Keikyu Motorman

Yes, there's night differential of $1.55 per hour. It applies to any time worked from 6 PM to 5:59 AM during the week, or from 6 PM Friday night until 5:59 AM Monday for weekends. So if you're called into schoolcar on a Saturday or told to stay late, you'll earn night differential. YX no longer does weekends, but when it did, we earned night differential.

I've jokingly said that the time in between when you're hired and when you start schoolcar is when you settle your affairs, go on a nice final vacation, and spend quality time with your friends and family before you double down on Transit.

Just remember, the shifts can be wonky. Some AM jobs start as early as 4 AM, some PM jobs start as late as 9 PM, some midnight jobs start as early as 10 PM. I opted for PMs.

I've worked Thanksgiving and other holidays in some form or fashion over the past two decades, so I'm used to it. :-) You may luck out with RDOs that facilitate certain holidays off at some point.

Honestly, it takes time and a lot of study to really get the definitions down. My trick honestly was to write them out over and over again, Catholic school style.

IIRC, we were in schoolcar when that first bulletin went out. It was hinted to most of us that it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. It's one thing when you're experienced on a line, and you know how the trains and signals react, but when you're new, be careful around homeballs and approach signals on time...

I did that last year, but it's less than ideal for those who are seeking to book as early as possible for flights. If you have flexibility, and can wait to book, then it's not the end of the world and could work to your favour, especially at less popular times of the year. Or you can use them as recovery days from your trips so you can readjust back to your normal habits.

4 weeks (20 days), one of which can be broken up to use as individual days.

FWIW, that depends on one's situation with NYCERS. Some people direct their pension payments to go to their wives or someone else in their family to continue for 10 years or a smaller structured payment for longer. If you pass away before you retire, IIRC, the amount that you paid in along with the NYCERS death benefit goes to your beneficiaries.

FWIW, I came from call centre work to make the leap into the agency, so the call to join was much stronger for me. I'll note that your current salary is roughly what a train operator with a good year of overtime makes, or slightly less than what a dispatcher makes after 6 years in title. The financial incentive to join, especially in light of your current work arrangements isn't going to be as strong, and I would understand if you'd decline the offer. As Jericho noted, Tier VI pensions aren't as slam dunk as previous pensions, and being able to retire at 55 after 25 years of service is still a reduced benefit compared to the full payout with 30 years. But it is a guaranteed payment. We have former corporate types who come down and try it out, but they're either moving up financially when they accept an offer, they're sick of the corporate world, or they were laid off, and the offer came at the right time. If you're looking for a faster route into management, there's always the operations management positions that are offered every so often as resume opportunities, but they're not as friendly to WFH compared to your current employer.

I think his job pays some stupid money, but he's doing two trips and a layup like the rest of us.

Yeah, I remember some of those. Certain jobs at E 180th, Utica, and Westchester Yard were easy ways to make a little money on top. :-) In theory, you could always do a double or RDO to make up for the straight 8s at the yard, but it seems that even the people at the top of the list in the B would rather pound the road on some 9 or 10 hour job.

It's amazing what happens when you're away from the job for a bit. :-) Once they're done with that, it would be nice if they'd work on the zone around Continental as that's just the worst setup that I've seen. I've jokingly said that every second you gain elsewhere is wasted there...

You're spot on. In effect, they have less signal heads to replace along with stop arm motors, which in theory should reduce maintenance, but we'll see how the balises for the localization or the zone controllers work after 20 years of service. The flipside is that it now places more effort on CED to keep the CBTC on board components in working condition. I'd agree with the assessment on the 7 line. It's a senior heavy line filled with everybody in the A division that lives in Queens or Long Island but didn't flee to the B division or pick New Lots jobs. Hell, I think a few guys came back to the line once the CBTC quirks were papered over.

I swear, that's the secret difference between the A and B divisions. Dudes with time for some reason will pick the road in the B, while everybody runs off the road ASAP for yard work in the A, or they retire and GTFO if they can't stay and pick yard work.

Admittedly, I'm late PMs, but two on the Fox is always better than 3 on the 6. :-) Queens Blvd isn't that bad, but again, I've worked all three lines on the Lex at some point or another.

Ask yourself this question, is five days on the worst line in your division with Tuesday and Wednesday off better than XX? For some people, they miss their favorite lines, while for others, the consistency of known days off makes real world planning far more easier.

There's a reason why I suggest looking at your conductor's name when you sign in. Write it down if you can remember it just in case, and it tells you if he or she is probationary as well. At some point, find them and see if they're seasoned or brand new. I've had times where I was a few months out of schoolcar, but I was the *senior* crew member on the train.

You won't spend that much time at the school, but unless you're willing to get there by 6:30 AM at the *latest* to ensure that you'll find parking, take the train. There are other classes there, alternate side parking, and housing projects nearby, so it complicates the available spaces. I take the train from Long Island on the days when I report at 7 AM, but drive for the 6 AM report days. IIRC, your second week onward will mostly be at the yards of the division that you've signed up for.

Per the bulletin, it's considered a distraction, so it's best that you avoid such devices. :-)

I bought a cheap Armitron watch for $20 at Walmart, so anything in that price range will do. :-)

No problem. :-) I forgot to note that you should buy a watch. No Apple Watches or any other fancy smartwatches given that they're considered electronic devices that can cause "distractions". Yes, you'll see many of us with them in the crew room and on the road, but schoolcar is a magical place where certain rules are stressed. An inexpensive watch is best for now, so save up your money for the G-Shocks (or anything really crazy and expensive) for once you're done with probation. :-)

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As others have mentioned, the Kaka bag is the default option since it can hold nearly everything and it's not absurdly expensive. Notebook, writing tools, but rather soon, index cards and markers/crayons for when you start memorizing signals. Otherwise, in a more immediate sense, a Zojirushi thermos is perfect for holding cold water even in hot class rooms (or tea in cold rooms). Once you're on your own, I'd suggest writing down car numbers of the trains that you operate which some keep in a log book. For filling out late clear slips, I suggest Pilot Frixxon pens as they're erasable pens so it's easy to correct a mistake when you're filling out something. And save some money during schoolcar by bringing lunch and snacks from home every so often. It's a good way to keep your weight and maintain good healthy eating habits. Honestly, the best thing to do right now is to tie up any loose ends now before schoolcar starts, so that way you have minimal distractions. Stay safe, enjoy this free time, and be ready. :-)

Non-existent. :-) With that said, budget at *minimum* 30-45 minutes before your report time at the school to look for parking. I generally recommend using transit if it's a 7 AM start because those with 6 AM reporting times have taken most of the spots. They will nag you if you're late on that first day, so please arrive *early* for schoolcar.