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Train Operator Exam # 8098


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loydmike,

 

To answer your earlier questions I first went for a drug test on 6/26 then was called back for a second one 

10/15. I received a phone call on 10/17 to come in for full medical as they wanted to try and get me into the 10/27 class but I was unable to make it down to the office in time for a physical to get into that class so I went in for medical on 10/28 and was out of there by 1'oclock and will be in the 12/1 class. Can't wait.

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Here's an update for aspiring train operators. I spoke with a human resources representative via telephone this afternoon and they informed me that they're up list number 3,279 with respect to people who completed their laboratories and awaiting full medical and final processing.

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@loydmike, thanks for the update.

Could you please share with us the phone number you called and the person you spoke to?

 

I don't want to hassle the powers-that-be, but I'll probably call if I don't get my letter (to go for initial drug test) by the end of the year.

 

It's getting so close and I don't want to miss or delay the opportunity.

 

Matt

list #37xx

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Congrats to all who just started & are starting on 12/1. I will give a bit of advice. If for some strange reason 2 classes are at the same yard & one happens to be a senior class, don't let them sway you. Had that experience a while back & just recently we had a new class at a yard with us, but we gave them some advice rather than scare them.TSS' thanked us. When you guys are in the yards, on the tracks on the mainline, please, please, please.....be careful. Watch that 3rd rail & never step on a running rail. Avoid walking in switch points too. Look both ways & keep safe distances from others in case you have to clear up. Be safe guys & study those books.

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loydmike,

 

To answer your earlier questions I first went for a drug test on 6/26 then was called back for a second one

10/15. I received a phone call on 10/17 to come in for full medical as they wanted to try and get me into the 10/27 class but I was unable to make it down to the office in time for a physical to get into that class so I went in for medical on 10/28 and was out of there by 1'oclock and will be in the 12/1 class. Can't wait.

Thanks for the info. Your list # range?
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I now know there is a 90 day period before health benefits kick in but is there anyway to have them start from day 1? Buy into the plan early or something of that nature. I'm married with a pregnant wife and two kids. I'm just trying to figure out if I need to spend a arm and a leg for COBRA for those 90 days. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks again. 

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Congrats to all who just started & are starting on 12/1. I will give a bit of advice. If for some strange reason 2 classes are at the same yard & one happens to be a senior class, don't let them sway you. Had that experience a while back & just recently we had a new class at a yard with us, but we gave them some advice rather than scare them.TSS' thanked us. When you guys are in the yards, on the tracks on the mainline, please, please, please.....be careful. Watch that 3rd rail & never step on a running rail. Avoid walking in switch points too. Look both ways & keep safe distances from others in case you have to clear up. Be safe guys & study those books.

 

It's sad you say that - a "senior" class should not be looking down on a "newer" class. You are all still in schoolcar! Seniority doesn't matter yet.

 

People should be looking to HELP each other down here, and look out for the new people. That's how it was at one time, and that's how it needs to be. It's good that your class took the high road about that, but no one should be getting a swelled head because they have 6 months and another class has 3. You're all rookies! Embrace it and help each other out. It's good that's what your class did, even if the other class didn't.

 

Until you pass that road practical and come out on your own you're still a "Student" anyway, not even qualified for full work in the job title yet!

 

Sadly, there are already quite a few "know it alls" in recent classes down here, already thinking they are the cat's meow, and some haven't even worked a day on the road on their own yet. Attitude is everything down here. I keep saying it on this board, but it's true. No one that works here knows everything. No one. Some know way more than others, but no one knows, everything. You can learn something new - maybe not every day - but definitely every week you work here, whether it's moving to a different title, picking someone's brain, getting rerouted or turned at a spot you've never made a move before, filling out an OT slip for something you've never done...whatever. Those who are focused on showing the world that they know everything are often too busy learning ways to do that, than to actually learn things that will increase their knowledge. Sadly, quite a few are already coming out of schoolcar with that mentality.

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It's sad you say that - a "senior" class should not be looking down on a "newer" class. You are all still in schoolcar! Seniority doesn't matter yet.

 

People should be looking to HELP each other down here, and look out for the new people. That's how it was at one time, and that's how it needs to be. It's good that your class took the high road about that, but no one should be getting a swelled head because they have 6 months and another class has 3. You're all rookies! Embrace it and help each other out. It's good that's what your class did, even if the other class didn't.

