Jericho

13 hours ago, staffspm1 said:

see in the UK we would never be heading at a red signal expecting it to clear so I don't think I could ever get used to your system. 25 feet is not that far ahead of you to hope its going to clear properly, no wonder you all travel at much reduced speed!

The red signals on time are usually in places where you are getting close to another train in front of you at a station, approaching a home signal and therefore a switch that may not be set for you, or a curve that the train cannot pass too fast. 

Their main objective is safety over speed, but even then as mentioned before, there are timers that are not calibrated properly.

They are design to clear as the train is about to pass the signal, and while this is fine for two shot timers (yellow with lunar white/S/D), the one shot timers (red with lunar white/speed limit) with the stop arm up becomes a precarious thing to do as it may cause the train to go BIE, so people usually let it clear ahead of them.

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I read that you leave training and go on EXTRA EXTRA lists where you can literally be abused and sent anywhere on network at any time without much warning?

After schoolcar, I was put on the midnight tour (2200-0400) and given Wednesday and Thursday off; AM is 0400-1159 and PM is 1200-2159. Supposedly we're to call every Friday to find out if this changes for next week, but it has held for the past two months now. Crew Assignment Section (CAS) generally assigns a job two days in advance and usually we know what it is by the end of the day by calling them or looking up the assignment sheets they post online. The phone app only shows what we have up to the next day. At the start of our "week", CAS likely assigns jobs early in the tour (closer to 2200) and at the end of the week a job that is late (closer to 0400), but this is not always the case.

We can indeed be sent to any terminal or yard although I suspect for those us that just came out, it's to be more familiar with the line. They do try to send us to the nearest location to make sure we actually report, but if they need to send us far, they will.

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Max 12 hours from book on to book off and must have 12 hours rest between booking off and back on again. I read somewhere on here that you don't really have hours limits like that?

We can work up to 16 hours. Usually Rail Control Center/dispatcher knows ahead of time and by the 14th hour they'll have someone ready to take over, but if not we are suppose to call it in before the 14th hour so they can get a replacement crew ready.

We can have 8 hours rest in-between road jobs. 12 hours if we were on the extra board IIRC.

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FInally, I also read you cannot eat or drink while driving? That is mad. Also, you cannot sleep on MTA property? We have to nap all the time on really early turns and most break points have a quiet room for this purpose.

Let's just say without going into it much, that the rule is more when things mess up or when the public decides to be a snitch.

Didn't someone say the list was expiring soon so maybe this is a way to keep people active?

It's certainly going to be interesting to see how things play out especially given the MTA's budget crisis talk going on. 

In the end, hopefully the sooner y'all come in, the sooner y'all take the midnight tour from me. lol

10 hours ago, Schecter said:

Did any of them mention anything about the crew office or anything like that? Just want to know what to look out for.

My buddy told me schoolcar notified Crew Assignment that he was going through the motions of becoming a T/O.

2 hours ago, Schecter said:

I'm on the list for train operator list number 131X I'm currently a conductor atm, so I'm wondering when it comes to the train operator pre employment and medical if the crew office will give the days off I will need to attend both pre-employment and medical etc etc, since I didn't take the promotional exam and took the open competitive exam for train operator. I hope that makes sense.

They should. Most, if not all, conductors in the August induction came in via the open competitive exam.

Yea, many train operators are retiring. Other people on the list move on to something else. Or don't make it through medical, school car, probation, or do something crazy like crash a train into another doing a layup.

Previous list had Transit calling people in 8 years later too. 

10 minutes ago, Schecter said:

You never know the last appointed was 1228, you never know how many people the MTA will be looking to hire in the next 2 years.

I was 114X and there are only about ten train operators below me in the seniority list for the B division and I believe they only hired like 8 more T/O that went into the A division. Which means they definitely go through a lot of people who don't make it through the hiring process.

Even if he actually did hit that many home signals, why transmit that info on a public forum for? Keep it hush, hush. 🤪

People have been fired for hitting their first home signal. End of.

