Keikyu Motorman

How reliable are the home tests compared to the tests used by LabCorp and such? It's hard to recommend home tests when failure basically can ban him from the entire transit industry for *years*.

Barely a few weeks into the job, and my man has figured out how to beat the system. :-)

I think some people just don't understand how the bids work, some of the jobs available may not actually work well for them, and some people have relatively lucky with the crew office. And yes, there are some swinging for the fences for jobs that they'll *never* get. As for XL, I think the problem is that the way the districts are split, they're not ideal. Queens is a gamble with jobs on the G, stuff at 95th St, or Stillwell Fox jobs for example. Or the South uptown reports for somebody that's walking distance to Stillwell. Even in the A, there isn't an easy way to pick a district without the risk of working on the dreaded 1 or 6. OTOH, confirmed RDOs make life a lot easier.

There were perfectly viable XL and RDO jobs on the second vacancy list that went unawarded...

12 hours between jobs as XX, 10 hours as XL, 8 hours with a picked job. With that said, there's a reason why so many of us drive whenever possible or in a few cases, use Uber as the shortcut.

1+2) Judging by the jobs that sat unfilled, it seems that even brand new employees can win a *temporary* bid if they actually did some research and bid for some jobs. If you're talking about a pick, then it ultimately depends on how seniority plays out. It *seems* to move slower in the A, so mentally budget 2 to 3 years. It could be sooner, it could be later. It all depends on how many people retire and take promotions. 3) RDO Relief is great if you want to pick something and be done with it. VR is great if you want some flexibility to do different things, but have some attempt at control. With that said, I prefer RDO Relief. 4) Honestly, yes, when you first pick, the jobs available aren't going to be the best, but for some people, it's better than being at the mercy of the crew office. As always, you can bid your way up into somebody else's vacancy as a number of my classmates did this pick...

FWIW, once I was done with schoolcar, I was MID for a bit and PMs for XX. As a Long Island person that's seen both divisions, Stillwell and the Bronx are almost equally far away to me, so it's a bit of a wash, and honestly moving is no guarantee that you'll see the Bronx. You may end up seeing Brooklyn rather frequently to fill out the senior man jobs at the Brooklyn end of the network. I generally drove, so 60-90 minutes to go to work, 30 to 45 min to come back home. The only exception was a few jobs on the 7, or the 1.5 trip jobs that no longer exist on the 2. If you don't drive, it's much harder, and I've seen a few co-workers pay for Uber as a shortcut on their commutes to make things work.

I posted in work trains while XX due to a potential shortage of work train motormen, and honestly, I *really* wasn't fond of it, but I tell people that are interested to try it out for a pick. The diesels are slow and much harder to operate (hint: 25 mph other than head car operation with no dynamic braking and two diesel freight friction brakes), some days you're working super hard for long hours, you're exposed to the elements at the extremes, and it's just as easy to "mess up" as on the road. OTOH, there's lots of money, some days are quiet, and it's a good way to prep for being a TSS. AM work trains is mostly day time GOs and yard work to prep for the PM and weekend GOs during the week, PM and AM weekend work trains is GOs. Let's just say that I have lots of respect for the men and women of 36/38th Street and Westchester Yards.

Welcome to the greatest show on earth. Enjoy the good days, read your supplements and GOs, and find your favourite lines and bid for them. :-)

I've heard rumours of employees living in Delaware, so I'm not surprised at the Cumberland County, NJ guy or the coastal South Jersey types. Some guys apply from down there, others find their dream homes and make the commute work for them. As for your girlfriend's experiences with the crew office, I think the A division crew office takes that into account sometimes. I live in out Long Island, and they kept me at Utica, New Lots, Pelham, Flatbush, or Main Street. I saw Pelham less and less with time went on, and Flatbush and Main Street more. It helps that the Brooklyn end of the network and the 7 are senior lines, so there were plenty of jobs to available to fill. As for the job itself, there are days where I'm stressed out and pissed at the road blowing up and killing my breaks. On the other hand, it's not like every other job out there is stress free. The job definitely isn't for everybody, but it's certainly a good opportunity for the right people. The stories from the senior guys make it clear that if you push yourself, it can be transformational for your family. Schoolcar and early XX are rough, but once you have your routine established and the vacation days kick in, it can become better.