 

Until you pass that road practical and come out on your own you're still a "Student" anyway, not even qualified for full work in the job title yet!

 

Sadly, there are already quite a few "know it alls" in recent classes down here, already thinking they are the cat's meow, and some haven't even worked a day on the road on their own yet. Attitude is everything down here. I keep saying it on this board, but it's true. No one that works here knows everything. No one. Some know way more than others, but no one knows, everything. You can learn something new - maybe not every day - but definitely every week you work here, whether it's moving to a different title, picking someone's brain, getting rerouted or turned at a spot you've never made a move before, filling out an OT slip for something you've never done...whatever. Those who are focused on showing the world that they know everything are often too busy learning ways to do that, than to actually learn things that will increase their knowledge. Sadly, quite a few are already coming out of schoolcar with that mentality.

Well said brother, I can tell you that  I used to run into the guys from the earlier classes in the yards or those trailer class rooms since school car was different for us as we didn't have the YX program we would end up at some yards at the same time  and we all got along and share what ever little knowledge we had with each other and once they got out on to the road they shared their experiences with me and my classmates  as we did with the other classes that came after us, at least the ones that would listen.  

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It's true @SubwayGuy & Etrain. We sort of passed on our experiences up to that point in school car. Saw a couple of people who thought they knew it all (buffs), but when we told them that they don't know it all, and that what they "know" is totally different to what is taught, the look in their eyes said it all. Their attitudes changed. My class is a down to earth, this is reality, kind of class. Everyone knows they are students. We are eager to learn & just hope during posting, we can get knowledge from some giving, experienced T/ O's.Regardless, I will be looking for advice, either out there or here from you guys. Thank you again.

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It's sad you say that - a "senior" class should not be looking down on a "newer" class. You are all still in schoolcar! Seniority doesn't matter yet.

 

People should be looking to HELP each other down here, and look out for the new people. That's how it was at one time, and that's how it needs to be. It's good that your class took the high road about that, but no one should be getting a swelled head because they have 6 months and another class has 3. You're all rookies! Embrace it and help each other out. It's good that's what your class did, even if the other class didn't.

 

Until you pass that road practical and come out on your own you're still a "Student" anyway, not even qualified for full work in the job title yet!

 

Sadly, there are already quite a few "know it alls" in recent classes down here, already thinking they are the cat's meow, and some haven't even worked a day on the road on their own yet. Attitude is everything down here. I keep saying it on this board, but it's true. No one that works here knows everything. No one. Some know way more than others, but no one knows, everything. You can learn something new - maybe not every day - but definitely every week you work here, whether it's moving to a different title, picking someone's brain, getting rerouted or turned at a spot you've never made a move before, filling out an OT slip for something you've never done...whatever. Those who are focused on showing the world that they know everything are often too busy learning ways to do that, than to actually learn things that will increase their knowledge. Sadly, quite a few are already coming out of schoolcar with that mentality.

.

 

Well said Subway guy well said..... I can say this.... There's a big reason they are this high on numbers calling and it's not mostly due to retirements or promotions...They aren't playing with these smart mouthed know it alls... They are clipping folks left and right....

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@ RTOMan, that's something to scare people straight.  Getting fired during your probationary period for having a bad attitude and treating people badly.  Losing a career that you've waited 5+ years to start. 

 

On a different note, I wanted to know what shift school car tends to be: day or swing, and what hours specifically.  Has the shift been alternating regularly - Oct. school car is day shift, Nov. school car is swing shift? 

 

I'm asking because my strong preference is a swing shift, for childcare reasons, so I can get my kids on the school bus and only need one person to watch the kids before my wife gets home.  I want this job and I'll make any shift work, and I know I'll work crazy shifts when I'm driving trains in revenue service, but I was wondering if it was possible to delay school car 1-2 months if that allows you to get in when it's scheduled for a swing shift.

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@ RTOMan, that's something to scare people straight.  Getting fired during your probationary period for having a bad attitude and treating people badly.  Losing a career that you've waited 5+ years to start. 

 

On a different note, I wanted to know what shift school car tends to be: day or swing, and what hours specifically.  Has the shift been alternating regularly - Oct. school car is day shift, Nov. school car is swing shift? 

