Train Service Supervisor (TSS)

[SubwayGuy]

Well, you sure nailed it. I would have liked some conductor training. I think more road posting would have benefited everyone. The three months YX is a waste. Cut that back to one or two months. Provide additional posting time, and conductor familiarization. I ask CRs about their jobs all the time. I feel that as a T/O, I should know what they do (not to mention it is in the rules.) The level of knowledge needs to be upped all-around. From operations to administration to benefits and contractual stipulations. This goes for supervision as well.

 

If you ask me, probation should be 18 months for new T/O and schoolcar should be longer.

 

-Conductor Training (1 month A Division, 1.5 months B Division)

-Conductor Road Posting (2 weeks A Division, 3 weeks B Division)

-Equipment familiarization, signals, and yard movement with the class (3 months A Division, 3 months B Division) - includes first yard practical, second yard practical, and signal exam

-Yard Posting (1 month in A Division, 1.5 months in B Division). Minimum two consecutive days in every single yard, more time in large yards. Must be paired with "regulars" in the yard. YX can not take students in the yard.

-Yard Extra (3 months A Division, 3.5 months in B Division) - mainly working jobs that are YD not SS. Two months must be assigned YD jobs. SS jobs for no more than 1 month out of the whole time.

-Troubleshooting and Road Qualification with the class (1.5 months A Division, 1.5 months B Division) - includes road practical and a very basic physical characteristics test about wrong lineups and other key things to know (like not taking 10 car trains out to the Eastern Division, for example). Also includes midterm exam fairly early on upon return from "YX".

-Road Posting (1 month A Division, 1.5 months B Division)

-Final Exam (1 week both divisions).

 

This would put schoolcar at ~11 months A Division, and ~13 months B Division. Also more locations need to improve their handouts given to people who aren't familiar with somewhere. Just like there are lineup cards (in most places), there should be yard schematics that have important info given to all students. Some senior M/M or T/Os do this on their own (which is great), but most places don't have anything official.

 

Those with lazy "I don't need to know that" or entitled attitudes would not be forced through schoolcar the way they are now, their failure rates would rise. Meanwhile good students would have more time to hone their craft before they are placed on their own.

 

-Then once, they are on their own, first day on platform duty (to qualify for it, as well as discourage them from messing up), with a guarantee that after completing the one day on plats, they will work the same line every day for their first 5 consecutive days after posting with a senior T/O as a "skills enhancement" (Something they used to do). During skills enhancement, the rookie T/O needs to operate the whole job, and the senior T/O is not being paid to "take a student" but rather to be there in the event of an emergency to help the new person. From there, they get a standard crew office "Line familiarization package" for their first month to two months (starting them first on their own on the line they did skills enhancement, then moving moving them around the various lines, but keeping them in the same place for a few days at a time before moving them again). After that they just become standard XX.

 

These are all variations on good things that were done at one point or another that they've gotten away from in recent years. Starting in the Yard is good because that is where you build your fundamentals - moving B/O equipment, learning how to troubleshoot minor things, establishing positive communication (whether between you and your partner, or you and the tower), train control, reading signals and iron, and general safety. However, you don't get anything out of it if you aren't trusted to do any moves. Once you have a solid foundation, then is when you can start upping the speeds and learning to work the road and make good station stops. If you can't make proper safety stops, or judge distance correctly (all skills that can be practiced safely at low speed in the yard), you can't make proper station stops. Likewise, "skills enhancement" and "line familiarization" are good because they build confidence and increase a new T/O's familiarity with a line gradually. Working the same place for a few days at a time allows a person to not just "wing it and react" but actually, begin to master it. Skills enhancement is a reassurance given to a new T/O. "Uh oh, I'm on my own. I'm scared" becomes, "I'm nervous, but at least I'm here with a senior person watching me." It builds confidence. You need confidence to operate a train properly, but you also need to not be cocky. There is a big difference between believing in yourself and being confident in your abilities and train control, and being arrogant and often careless because you think you know everything.

 

These are the changes I think would benefit the new T/O induction program the most.

[BrianRichards]

If you ask me, probation should be 18 months for new T/O and schoolcar should be longer.

 

-Conductor Training (1 month A Division, 1.5 months B Division)

-Conductor Road Posting (2 weeks A Division, 3 weeks B Division)

-Equipment familiarization, signals, and yard movement with the class (3 months A Division, 3 months B Division) - includes first yard practical, second yard practical, and signal exam

-Yard Posting (1 month in A Division, 1.5 months in B Division). Minimum two consecutive days in every single yard, more time in large yards. Must be paired with "regulars" in the yard. YX can not take students in the yard.

