Keikyu Motorman

7 hours ago, Jay-Oh said:

Try to flush it from your system if you can. Testing positive will disqualify you, so do some at home tests, if you’re positive, push the appointment back.

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*.

2 hours ago, FilippoSironi said:

yeah I agree. That's why I just went for XL without worrying about the days off. Having set days off help me set time for a mini vacation too by taking a couple of AVA around my weekend. 

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

7 hours ago, FilippoSironi said:

True i noticed that too.  I thinks its  because a lot of new XX people don't wanna bother with it. Maybe they got what they wanted on the preference sheet and they are hoping the crew office will keep them on these tours and RDOs. Other people don't see XL as any better than XX so they don't bother. Then some people bid but they only bid on super senior jobs that they have no chance of getting. 

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.

20 minutes ago, Jericho said:

Hopefully you won something on the second vacancy bid...

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

1 hour ago, mimic101 said:

Damn man.  I don't even know what to say to this.  During probation we're suppose to get 12 hours off between shifts, but after probation it's 8 hours right?  If you live in the Bronx and you're starting and clearing at Far Rock you're losing at least 4 hours due to commuting time alone.  Then you sleep for just a few hours, wake up, head back? That's crazy.

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 hour ago, trackerjack said:

Just some random questions if anyone wanna chime in.  thanks in advance!

1)  what's the average time a newbie has to be here until he/she can win a bid/pick?  say RDO relief?

2) what about vacataion relief?  how much of senority until you pick those?

3) let's have a mini vote?  which is better RDO relief or Vacation relief?  i suppose it's subjective right?

4) and of course...once a newbie can pick a job....i keep hearing they get scraps. is it REALLY that bad?  like...only those 3-4 trippers are left??

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...

On 7/6/2022 at 7:16 PM, mimic101 said:

I'm in Queens and was placed in the A division.  My commute time is usually 1hr 40min to 2 hr to the Bronx yards then the same for going home.  In total around 4 hours of commuting each day.  It's honestly brutal.  The training it self doesn't make me tired, it's the commuting.  Every day I think about quitting. 

However, I tell myself that if I do make it out of school car that I'll move to somewhere in the Bronx.  I'm not sure if that is a good idea, but I'm sure that I'll have to report to the Brooklyn and Queens locations for jobs.  I honestly have no idea what to do, but I know that I cannot keep up this commute for long. 

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.

On 7/6/2022 at 4:25 PM, trackerjack said:

is work trains fun / easier?  or does it have its own annoyances?  work trains sounds amazing....no customers.....no worries over running a station!!

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.

12 hours ago, FilippoSironi said:

As of this week I have graduated schoolcar and I'm now officially an XX train operator. Thank you to everybody on this forum for the help. 

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. :-)

9 hours ago, 553 Bridgeton said:

My gf they kept her at Utica, NLots, or flatbush. She lives on boro park. Even if she caught a job at Dyre well I’d pick her up but what I’m trying to say is they made sure she signed in at one of those 3 terminals. Picking her up wise if she ended in the Bronx I’d pick her up, Wakefield I hated driving there I’d send her an Uber. Lol I mean I was fair, Dyre, 242nd, parkchester, and woodlawn I had no issue, but it was something about Wakefield that drove me crazy. I never drove to main st she was close enough to the N that she would get home in a good time. Very rarely she caught jobs at Main st or corona yard. Out of 3yrs I’d say she did maybe 5x. Same with the 1 she hardly went to 242nd. 

Now she finally has a job and she starts and finishes at flatbush.

 

Key here is do the job don’t whine, don’t say you hate this and that. Your xx you don’t have a choice. Who cares what the shithouse lawyers(loud mouths in crew rooms) says, when your new everyone knows the rules. However make a few friends, there are good ones, don’t be labeled at as rat because your quiet. 
 

if you get a 3 trip a put in and layup on the 3 at nlots(lots of them) suck it up. I don’t work here but I’d be in the A Div, less reporting locations that alone would be my reason for choosing. 

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.

18 hours ago, dincena said:

Does it get better/easier once you build some seniority and are no longer XX?

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.

6 hours ago, RTOMan said:

Man listen my first Pick on that Charlie i got a crash coruse in those R46s...

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.

38 minutes ago, RTOMan said:

Yet two handles some have felt more "In control" than One handle and over time down here it wont matter a train will be a train..

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

1 hour ago, d4rkst4r said:

How are the trains in the A division?  I was assigned that division and someone said the trains are newer and a bit easier to handle than the r46s?

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. 

8 hours ago, trackerjack said:

cool thanks for this lesson about RDO relief.   it sounds good actually  it's like a hybrid or...in fact kinda like having 2 picked jobs in 1 right?  u can pick and choose

how long does it take to build up enough senority to do RDO relief?  1? 2? 10 years?      think about doing XX for years makes me extremely nauseous

 

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.

6 minutes ago, Jay-Oh said:

A315 (I think) is a one tripper that only uses a 68A, ends with a layup to concourse yard though.

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.

12 hours ago, beanz said:

Can't wait til they retire those 46s

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. :-/

20 hours ago, Mikepro6 said:

@Imhim how many people in your class failed ? And out of how many ? 

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.

10 hours ago, Lavos212 said:

Anyone have any info on the A division? Is their a lot of overtime? 

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. :-)

2 hours ago, FilippoSironi said:

Definitely more than 40 hours a week. It's impossible to work  only 40 hours a week when you're extra extra. 

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.

3 hours ago, overclocked said:

Does anyone commute from NJ?

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.

1 hour ago, Vinnypatron said:

Hey Guys, can really use some guidance. I live in Long Beach Long Island. What division would you guys recommend me picking? 

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.

5 hours ago, Banks718 said:

Do you have to be a nyc resident ? I live in Orange county.

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.

2 hours ago, FilippoSironi said:

Thank you I will definitely do that.

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. :-)

2 hours ago, Mikepro6 said:

What is XX exactly ? And what is the typical schedule for a new employee? since they have a 10-12hr min between jobs @trackerjack

T.I.A

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.