FWIW, from an A division perspective, I've seen some people get jerked around, while others moved up the XX list and started seeing "good" jobs and Sunday/Saturday off. So it does get better, for most people. As beanz noted, the people with the lowest picked jobs can sometimes look on at their friends who are still XX with envy. On the other hand, a picked job with steady days off is better than hoping that they didn't change your RDOs for that one time that you *definitely* needed that day off.

There's a part of me that wants to argue that there's a good chance that the 46 on the C almost a decade ago was guaranteed to be in better shape than today. So the train was more reliable, but you were still stuck with the awkward seat and control setup. :-/ I've jokingly said if the A was 68s, I'd be signing in at Far Rock next week.

There's a special charm to some of the two handle stuff, but I wasn't fond of my posting experience with the 46s. :-/

Not counting the 46s, the 62s are a bit older, IIRC, than the 68s. I started off in the A, so I'm partial to the rolling stock on that side of the world. The 62s are probably the hardest out of anything with an uncomfortable master controller, slow releasing brakes, and some jerky sets, but with time, practice, and confidence, you'll be able to master them. The A division New Tech aren't as good as the R-160s, IMHO, but they're decent trains. Just be careful with them in the wet. The 62As are decent sets, but they're just attached to lines that people complain about. With that said, don't worry too much about the trains. You'll have plenty of time for that. Focus on your rules, and as they start handing them to you, your signals and train concepts as well.

For me, my first pick was after three years on the job, and I barely picked. So mentally picture 2.5 years to 4 years as the range to use. RDO Relief should be possible with your first pick, especially in the A division, but you may not like what's available, especially for your first pick. FWIW, most people tend to have multiple jobs in their RDO relief packages. For example, I have five different jobs across two lines with varying start times. Mind you, I like both lines in my RDO job so it works out. :-) With that said, until it's time to pick, you can always try the bid sheets. Jobs that other people may loudly complain about may be perfectly viable alternatives if you like a line, or it's convenient for you.

I almost built an RDO relief package with that job, but it really wasn't worth the headache of commuting uptown from Long Island for it. Edit: It's A/316.

If that line had 68s and paid a bit better, I'd be considering Far Rock over 179. The 46s were my railfan dream trains until I finally sat in the cab and had to operate them. :-/

It's already been mentioned, but to give encouragement, we had ten students at the time of our first signal exam, all ten of us passed. For the second, it was nine students, and all nine of us passed. The ratio was the same with our two other sister classes. The odds are surprisingly in your favour if you study, practice, and pay attention.

FWIW, there's always money to be made, more so on the midnight and AM tours. As a PM person, I wasn't too money hungry, but most of my extra money was made from helping out with extra trips on the 7 and layups at Pelham and Main Street. A little here and there adds up. :-)

Depending on your luck, it's actually possible every so often. In the A division, if you're given a bunch of 8 hour jobs for your week, assuming the road doesn't super blow up, no board, and no other nonsense, and yes you can walk away with 40 for the week. It's unlikely, but I've had a few weeks like that.

Based on what I've seen, North Jersey leans A Division because so many of the terminals and yards are in the Bronx, but Central and South Jersey tilts toward the B division because of the options at Coney Island and Stillwell. Set aside a solid budget for your gas, parking, and tolls. Mind you, it's not fixed, and there are North Jersey guys reporting to the B as well, but they may have been transfers from the A that were able to find a workable terminal.

As a fellow Long Islander, and South Shore resident that's currently in the A division, I'd lean toward the B because of the greater chance of having a terminal closer to home, but if you're stuck in the A, it's not the worst thing in the world. I can make it to some of the Bronx A division terminals by driving in the same amount of time as Stillwell and Brighton Beach. The tolls, OTOH, eat up your money, especially in schoolcar. The A is easier to learn and manage, but the B has more options.

There's no residency requirement for NYC Transit. Hell, if you poke around, you'll find some of your future coworkers are your neighbours, especially in the A division.

With that said, do your research. Use the work programme and pick results to see the details behind the job so you can make an educated decision on the best jobs for you. :-)

It's the eXtra eXtra list. It's where new employees are placed until they're able to secure enough seniority to pick a job. After schoolcar, there really isn't a typical schedule as you're basically given jobs two days in advance which can vary by start time. As a PM person, I had jobs that started as early as 1230 and as late as 2100 (9 PM). It all depends on the needs of the crew office for that day.