Dandre

Out of curiosity, what is the hourly rate they are starting Train Operators at when you guys are starting school car classes? I know there were contract changes , does anyone have an updated PDF or info on what the contract looks like for guys who are getting hired off the street from 8098?

You guys have to understand that there is really no set standard or MPH etc of where and when is a good time to take a brake. No one can give you a set formula or rule of thumb that will work. The things Subway guy and from what beneka posted of what TSS Lee said are helpful and good info but dont bother trying to go by those recommendations because you will find yourself outside of the station and keying people off the trains. There are just way too many variables involved and only you can figure out on your own.[br]

 

Every train brakes differently, new tech, SMEE, every train accelerates differently. every station is different and you will have to compensate for things like mild to extreme upgrades, downgrades or grades that change from up to down and vice versa halfway through the station. New Tech you have much more accurate Dynamic braking to take advantage of versus the Smee that doesnt have as good of a dynamic brake.

 

First off you should be able to find out how your train is going to operate for the duration of your trip, ie: accelerate and braking after the first 3 or 4 stops. Then you can decide how much brake you need to take at what point. Whether it is upon entering the station or at the conductors board and anywhere in between.

 

You should be able to stop your train on the stop marker by paying attention to the speedometer and by learning how fast your train is moving by judging how fast you are passing by pillars and etc. and knowing the relative distance versus speed against the amount of brake you are taking.

 

For example, you come into a fairly level station at 30MPH, knock off the power when the first car begins to enter or enters the station, take a "medium" brake at the conductors board, your train should be at around 20 MPH when you start to come closer to the 6 car stop marker that some stations still have posted. When you are coming closer to the 8 car marker your train should be in the mid teens and there should be no reason you cant drop the train down you 5 MPH by the time you are approaching the 10/Stop marker which at this point you should be able to stop on a dime and then move the brake to min brake as the train is coming to a stop to make it a smooth stop.

 

It all boils down to your own technique and ways of adapting and compensating for said variables.

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.Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

I dont know how it was when you went to school car but they dont give out the signal guide until you go to the simulator for the first time.

 

For now all they need to study is the rule book and induction guide. There are plenty of signals and definitions in there to learn that will have you well prepared. That signal guide they give out at the simulator is nothing special anyway. Even the TSS make fun of it and call it shit.

 

RTOMan,  what do you mean they changed the signal quiz?  What was posted here is similar to what is in the induction/rule book, so its no good? Where should I go to get the material that they are look for on the test ? My brain is all over the place because I don't know what or where to study now. Then I question the material that I am studying because the substitute TSS tells us that's not a complete answer and he adds in words that's not even in the book.  Maybe because I'm an old man fart or what because I am not sure of my self anymore.   

 

SubwayGuy,  I see that DG10 definition in the Blue Rule Book only, not in the Induction book.

The signal quizzes are changed around frequently to avoid people copying them and selling them. All you need to know is that there is a section that is multiple choice and a section that is write-in that you have to write out the definition of the signal.

 

Study all of the signals daily and you wont have a problem. There is no reason to fail the signals quiz when all of the information has been given to you and the TSS should be dedicating time almost every day to review signals.

Here's the thing though You can get MTA rain gear in any barn to be honest. You fill out a form to get it. That's how I did it. Now if they changed something I don't know.

 

 

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I don't know how it is in the B division but they are really greedy with giving out any type of supplies in the barns. They only want to give it out to people who work in the barn. You cant sign out for anything yourself, you have to get a barn worker to sign anything out for you like safety glasses etc. and god forbid you ask for the yellow rain poncho most of the time they say they don't have any. Stuff like that they say you are supposed to get from the Terminal dispatcher. Sign up for the rain coat and cleets during the winter and don't hold your breath waiting to get them. Multiple TSS and Supt. Have told us we can buy our own.

Thanks for the responses guys. Our TSS is VERY good in explaining the stuff clearly. Perfect actually. I just wish he was more approachable and offer words of encouragement instead of saying if you don't know this you fail, you do this thing wrong you fail, etc. I know there are rules and regulations but every now and then say "Good Job" or "I have faith that all of you will pass" or something to give us some confidence, is that too much to ask ? He gets agitated if we do not understand the material instantly and there were a few instances he starts yelling. The whole class can tell he has no patience with us and has a very short fuse. I am not talking bad about him because he is very good as an instructor, awesome actually but if we make a mistake don't yell at us which makes us feel worthless. We have little to no confidence as it is because we don't know any better.

 

Who are you instructors? They sound like a few I know. Anyway, The reason none of the instructors will commend you or praise you is because it is sort of run like a para-military organization.If they don't praise you or pat you on the back it helps to keep you on your toes and your ego in check. You are moving thousands of tons of heavy equipment worth millions with the public's lives in your hands. You cant get comfortable and think ok I'm doing good because it will just hold you back. You may start getting praised towards the end when you have passed your signals tests and have due time behind the controls during Road OPS under TSS supervision. Once they see you can operate confidently without being cocky and you follow the rules and procedures you were taught, then and only then will you have a chance of hearing anything positive.

 

 

You have only been in training for two weeks, you are not supposed to have any confidence yet. You don't know a thing about what it takes to move these trains safely and under normal or unpredictable situations. After I was behind the controls a few times,one day when I was operating during Road Ops, after my stops were up and it was time to pass it o the next classmate the TSS told me, "Thank You, You didn't make me feel nervous at all while you were operating." Every time he told me to knock off the power put it into coast, brake and etc. I was already there just as he said it, because I was in tune with the train and what I was doing. That and maybe a couple of other times towards the end of school car was when I heard positive words. Last thing I was told was, just keep operating the way you are and you shouldn't have any problems. You will be ok. They know who the people are who make them feel uneasy or have doubt about.

