Pros
This job is a lifestyle, not a regular shift work job unless you have seniority to hold a regular schedule. It’s pretty laid back in my area but rail road life is demanding. They pay in you a 4 step rate pay program which is outdated. After training you earn 80% of full pay rate 2 years, 85% 1 year. 90% 1 year. Then 100%. All crafts are like this. It’s full of miserable people who complain about how awful everything is. The pay is pretty good considering the work load. I have worked twice as hard to earn a portion of what I earn now doing this job. You can only work 12 hours a day, OT daily at 8 hours.
Cons
Depending on how busy your terminal is you will work on call for maybe a few years. It’s 24/7 all weather, holidays. If you like weekends off and sleeping in or only working day shift.. don’t even bother. The company has issued a lot of dumbed down rules to accommodate what seems the younger generation can handle, then discipline the experienced guys for not doing the dumb rule.. like pointing out the window at signals. You can either do some efficient productive railroading or you can follow a checklist of rules and metrics. Can’t do both. NS is a corporation. You’re local peers And managers might care about you on some level but ultimately you are a number and necessary liability to the company. The amount of crying by grown adults about how terrible their life is because of the job but yet refuse to do anything but complain.