in the new class that just started this week let us know if you will be doing 3 months in the yard. Rumor has it this part of the program will be ending soon.

 

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Is that how it usually works you get AMs PMs or Midnights then stay on that tour while your a XX??

Also gl to those starting schoolcar this Monday Captgombo & Urraca and any1 else. Keep us in the loop as to what Div you guys get.

when you come out of school car you probably will be jumping around for a while with regards to your tour and rdo. It gets easier as you move up the extra list. Once you get near the top of the list your tour and rdo will most likely stay the same. Also if you are a midnight person and that's what you prefer let the crew office know once you come out. Most people don't like the midnights so when you tell them that's what you want they will usually keep you on that tour and your rdos will probably stay the same for the pick. Since this pick started in June my tour and rdos haven't changed.

 

 

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Yeah the midnight tour is when all the ghosts, phantoms and demons start showing up. Aka rogue track gang with no flagging protection, signals that usually have line ups with no line ups at all around curves and worst of all, the more dangerous drugged up/pissed over drunk passengers. LOL

 

Lol!!! I'm dreading having to work midnight tour. I've heard that a lot of people have been lucky and never been scheduled for that tour and I hope I'm one of them. I find it so hard to sleep a good 8 hours in the day time and even if I do, its still hard for me to stay up and operating during the midnight hours. I'm sure I will adjust if I have to, but I'm hoping to stay am's!

It still amazes me how many track workers/signal maintainers be on the road bed with no flagging! Have the gotten THAT comfortable down there. I've had a few close encounters already...people crossing tracks with no flags, or just chilling there on the roadbed as we coming around curves...crazy

oh common now... midnights are the best. I been XX on the midnights now for about 5 months. TSS's aint around or are few and far between, no rush hour crowds no one knocking on my window and no trains in front of me all greens. And when you get used to seeing all greens those yellows stick out at you like a sore thumb. But thats usually only when you get a work train in front of you. And remember no one over runs a station on the midnights and the radio is always quiet. I lock my cab door and i enjoy the peacefulness and just operate, nothing like it.

 

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Ant says 40 conductors and Poughkeepsie says 30 in the last class which was July. So which is it ladies and gents?

And congrats to all who are being called for T.O. school car!

I also realize that this is a T.O. thread. I read a lot of threads in this forum. Info is where one finds it.

well I believe Poughkeepsie is in that induction class so I would trust her.

 

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In all honesty when you become a road T/O out of school car....you'll laugh at the idea of working a second job especially once the money starts rolling in. Road money not school car 8 hour money.

I agree. Instead of getting another job I just work one of my days off. Besides it's pretty hard to keep another job. Lately I been getting home going to sleep wake up eat and go back to work. I love it!

 

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I was told there would be classes every month this year. No surprise there

correct. A new class starts the last Monday of every month.

 

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It's bad in the A to for T/Os. CAS makes a round of calls every Sunday to fill in the open spots. A lot of stuff open all week long and even weekends. After T/Os finish a road job they are getting asked to cover a switching job for a late clear. Even yard switching T/Os are being asked to stay later to cover the open spot on a later shift. It's the wild west out here.

yea I think the crew office just doesn't like me. I called every week for 2 months trying to get an rdo and I get nothing. Finally got one 2 weeks ago and last week. Seems like over the past few weeks jobs are starting to open up more.

 

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It's bad RDOs available they even asked me to work several times for late clears.

that's how it is for conductors in the A. Yesterday they had to abd 2 rush hour trips out of Van Cortland because they had no conductors.

 

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RTOMan, how bad is the shortage of t/o's in the B? I just put in my transfer to the pick section. I'm hoping to get over there next pick. This 2 hour commute is killing me.

 

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This time it didn't. Believe me when I tell you,a multiple choice. He still works here to this day. I wouldn't make it up.

 

That is something you need not repeat...That gets around and School Car gets bumped up two notches and we'll be XX FOR 5 years. Keep that kind of info very private.

ditto on that. I know you're just trying to put some people's mind at ease but that is not something that should be on a public forum. Remember supervision is on this forum and they do read it. I know this for a fact.

 

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How are the TSS's about taking a few days off during school car? I have a wedding to go to in California in October.

hahaha good luck with that! I had a christening to go to and I was the Godfather. When I asked the head of school car for the day off her exact respond was "oh well sorry you're not going to make it" this was the Sunday before Thanksgiving that we weren't even supposed to work. But they decided to give us off that Friday instead so we had to work Sunday. Remember they really could care less about you. You're just a number.

 

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Can someone please tell me what ATS stands for???

automatic train supervision

 

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It's not about fearing ATS. Signals in the A division have plenty of problems and when one trips a train randomly it's the T/O's fault until the same thing happens to the following train. It's a monthly occurrence. ATS will change your punch after you've made your selection and left the station. ATS will give you wrong line ups. None of this is about fearing ATS. It's about learning the craft of being a T/O in the A division involves expecting the unexpected and then to top it all off when you operate through all of that madness and you make it past 149th/GC n/b you leave ATS territory and go back to manually controlled tower operation up at Unionport where line ups get pulled from T/Os almost daily.

it's really not that bad. I have found when a signal trips a train ats dropped the id or someone at rcc took the lineup away without telling the t/o. Either way it's not the t/o's fault. I also found that all the punches south of Mott with the exception of 125 north bound, Franklyn and newkirk are all useless. ATS does what it wants regardless of what you punch.