-Yard Extra (3 months A Division, 3.5 months in B Division) - mainly working jobs that are YD not SS. Two months must be assigned YD jobs. SS jobs for no more than 1 month out of the whole time.

-Troubleshooting and Road Qualification with the class (1.5 months A Division, 1.5 months B Division) - includes road practical and a very basic physical characteristics test about wrong lineups and other key things to know (like not taking 10 car trains out to the Eastern Division, for example). Also includes midterm exam fairly early on upon return from "YX".

-Road Posting (1 month A Division, 1.5 months B Division)

-Final Exam (1 week both divisions).

 

This would put schoolcar at ~11 months A Division, and ~13 months B Division. Also more locations need to improve their handouts given to people who aren't familiar with somewhere. Just like there are lineup cards (in most places), there should be yard schematics that have important info given to all students. Some senior M/M or T/Os do this on their own (which is great), but most places don't have anything official.

 

Those with lazy "I don't need to know that" or entitled attitudes would not be forced through schoolcar the way they are now, their failure rates would rise. Meanwhile good students would have more time to hone their craft before they are placed on their own.

 

-Then once, they are on their own, first day on platform duty (to qualify for it, as well as discourage them from messing up), with a guarantee that after completing the one day on plats, they will work the same line every day for their first 5 consecutive days after posting with a senior T/O as a "skills enhancement" (Something they used to do). During skills enhancement, the rookie T/O needs to operate the whole job, and the senior T/O is not being paid to "take a student" but rather to be there in the event of an emergency to help the new person. From there, they get a standard crew office "Line familiarization package" for their first month to two months (starting them first on their own on the line they did skills enhancement, then moving moving them around the various lines, but keeping them in the same place for a few days at a time before moving them again). After that they just become standard XX.

 

These are all variations on good things that were done at one point or another that they've gotten away from in recent years. Starting in the Yard is good because that is where you build your fundamentals - moving B/O equipment, learning how to troubleshoot minor things, establishing positive communication (whether between you and your partner, or you and the tower), train control, reading signals and iron, and general safety. However, you don't get anything out of it if you aren't trusted to do any moves. Once you have a solid foundation, then is when you can start upping the speeds and learning to work the road and make good station stops. If you can't make proper safety stops, or judge distance correctly (all skills that can be practiced safely at low speed in the yard), you can't make proper station stops. Likewise, "skills enhancement" and "line familiarization" are good because they build confidence and increase a new T/O's familiarity with a line gradually. Working the same place for a few days at a time allows a person to not just "wing it and react" but actually, begin to master it. Skills enhancement is a reassurance given to a new T/O. "Uh oh, I'm on my own. I'm scared" becomes, "I'm nervous, but at least I'm here with a senior person watching me." It builds confidence. You need confidence to operate a train properly, but you also need to not be cocky. There is a big difference between believing in yourself and being confident in your abilities and train control, and being arrogant and often careless because you think you know everything.

 

These are the changes I think would benefit the new T/O induction program the most.

That's an ambitious program! (You know it will never happen though.)

 

One thing that stood out is the "18 month probation"-- I vehemently oppose this. 12 months is long enough.

 

I think Schoolcar should be reformed. But I was thinking more in-line with the current 7 month and 8.5 month timeframes. "Road Ops", as a class, was usually not very effective. You spend 8 hours those days; to make all of 8 station stops. It was fun, but it just wasn't efficient. When you are given one trip, with 8-12 people that need cab-time, its a very small window of opportunity.

 

The YX time is the biggest chunk that can be re-shaped. (Three months doing relays at Utica or Parkchester isn't gonna learn ya much.) In theory, YX provides: cab-time, increased confidence, and knowledge about terminal and yard operations. In practice, they stick you in one-spot for three months and you get cozy. They should go back to some type of rotation, in which you hit several spots for at least two weeks at-a-time.

 

6-8 weeks on C/R duties is ALOT for a new T/O to be devoted to. By contrast, the present curriculum provides only a few days of "door operations" and thats about it. (I gave myself some practice with doors when doing put-ins as a YX.) I think a solid two weeks on the role of the C/R would be a vast improvement on the current curriculum.

