Anyone work on the railway?
 

Hi all,
anyone on here work on the railway in Canada?
im a trainee driver in the U.K. with the intentions to get back to Canada.. after spending 2 years there back in 2013-2015.
Just wondered if anyone on here has been in similar position to me and wanted To hear your experiences.


cheers
Rich

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

As mentioned in your other thread - there are several threads on working on the railways (and lots of random posts) if you use the search function (blue bar - click on advanced)

Here's a few to be going on with :)
https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...elcome-907305/
https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...canada-829305/
https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...y-work-815649/
https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...rivers-754701/
https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...advise-492883/

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

You are probably better off doing your research from Glassdoor.ca instead of a British Expats forum. I know lots of conductors from CN & CP and they all say the same. Great money but a horrible life.

https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/CN-...0,2_KO3,21.htm

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

:nod:
Paul's post in the 1st link I gave says the same.. from his research into the possibility of working on the rail... I knew a locomotive engineer and his family, he was rarely home, away for days at a time, sleeping for a few hours in motels before onto the next journey. Not a great life.
https://www.glassdoor.ca/Reviews/Can...24_KO25,44.htm

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

Hi all,
thanks for the replies.

those threads you’ve posted links for are old and potentially out of date. I read them then decided to start a fresh one, on the hope someone recently has gone thru it and might spot it & reply!

ive been on glass door too. I was hoping on the off chance someone on here has been thru the process recently and might reply 😀

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

Yes they are old but they are not necessarily out of date and much of the content is still valid and valuable including links to other sites where you will find more information. :)

This one from 2017 for instance. https://britishexpats.com/forum/cana...elcome-907305/

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

Reddit is also a very useful site for stuff like this. I guess that's why they call it the 'front page of the internet' :thumbup:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/co...ry_as_cn_rail/

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

We don't have any more recent members that have worked on the railways that I recall, so those threads may be it for experiences to be shared even if they are quite old now. But if you make it over and work on the railways yourself, then hopefully you'll be able to help future members if they ask the same thing, and can share your experiences.

Best of luck. :)

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

You really can't have a normal life and work for the railroad, you have to live and breathe railroad, your life is railroad first, everything else comes 2nd.

I applied a couple times, last time I applied, I got a phone screening and they made it pretty clear I needed to be available on call 24/7 on short notice, also would have to move to some middle of nowhere small town in BC.

I never got past the phone screening though, but the rail roaders I have spoken with same thing as you say, no life really, but good money.

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

I used to... in 1982. Swinging a hammer on a maintenance gang in remote northern Ontario. Well, mostly walking along with the hammer on my shoulder, searching for occasional clip that came loose, so i could put said hammer to use. I really liked it, but I was single at the time. We would regularly go several days between seeing even a small town [stayed in sleeping cars on sidings]

Re: Anyone work on the railway?
 

That was my first job in 1971 when I was still 16, Extra Gang, shovelling rocks 10 hours/day trimming up behind the tamper and liner. When it was too wet for the machines to work the foreman would space us out a half mile apart so we wouldn't waste time gossiping, and we'd pound down high spikes and tighten anchors.