subwaydriver

A hooligan is a horizontal overhead signal that hangs from the ceiling as opposed to a typical vertical signal attached to a pole.

Should of got that signal book within the 1st few days after orientation. But start with the rule book and induction Manuel. Signal exam is going to be easier than you think. The multiple choices are no brainers. Get one wrong and you're out. No excuse for that. The write ins afford you a little more room for error. But like someone said, don't over write. You can't take stuff out if it's wrong, BUT if you "forget" to put something in, you may get a chance to explain yourself. With that said... They want the type of signal, (fixed, low home, standard home, approach, automatic, grade time, etc) and what to expect when you encounter it. Example Green over yellow Fixed interlocking standard home signal Proceed at allowable speed expecting the following signal to be clear, Continue on diverging route. That's what they're looking for.

I took the signal test in March or April. It's a breeze as long as you stay on top of them from day 1. My test was 10 questions. 5 multiple choice, 5 write ins. Learn to define the signals exactly as written. Save your interpretations for yourself. I was thinking about this today..... The stuff you worry about coming in, (signals, routes, station stops, etc) end up being the least of your worries. All that stuff becomes second nature. The real challenge turned out to be the job itself. Staying alert in a silent cab for up to 2 hrs at a time, 3 times a night wears you out. It's a mentally draining position. All that other stuff..... Cake.

I was at Lennox about a week ago and the superintendent was doing spot checks for ppe. The t/o he was checking out had all his ppe except his rule book. (he keeps it in his locker to avoid it getting beat up in his bag) The super said that is acceptable as long as it's available to him at the end of his shift. With that said, regardless of what the rule is, I always carry my rule book especially for the day comes that I have to write a G2.

By the time the next pick rolls around you could have a good 150 names behind you. Something else I hear quite often is if you mess up, fess up. Especially as a rookie. They're expecting us to have an issue here and there, but the worst thing you can do is cover it up. you never know who's riding on or watching your train. You'll get in a lot more trouble for the cover up than the incident. The incident was an accident, the cover up is intentional.

Lots of road posting going on out there. Any of the TSS' hearing any feedback or crazy stories yet? I know there was a station over run at 14th gap fillers yesterday. Actually, I think he pulled out too fast and hit the stop before the gf cleared. Not sure if it was a student though.

They'll be hitting the 1,000 mark by summer. Guaranteed. 40 new t/o's a month, and it's been taking anywhere btwn 70-100 to get those 40. Most recent rumor is they need 400 new t/o's by years end.

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If you have kids or anyone you're putting on your insurance, it would benefit you to have birth certs and SS cards. This way you can handle all that stuff on the spot. That's day 2-3 or so.

You'll be in 248 for 7 days if I remember correctly. You'll be getting all your gear the 2nd or 3rd day. But as stated above, just bring it from day 1. Might as well start getting used to it. Good luck and congrats.

That was you Élantra? I had your TSS (Chris I think his name was) and the famous Kenny "the man" Taylor speak with our class for a few hours yesterday and he was talking about it. That's unbelievable.

For any potential future T/O's waiting patiently on the list, everyday someone is talking about whose retirement party they're going to today, went to last night, and are going to tomorrow. They're going out in droves. Hang in there, get all your ducks in a row, and when the call comes in, grab on with both hands.

I know it's not easy, and the last thing I'm going to do is bash anybody. Was just sharing I guess. I will say this though, I've probably come across 10-15 TSS since I started and every single one, without exception has not only been friendly, but they all seem truly interested in giving us advice to try and get us through school car. Some just have a better ability when it comes to teaching.

Some of these TSS's are much better than others. I'm sure they all know there stuff, but some just seem to have a better knack for teaching than others. In more than one instance we were given either incomplete information, wrong information, or information about a division other than the one we're being trained for. To make matters worse, there's tension between the two when deciding what, when, or how to go over certain things. Here's to hoping things get better.