 

Another area for improvement is the road posting. In the A divison, you get three days per line, all mixed up throughout that week. (A couple of weeks on AMs, and a week each on PMs and MIDs.) I think at least one week per line (so, 7 weeks in the A Division) would be more helpful. You need time to absorb the Physical Characteristics of each line, the service patterns, the equipment, the work programs, and so-on. The current posting regimine is more of a "crash course" (no pun intended!) Additionally, the road posting is where a student gets the most cab-time, by far. By the time you finish posting and return to your class, you should have solid train control and be ready to work independently.

 

I say this as someone who has gone through the current program within the last two years. Its decent, but it could be more effective.

[RTOMan]

YX can be used a bit better if they really make these TOs work I mean you stick them in Station Switching jobs where they do three or four relays tops? Some Dispts don't even let some YX take trains to the yard because some of them are showing the "Huh?" Faces.... Put them in the Yds mostly make them drill. Not simple swings and let the other TOs bust their tails. Subway guy is right they get too comfortable then they get the reality check when it's road posting time. Also it's up to them to want to know the job ask questions look at the tower board ask for maps... In the B Div there are folks who are more than willing to help. It starts and ends with the person.

[MTAhopefullMatt]

Very interesting discussion.  I'm not yet at Transit, but I was reading this topic because I was curious to hear about promotional opportunities from the train operator exam I took, to forecast a possible career path.

 

@ Subway Guy, it's been so long since I took that exam that it's a bit hazy, but I do remember there were questions about train sets and signals which I had to guess at, having had no prior experience working on trains.  The exam was NOT simply reading comprehension and basic math.  I had no idea what to study in preparation for the exam [i didn't know anyone in Transit, I just read the exam announcement in the free paper they distribute in the subways, and there were no reliable, up to date study guides available that I could locate at the bookstore or on the Internet] so I just took it and did the best I could based on reading comprehension, knowledge of city geography, etc. 

 

Anyway, I scored 90 and I'm at 37xx.  My sense is that if I was able to obtain a relevant study guide I could have answered at least a few more questions correctly and scored significantly higher, with a much better list #.  I don't think that would have made me any more motivated or capable of performing the job, though.

 

My take is that this seems to me similar to controversies over the fireman's exam - it's debatable whether your score on the exam (assuming you pass, and have the basic intellectual/reading comprehension skills) is closely tied to your performance on the job.

It probably does make sense to offer open/competitive exams more often (maybe every 2 years?), if only out of fairness to those qualified/motivated people who could do well but didn't hear about the exam in time to file for it.   However, I don't think Transit will face problems recruiting qualified employees if they dip considerably further into the candidate pool. Practical and written exams during the first year and overall job performance should weed out the unqualified.  People who ace the exam should have the first chance to be hired, but everyone needs to prove themselves once their on the job.

[SubwayGuy]

Very interesting discussion.  I'm not yet at Transit, but I was reading this topic because I was curious to hear about promotional opportunities from the train operator exam I took, to forecast a possible career path.

 

@ Subway Guy, it's been so long since I took that exam that it's a bit hazy, but I do remember there were questions about train sets and signals which I had to guess at, having had no prior experience working on trains.  The exam was NOT simply reading comprehension and basic math.  I had no idea what to study in preparation for the exam [i didn't know anyone in Transit, I just read the exam announcement in the free paper they distribute in the subways, and there were no reliable, up to date study guides available that I could locate at the bookstore or on the Internet] so I just took it and did the best I could based on reading comprehension, knowledge of city geography, etc. 

 

Anyway, I scored 90 and I'm at 37xx.  My sense is that if I was able to obtain a relevant study guide I could have answered at least a few more questions correctly and scored significantly higher, with a much better list #.  I don't think that would have made me any more motivated or capable of performing the job, though.

 

My take is that this seems to me similar to controversies over the fireman's exam - it's debatable whether your score on the exam (assuming you pass, and have the basic intellectual/reading comprehension skills) is closely tied to your performance on the job.

It probably does make sense to offer open/competitive exams more often (maybe every 2 years?), if only out of fairness to those qualified/motivated people who could do well but didn't hear about the exam in time to file for it.   However, I don't think Transit will face problems recruiting qualified employees if they dip considerably further into the candidate pool. Practical and written exams during the first year and overall job performance should weed out the unqualified.  People who ace the exam should have the first chance to be hired, but everyone needs to prove themselves once their on the job.

 

The questions were about trains, but the answers were given in an explanatory paragraph beforehand. Hence why the test was reading comprehension.