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Not everyone is cut out to be a trainer either however well meaning they are. Some people think they can somehow adjust your operations within the one day when we've been doing road ops for two weeks straight beforehand. Some think you need to know every bit of detail when you ain't gonna remember everything in one day or that you should already know even though that's why they're paid the two hours. Some people just think it's a free two hours of pay they can take home and they'll operate lol. In the end, if no trainer takes you up, then just think of it as an easy 8 hours of pay and make up the posting day another time.

Late update. Much of the August B-division induction class are in limbo due to Covid-19. Only a few of the 38 in the induction are in passenger service after passing the road practical a couple weeks ago. Everyone else missed road posting days and have been YXing again until the coronavirus passes.

Last class was in January with just six students that went directly to the A division.

They'll call as many as they need unfortunately. Especially with Cuomo cutting overtime and what not.

On 1/22/2020 at 4:37 AM, kellgh said:

It's not like my NO vote counted anyways. 

No point in debating it. 

I heard many people didn't even get the ballots in the mail.

As previous posters mentioned, I have been with T/O's who said they were putting their retirement papers in this year. So as always, it's a waiting game.

Post removed.

2 hours ago, acabral136 said:

Do you know that for sure or are you guessing? We never got the story because that was his last day and he never spoke to any of us after about what happened. 

Our instructor told us about him.

On 10/18/2019 at 2:12 PM, MarkGuy said:

Yes, Im finding it nowhere near as complex as they made it sound. But people are different.

I don't think it's worrying about complexity as much as it is to memorize the signals properly especially when there are several signs that are rather wordy.

On 10/18/2019 at 3:50 PM, acabral136 said:

 

Apparently he ended up missing the brake stem AGAIN.

On 10/18/2019 at 4:15 PM, MarkGuy said:

Damn. Passed my midterm and pre signal test with 100s but I’m not staying complacent. Still kinda nervous about the fact that you have much less leeway on the mult choice section of the signal test tho

Yea, I am a bit concerned about that too because if I missed or forgot something and I choose the wrong one, pop goes the balloon for me.

On 10/18/2019 at 10:46 PM, Late Clear said:

This job is not for everyone, but if you're determined, apply yourself, work hard, ask questions, keep a positive attitude, you'll make it.  

Also for anyone getting drafted into the A division, don't be discouraged.  The A division has less equipment, less reporting locations and a easier road to learn.  However the operation is more precise with tighter headway's, smaller stations, and ATS.   Great place to start as a Train Operator.  You can make a move later on in your career if you desire to.  You have 25 years.

Yea definitely less equipment to remember details on for sure. Even terminology for the same thing is different depending on which one you're on.

On 10/15/2019 at 1:27 AM, Schecter said:

You got this man, think of it like this you've got this far so you better pass the rest!! Which you will pass so no worries 

Thanks. We just did the midterm exam today and the signal pre-test and aced both of them. If the pre-test is anything like the real thing, I should be all right. Just gotta stay on top of it.

Schoolcar seem pretty optimistic as we also received our yard posting papers. First week afternoon, second week evening, and third morning tours.

2 hours ago, Schecter said:

Why would I be going B? Even though I prefer it lol does everybody pick the A? 

In my induction class (August 2019), promotionals picked first and then the open competitives went next. Whoever didn't managed to get into B were forced into A.

Passed the first yard practical, but schoolcar is getting a bit hectic. I have the final yard practical and the signal test coming in a couple weeks, but we had very few days reserved to practice. Most of the schedule has my class relaying trains out of terminals beforehand. Definitely have to keep studying for signals as time is definitely flying by.

You will be climbing up and down the trains and bending down to inspect things quite often. You will also do a lot of walking in the yard getting to the train and inspecting it. My instructor said there was a 70 year old who passed and became a train operator and I have a 50 year old person in my class right now who's doing pretty good. You should be fine.

9 hours ago, acabral136 said:

U won't be at Ps 248 for long. We were there maybe 5 days. 

12 minutes ago, nipaaaa said:

just bite the bullet for the few times you have to come down to south brooklyn. The schedule will have you all over the system so sometimes you'll report to jamaica center or jamaica yard (kew gardens union turnpike) which I'm assuming will be closer for you?