 

I'm asking because my strong preference is a swing shift, for childcare reasons, so I can get my kids on the school bus and only need one person to watch the kids before my wife gets home.  I want this job and I'll make any shift work, and I know I'll work crazy shifts when I'm driving trains in revenue service, but I was wondering if it was possible to delay school car 1-2 months if that allows you to get in when it's scheduled for a swing shift.

School car from what I have seen has only been AM's and PM's. Depends on how many classes are out at one time, what division you in ect. You don't have a choice on what time your classes are. I know when I started there was three nights and one mornings so we wouldn't bump into any of the other classes before us. As far as child care goes you have to have back up for the back ups child care is something transit doesn't care about.

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Schoolcar classes are either from 7AM-3PM or 3PM-11PM. You don't have a choice as to what time they will be, and you won't know until training has already begun since the first week is mostly administrative. You won't break up into your individual classes until the 2nd week, and you won't find out what class you're in until Thursday or Friday of the 1st week. So to answer your question, it's impossible to know your hours unless you have a hook with someone in schoolcar, and even if it was, it's still subject to change. My advice: seniority counts. Get down here as fast as you are able. Every class you wait is more people who are leapfrogging you in seniority.

 

No other hours are offered for classes.

 

Though schoolcar generally follows this framework, there are changes to it here and there for days which require certain special scheduling...days like fire school, or the simulator may alter the start times. Likewise you will report to various locations with in your subdivision (A - number trains, B - letter trains) so a report time that may be great one day may be terrible the next if it means two hours of travel across 3 boroughs to get to the reporting location. All part of the job...

 

Once you begin "posting" (aka on the job training with more senior employees) - your schedule will vary from that of your classmates as it's made individually for you, and you will likely rotate shifts.

 

Between yard extra (working yard and switching jobs on your own) and road "posting" you will also have two weeks of station stop practice where you will work a modified midnight schedule from 7PM to 3AM. Then you will resume "posting", this time in passenger service (aka road posting) - again your schedule will be made individually for you, and you will rotate shifts.

 

Once you are released from schoolcar, you belong to the crew office, and they will assign your days off and shift based on the needs of the service. Despite this sounding awful, if you show up to work and don't give them a hard time, usually things settle down as more new hires are brought in, and your schedule will (believe it or not) actually be fairly regular at some points, with infrequent changes. They usually won't change you every week, anyway.

 

This will continue until you are able to pick a job, at which point you choose your days off and hours based on what is available after employees with more seniority than you have already done the same.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited by SubwayGuy
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@SubwayGuy is on the money. I had 7a-3pm for actual school car hours. 9am start for Road ops days, 3pm start for Fire school. One day I was at Jamaica yard, the next, all the way up in the Bronx at Concourse yard, back down to Coney Island the next. Not to mention on certain days, you could start class in one yard, finish the day at another location. Lots of travel. Now I'm heading into Yard posting for 3 weeks then YX until March. All of my locations are different. One day report 00:15 @ Concourse, the next 02:00 @ 207 yard.The following week, different shift. After that, another shift. Get in now so you can somewhat plan arrangements. Good luck.

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@SubwayGuy is on the money. I had 7a-3pm for actual school car hours. 9am start for Road ops days, 3pm start for Fire school. One day I was at Jamaica yard, the next, all the way up in the Bronx at Concourse yard, back down to Coney Island the next. Not to mention on certain days, you could start class in one yard, finish the day at another location. Lots of travel. Now I'm heading into Yard posting for 3 weeks then YX until March. All of my locations are different. One day report 00:15 @ Concourse, the next 02:00 @ 207 yard.The following week, different shift. After that, another shift. Get in now so you can somewhat plan arrangements. Good luck.

What does YX mean?
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Sorry, I don't know the exact number. Only information they give over the phone that is the last list number hired which was 3,137. However, I'm list number 3,40x and already took my laboratory for HR and I'm currently awaiting a call back for my full medical. I hope that information helps.

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Sorry, I don't know the exact number. Only information they give over the phone that is the last list number hired which was 3,137. However, I'm list number 3,40x and already took my laboratory for HR and I'm currently awaiting a call back for my full medical. I hope that information helps.

Please, let us know when you are called for the medical. Thanks, Mike...
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