 

Sample question:

 

Smoking is prohibited anywhere on MTA property. This includes, but is not limited to, subway trains and buses, station platforms, bus stops, crew rooms, bus depots, train yards, track, and supervisors' officers. Which of the following places is it acceptable to smoke?

-A subway platform

-In the operating cab of your train, since no one else will breathe it.

-Smoking anywhere is never permissible, at any time, as an MTA employee.

-In a designated smoking area outside your building when you are off from work.

 

Every single question on the test, train related or other, came with an explanatory paragraph except maybe no more than 3 or 4 very basic geography questions.

[SubwayGuy]

That's an ambitious program! (You know it will never happen though.)

 

One thing that stood out is the "18 month probation"-- I vehemently oppose this. 12 months is long enough.

 

I think Schoolcar should be reformed. But I was thinking more in-line with the current 7 month and 8.5 month timeframes. "Road Ops", as a class, was usually not very effective. You spend 8 hours those days; to make all of 8 station stops. It was fun, but it just wasn't efficient. When you are given one trip, with 8-12 people that need cab-time, its a very small window of opportunity.

 

The YX time is the biggest chunk that can be re-shaped. (Three months doing relays at Utica or Parkchester isn't gonna learn ya much.) In theory, YX provides: cab-time, increased confidence, and knowledge about terminal and yard operations. In practice, they stick you in one-spot for three months and you get cozy. They should go back to some type of rotation, in which you hit several spots for at least two weeks at-a-time.

 

6-8 weeks on C/R duties is ALOT for a new T/O to be devoted to. By contrast, the present curriculum provides only a few days of "door operations" and thats about it. (I gave myself some practice with doors when doing put-ins as a YX.) I think a solid two weeks on the role of the C/R would be a vast improvement on the current curriculum.

 

Another area for improvement is the road posting. In the A divison, you get three days per line, all mixed up throughout that week. (A couple of weeks on AMs, and a week each on PMs and MIDs.) I think at least one week per line (so, 7 weeks in the A Division) would be more helpful. You need time to absorb the Physical Characteristics of each line, the service patterns, the equipment, the work programs, and so-on. The current posting regimine is more of a "crash course" (no pun intended!) Additionally, the road posting is where a student gets the most cab-time, by far. By the time you finish posting and return to your class, you should have solid train control and be ready to work independently.

 

I say this as someone who has gone through the current program within the last two years. Its decent, but it could be more effective.

 

18 month probation would become a necessity due to the longer training program, since you want each student to be on their own and road qualified for a few months to prove they can perform the job before they pass probation. That way, if they can't, it's easier to get rid of someone who will be nothing but problems down the road.

 

As RTOman said, YX is a waste of time as currently configured since people are afraid to give these guys moves. YX should always be paired with a senior person. YX should also be doing more moves in the yards, put-ins and layups, and less relays. Station switching at Utica and Parkchester is a giant waste of time. However, there are jobs that some YX have worked that are good. Additionally, they should be being rotated around. Just like they need more time yard posting, they also need to see more facilities as YX. In the B Division, they do move them around a little bit, in the A Division they seem to more or less stay in the same location. However, they need a few days in a row at each location.

 

Conductor training being so long also includes posting, that's why I gave the timeframe I did. Also there is more to conductor training than just pointing at the board, opening and closing doors, and troubleshooting doors. For "off the streeet" hires, there is a lot of lingo to learn and this can hold a student back if they are trying to learn what a "put-in" and "layup" are at the same time they're trying to master the definition of a call on for the signals test. Instead, let them learn all this while they learn doors and circuit breakers, and then things will make more sense to them when they get into train operation.

 

Yes, sharing stops on road operations can be inefficient, but the main thing is that those days should be run more efficiently. Usually one person operates and everyone else sits in the car and either talks, studies something else, or just zones out. Those days should be used to, rather than practice station stops, go over physical characteristics.

 

Looking at something on a model board is often used to explain physical characteristics but I disagree with this unless it's a Towers class. You need to be out in the field looking at lineups, homeballs, switches, etc. since that's what's going to be in front of you when you take a wrong lineup, and not a model board. Most times this is done with new employees, they have no idea what they are even looking at.

[LexAveExp5]

THANK YOU!!! It's alright if they show us one or two tower boards, but my TSSs made it their mission to show us ALL of them! They were great TSSs, it's just probably in the curriculum or something

[SubwayGuy]

Model boards can be useful...once you've seen something in the field. However, it's completely without context to show a move on the model board *to a new employee* and expect them to learn anything.