 

You have to realize that their reputation as an instructor is on the line, also the safety of others in your path is at stake. If you mess up the first thing they do is scrutinize the TSS. You also have a lot of dumb people who say stupid things like, the TSS didn't tell me or show me that and other false statements to try to cover their ass. This is not the place for that. You are expected to act like an adult. That means being reliable, taking responsibility for your actions, applying common sense and adapting to situations on the fly and being honest.

 

The saying down here is "You are only as good as your last move."

The problem with doing that is if something happens to you as in you get hurt and or die while wearing something such as gear that covers the body to that extent, they can and more than likely would deny worker's comp or death benefits even if the suit had nothing to do with why the incident occurred because they will claim the none TA issue gear was a contributing factor. They have been very selective and lacking in issuing the proper weather so I agree that there is a problem there but protect your income at all costs! 

There's no problem, rain gear isn't going to be an issue. There's no reason they are going to deny workers comp or any benefits because you are wearing a rain suit. As long as you are wearing your safety vest and all of your PPE you are in the clear.

 

If you get hurt on the job, things they are looking for is your PPE, or unapproved boots or sneakers because the footwear has specific standards that are for safety. Rain gear is just to keep you dry. Its simply cosmetic and not for safety so there is no problem as long as you have all of your proper PPE. TSS' even tell you to go out and buy your own rain gear.

 

I will be honest here. I finished my 2nd week and I do feel overwhelmed. My brain is all over the place. So is the rest of the class.

 

 

Don't stress out about it too much. You are only in your second week and they will go over everything thoroughly and there will be many reviews as well. Just make sure to get your rest and read every night. When I was in school car I had 2 very good TSS instructors. And the temporary TSS instructors who would come through when one of our regular TSS were out were very good as well. Just stay focused and positive.

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Don't stress out about it too much. You are only in your second week and they will go over everything thoroughly and there will be many reviews as well. Just make sure to get your rest and read every night. When I was in school car I had 2 very good TSS instructors. And the temporary TSS instructors who would come through when one of our regular TSS were out were very good as well. Just stay focused and positive.

 

 

 

 

 

My first winter here was the 2010-11 winter where we had over 60 inches of snow in a month. I worked the midnights and I had either yard jobs at Coney Island or Midnight Apple jobs with a layup at 207th yard. Trudging through a couple of feet of snow on the tracks to do a put in and/or a layup became the norm for me that winter. I forgot what a track tie looked like for nearly 2 months.

 

Best thing everyone can do is spend $30 an go to Sports Authority or a similar store and buy a 2 piece rain suit or one piece poncho. I have had to walk the structure with rain blasting at me sideways, but I stayed dry through all of it thanks to my suit. It is well worth the money.

They always include the 10 page application with the drug test letter. Even if its for a retake.

 

If you already filled it out and they have it on file there is no need to go through the process all over again. Just let the woman know that you are there because your drug test expired and you are re-taking it and they will tell you that you do not have to fill out all of the paper work again.

Negative. I'm A Div. and I was there, along with a couple other A Div. classes.

 

 

I was (shocked?) at some of the dodos who posed idiotic questions/comments yesterday, under the microscope with TA brass in the room. Keep that foolishness to yourself, or ask someone on the side. Then again, makes you think that maybe these sessions ARE neccesary for the few who "still don't get it"...

 

 

 

Exactly, some of the questions and complaints were out of control. People complaining about walking on the elevated structure, complaining about the size of the ballast rocks in the yard, complaining about the time off between tours or even complaining about uniform issues. This was a meeting brought together because of a yard incident and it was to stress the subject of safety and doing your job right. Alot of people  just dont have common sense and really dont belong there. I can see atleast 1/4 of the people not being able to cut it out there.

 

Did they think it would be an easy cushy job when they applied for this? One guy basically threw his instructor under the bus when someone asked him about what they were teaching him.

 

Alot of people are lacking common sense.

its both divisions of classes who are still in traiain or soon to be in the yard.

 

the oficial version is the dudes train was a little past the low home signal. he didnt see it and just paid attention the the home signal infront of him. he started to split the switch and stopped. yard dispatch said yo you almost split the switch. change ends and go back and thats when he derailed.

 

they are giving us a talking to and top brass is here. we are going to have to watch videos etc..

people are messing up left and right. I just heard a t/o who just started road posting was fired. came to work drunk. the t/o who was posting with him noticed it after a few stops.

Well this is just pure speculation but the next class may not get the call as scheduled. School car is now all hands on deck. A train derailed in the yard with a 3 months posting student at the controls.

 

Disclaimer: I'm not saying anything was wrong with the operator's operation as I am out of the loop on most of the facts

 

Regardless all students are being called back to PS 248 so this is going to put a strain on the already thin availability of school car TSS' and pending on how long this lasts could effect the next round of new classes.

Yep,.we got the bad news today. Everyone has to go down to P.S. 248 to hear from one of the top brass at the MTA. From what I was told the person split the switch and derailed in the yard. Alot of people dont seem to be up to the task of operating even in the yard. Also, From what I heard, a conducter who was in our induction class came to a yard with a gun, was arrested and held on $25,000 bail.

I think it would be close to impossible to work 2 jobs when you are going to be extra extra for the first few years. You wont have a consitent work schedule or shift.

There were only 30 Conductors and they are now merging them into 2 classes instead of 3. I am in the July 29 T/O class