 

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You can say that but that doesn't make the A division that much less of a challenge. Yes there are less types of equipment by comparison and less points of no return to learn but ATS creates its own share of side issues you have to learn to deal with. And in the A ATS is always right and the T/O is always wrong unless there are some mitigating circumstances.

school car is about 2 months shorter for the A division. This doesnt mean it's any easier than the B. I actually think it makes things a little harder. You have to learn the same rules the same procedures same signals in a shorter amount of time. You also have less cab time which I think is a big disadvantage. The more time you spend in that cab during school car the better off you'll be. In regards to learning the equipment and the division itself, yes the A is probably easier.

 

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so getting tickets to a concert 3 months into school car would be out of the question. It's on a weekday @7pm  

 

 

i feel you bro. i got tickets to Matchbox Twenty and Goo Goo Dolls on a saturday, and i'll probably have to sell those

you're off sun sat in school car. You should be good.

 

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Poughkipsee is this medical for train operator?

 

 

I got called yesterday for medical for train op. for Monday

 

anyone know what they check during medical?. only thing that worries me is the lung capacity test. it looks hard

eyes, ears, EKG, urine for diabetes, BP, weight. No lungs. They give you a long questionnaire on a computer about your medical history, answer no to everything! If you want to go on medical hold just answer yes to one of those questions.

 

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I came out in March and my xx list number is in the low 50s. I am hoping I will be able to pick into the b division come December. This 2 hour commute is killing me. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

if you don't mind...where are you traveling from? where do u live?

Staten Island

 

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For any new T/Os coming aboard now expect to wait quite some time before having the chance to pick. To those who were called with list numbers ranging into the 600s, there is a chance......slim one but a chance none the less that you might have something left to pick up, in terms of a regular job coming up in the December pick. Beyond that there is really no shot. There are far too many T/Os (new) both promotional T/Os who have been on the job out of school car for two years at least now and there are the new OC T/Os taking up spots since late last year. File numbers are up to 38XX. That's seniority numbers for those who don't know and although there are a lot of retirements, those retirements are not outpacing hires right now.

I came out in March and my xx list number is in the low 50s. I am hoping I will be able to pick into the b division come December. This 2 hour commute is killing me.

 

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What do u do while waiting??? can u play a game? read magazines? play cards--lol .... nap??? i mean it is a LONG time to just sit and roll your fingers....will someone else be there with you??? are ALL new T/O extra/extra or just some? how long this lasts? after how long do you get a "regular" job? does that mean you just work the SAME line, SAME shift, SAME RDO's all the time?

It sounds like no one is able to drive to work...must take public transportation since you report at one location but might ending up finishing a job at opposite end of town....is this right???

Put it this was, MTA rules state no card playing and no sleeping anywhere on transit property. Whatever else you do to pass the time is up to you. You are in a crew room, so there are others coming and going all day. All new t/o who finish school car are XX. Eventually you will be able to pick a job. No telling when that might be, could be a year could be 3 years. All depends on how fast you move up in seniority and how many jobs there are too pick from. And before you ask you move up when people retiree, quite, get fired ect. Anyone that comes out of school car after you is behind you in seniority. When you do pick a job you will have the same rdo, same tour, same job every day until the next pick which is every 6 months. Or you can pick extra or vacation relief in which case you'll have different jobs.

 

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that's being modest. With the amount of time I've sat on board and then picked up a penalty job I'm sure it's going to be over 80k this year. Also keep in mind the night differential. When you first come out of school car you won't be on board very often. The crew office wants you working out there getting experience. Now it seems like I'm on board twice a week.Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 BetaWhat does it mean when your on the board?

when you come out of school car you are considered extra extra. That means you don't have a regular job or set days off. The crew office assigns you a job a few days in advance. You job is covering those who call out sick, go on vacation, retire ect.. When you don't have a job the crew will assign you a terminal or a central location to report to at a specific time. This is called being on the board. You basically sit there until a job opens up. Someone called out sick last minute, someone gets sent for a random or whatever. If a job doesn't open up which is rare you go home after 8 hours. However if something does open up they can send you anywhere in the division. You can be sitting there for 5 hours then a 10 hour job opens up and you gotta go work that job. Usually if you don't have anything by the 7th hour your good however in theory you could be sitting there for 7 hours and 59 minutes and if they need you, you're going.

 

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That's incredible. $66k base after approx. one year.

I currently make $10.00 an hour. This would be life-changing!

 

 

Yeah I spoke about that annual number before. In my honest opinion. It's impossible for a new T/O to make less than $70K unless you are removed from service or restricted for an extended period of time.

that's being modest. With the amount of time I've sat on board and then picked up a penalty job I'm sure it's going to be over 80k this year. Also keep in mind the night differential. When you first come out of school car you won't be on board very often. The crew office wants you working out there getting experience. Now it seems like I'm on board twice a week.

 

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wait a second here....there supposed to be a july 29th class...what happened to that one??? 

what's top pay? $$/hour base pay ??

 

 

Top pay is 31.8725/hr as of the last contract. You start at yard rate which is 30.03 while you are in school car then if u come out of school car and go on the road you get a raise and make 31.2325/hr until you have 231 days of road service under your belt and you earn top pay. Hope that answers your question.

also keep in mind days working in the yard don't count towards your total road days as well as days sitting on the board and not picking up a job.

 

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250 ROAD hours, is top pay.

I believe that's road days not hours

 

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