 

Additionally there are a lot of variables to a move that don't appear on a model board like:

-If there are timers involved in the move, if you must punch, or if a call on must be issued

-Where the T/O has to stop and change ends, if the move calls for that

-If there are automatic signals that must be keyed during the move, and which ones require permission.

-The home signal aspects associated with the lineups needed to make the move.

-The relative distance of all of these.

 

I also want to clarify something I said about the 18 month T/O probation I'd be in favor of as part of a better training curriculum. Part of this is also to protect the student. Probationary T/O's answer to schoolcar, not labor relations. Thus a very long 10-11 month schoolcar with a 12 month probation means that a new T/O who is only in his 2nd month of road ops, who makes a mistake, is now looking at labor relations, rather than schoolcar for corrective action. This means days in the street usually, vs. retraining. It also means that due to the short probation, any operational violations at all that occur during probation would likely be used as an excuse to extend the T/Os probation, and get a longer look. Remember schoolcar is always more lenient than labor relations. Plus after 6 months on the road on their own, it will be obvious who can and can't operate a train safely and properly.

[BrianRichards]

Yeah, looking at model boards my second week of Schoolcar, was like trying to decipher ancient hieroglyphics. Did nothing for me. Now that I've been on the road for a bit, I can appreciate it more. That, and track schematics.

[QM1to6Ave]

RTO employees, does anyone in management ever ask for your input on the schoolcar process? They are losing some really great ideas if not. 

 

From what I've read on here, it sounds like RTO would benefit greatly from both employee feedback and from bringing in an educational consultant, just like colleges and high school use to design a curriculum in a way that allows students to optimally learn. Especially in light of all the screwups from newbies as of late. 

[SubwayGuy]

A lot of people have different opinions on the matter. Those of us who do accept students often talk about it amongst each other, but ultimately, a lot of higher ups are involved in these decisions...and not just schoolcar itself. These decisions originate from very high up at Transit, and cannot be enacted even if the Senior Director of schoolcar wanted to change it...others' high up opinions would need to be changed as well.

 

Educational consultants would be a waste of money. When it comes to training, most consultants are not going to be a good investment, because while they can give you "best practices", they are not familiar with the culture of the organization they are contracted to assist, and the solutions they propose are not tailored to the organization they're assisting. Educational consultants would be best suited for schools, or something along those lines, which teach book knowledge. So much of what must be learned to move trains safely is hands on. If anything, what you need is railway training consultants, if such a thing exists, or to look at best practices of other transportation systems or railroads around the world (that have fewer new employee incidents), which is far more likely to be fruitful.

 

Everyone, and I don't care who you are, makes at least one mistake due to inexperience when they are new. Many make several. But the key is teaching and practicing the fundamentals enough so that when that mistake occurs, it's not a major one, or a real head scratcher. People aren't perfect, but neither are machines. Run an interlined system in full ATO and I guarantee sooner or later there will be at least one wrong lineup.

[QM1to6Ave]

 

 

Educational consultants would be a waste of money. When it comes to training, most consultants are not going to be a good investment, because while they can give you "best practices", they are not familiar with the culture of the organization they are contracted to assist, and the solutions they propose are not tailored to the organization they're assisting. Educational consultants would be best suited for schools, or something along those lines, which teach book knowledge. So much of what must be learned to move trains safely is hands on. If anything, what you need is railway training consultants, if such a thing exists, or to look at best practices of other transportation systems or railroads around the world (that have fewer new employee incidents), which is far more likely to be fruitful.

 

I apologize, I was thinking the same thing when I posted, I used "educational consultant" as a sort of short-hand. I'd imagine there must be a railroad training consultant business out there, or maybe even the FRA has people that do something like that. 

[mediccjh]

When I become Director of Schoolcar, YX will be 6 weeks. 2 weeks each tour, rotating, extended as needed.

Road Posting will be 3 months, 1 month on each tour.

....and then I woke up from my slumber....


As far as T/Os learning C/R responsibilities, my Instructors taught us that, including door cut-outs and trouble-shooting. They were included on my final yard practical. 

[L Bo]

When I become Director of Schoolcar, YX will be 6 weeks. 2 weeks each tour, rotating, extended as needed.

Road Posting will be 3 months, 1 month on each tour.

....and then I woke up from my slumber....

As far as T/Os learning C/R responsibilities, my Instructors taught us that, including door cut-outs and trouble-shooting. They were included on my final yard practical.

 

These I believe are standard in the practicals now. Cuts/Adds, door cut outs, signals, prep for service and reading the iron.