That's good to know. I thought we were going to stay down there for a month or so in a classroom setting type of thing. Yea, Jamaica/Corona Yard are definitely the closest to me.

So I am looking through the older posts about the training schedule. Will it start at 7AM weekdays down at PS 248? Coming from Queens, the subway schedule is not going to be fun to handle that early in the morning even if I am willing to wake up at 4AM. Makes me wonder if I should do a 6 month lease somewhere close in Brooklyn. Or if I lease a car, is there decent parking nearby?

7 minutes ago, acabral136 said:

I will be in school car until February 3rd according to our schedule. There's periods in between where I will be yard posting and then road posting, but I will belong to school car until February. 

About six months which likely means I'll finish in March. Just in time for my birthday.

Edit: Oh and I know not necessarily everyone knows this forum, but not a peep of people going into medical for August or beyond since Harlem and I sworn in... I will certainly consider myself lucky.

On 8/4/2019 at 8:48 PM, m2fwannabe said:

The links are being earmarked as we speak.  My best info suggests they will be from the R-142A fleet currently assigned to .  Eventually.

Its no secret that the R-142's or really ANY unitized NTT equipment is quite adaptable in terms of desired train length, so while it would be no big deal to make up a six-car set as opposed to a five, it would be necessary to remove four 5-car links from the revenue pool to do so.  That would yield the three extra "B" cars to do so, but of necessity leave 2 excess "A" cars for use as spares.  As long as the cars' electrical connections face the right way at each end, the car numbering sequence is secondary.  If you might remember, NYCT tried some 11-car R-160 trains on the and several years ago and they basically worked quite well, but were limited operationally by off-route platform lengths.

Seems they could use the extra cab cars for the Flushing garbage train. ..

1 hour ago, RickFury said:

Who gave you the info that there is no class past August? 

Vargas. She said if I couldn't be in the August class, that there wasn't another to put me in past that.

1 hour ago, Harlem said:

I passed the medical and was sworn in today. List #118*. I asked the employee who swore me in about the August class. It's not full yet. Doesn't seem like a September class is scheduled. I had to sit quietly for a while to get my blood pressure reading down. If you have white coat hypertension ask them to let you sit for a bit. After five minutes mine was normal. 

Congratulations! See you in August.

I was surprised that they checked my BP again. I forgot to take my meds for hypertension on top of that, but a doctor put me in a room for a half an hour to rest and I passed on the second try. She tried to calm me down, closed my eyes, and I had myself thinking I was in a tropical rainforest with a waterfall nearby. lol In the end, the other doctor checking my sleep test results said I barely had signs of sleep apnea and had me out the door with the clearance paper in a jiffy. Only thing I got to do is go to a clinic every six months to check my BP.

Ok, I'm still waiting to be fingerprinted, but I passed my medical and have been sworn in for the 8/19 class!I

I've been told there is no class past August so any idea in my head to defer and take a vacation was out the window.

I finally got my test results back and going to head back to 180 L in the morning. But just out of curiosity, how late does the MTA HR stay open? Just wondering if I could've just went back right now.

I hope there's still spots in the August class...

5 minutes ago, adam223 said:

medical was good, didnt have any problems. i thought i would since my bmi is slightly over 35, but my neck size is 16.5, and the doc said im good.

 

we wouldve known by now if there will be a sept class. and there wouldve been more PE. correct me if im wrong, but PE stopped in the 1300s, so im guessing they're done hiring T/Os for the year.

As someone on medical hold, I hope you are wrong. lol I think couple people here mentioned they were called in for 2nd PE in their 15-1600's.

18 hours ago, Productions27 said:

Is there a reason you were given a sleep test?

I did it voluntarily because I thought I was going to be put on hold anyway. Joke's on me on that.

9 minutes ago, acabral136 said:

Just cause they didn't get called out doesn't mean somebody didn't take note. I wouldn't risk it, buy what they ask u. 

Does the memo say where to buy them or it is just generic clothing and boots?