Ellcapitan

I am a former MNRR Locomotive Engineer. I spent my first 8 years as an M of E Electrician, then 13 years as an Engineer. In 2017 I made the stupid mistake of tampering with equipment in an operating cab. I obstructed a newly installed camera with an envelope. Since I had an exemplary disciplinary and safety record up to that point, I was kept on but on a "last chance" basis. The following year, I violated the attendance policy because my 3 small children needed medical attention. I applied for, and was approved for, FMLA, but not in time to save my job. After dedicating 21 years of my life to MNRR, I was forced to resign, and to agree to never come back. The nearly year and a half that followed...up to this day...have been very difficult and depressing for me. I moved my family from upstate NY to Florida to be with family, doing any odd job I could find. I've made many attempts to hire on to different railroads, all of them have failed. I then moved my family back up north--this time, Connecticut--on the promise of an Engineer job on a small railroad in Hartford CT. Once I got up here, this too failed. Back to odd jobs... As heartbreaking as this might all might sound, it might--just might--be for the better. Before I left FL, I applied for Engineer Trainee for none other than the LIRR. To my surprise, I heard back from them one I got to CT! Got invited to their open house...passed. Got invited to the Signal/Definition overview/test, and that brings us to this day. Overview is on Jan 11, 2020. I've been through a lot so wish me luck.