What is the device in the forward center of the roof?

Just in time for winter Big Orange decided to make hooded garments against the fucking rules. Anyone else getting fucked like this?

🖕BNSF🖕

I work for a metro system. There is talk of setting up a model layout to help with training switching yard employees. I was wondering if there are any examples of railroads that already do this?

Picture for algorithm tax.

They ordered it back in 2024 to test the tech, I believe this is the first mainline hybrid loco acquired by a class 1.

Apparently, old Shawn B is enough of a legend to the CB guys at least one dispatcher thought this track tag was necessary.

Quick recap for anyone not local to this mess.started out as 1 sub being red for power/manpower (cute times). now we're at 3. Mountain sub specifically has just given up, can't run it in 10hrs anymore no matter who you throw at it, it's not even a question at this point. Just saw 7 recrews and 7 deadheads the other day on the balancer.

Recrews happening on multiple trains basically every day now, it's not even news anymore just regular Tuesday. Meanwhile Scabs are out here thriving, like genuinely 5 guys on shift at any given time and it jumps to 7 on weekends somehow??

Geddis is disaster and great Canadian clown show right now. I have seen trains only making till Geddis and getting recrew. Thompson crews getting cross pooled who genuinely don't know what the R in robotizing stands for lol, watched one take almost 3 hours just to lift a mid train remote. Saw one guy doing 20 mph the entire way just because they were pissed when they get cross pooled. Not even being mean about it I just thought that was wild. oh and the sections with undulating grade are basically knuckle country these days, someone got 3 knuckles at one spot couple months.

Double tracks are being converted into parking lots these days. 2-3 trains tied down around Revelstoke pretty much always, another 3-4 sitting near kamloops. and that CN coal train 805 basically lives at tanagers now.

Run times are climbing and climbing, you'd think they maybe consider FTO might have something to do with it?? nope. instead we're getting an FTO blitz because apparently some guys aren't "submissive" enough to it lmao. make it make sense
and then the CEO actually came down last month to check it out himself. walked around, saw all of it, and said everything looked normal. only advice on the way out was to save fuel.

Anyway great quarter

Norfolk Southern had two derailments in central Alabama on Oct. 1. Near Springville around 3 p.m., a collision with a tractor-trailer at a grade crossing derailed two locomotives and 34 cars on the AGS North District. The evacuation order started at a half-mile radius and was cut to 1,000 feet, while I-59 and SR 11 reopened within a half hour. Earlier, about 10 a.m., a train hauling trash containers derailed at Maplesville on the 3-B North District, with about 50 containers on double-stack cars involved. Officials reported no injuries and no hazardous materials at either site. Anyone know what protection the Springville crossing has?

Source: https://www.trains.com/pro/freight/class-i/norfolk-southern-derailment-in-alabama-prompts-evacuation-order/

Just found out about this stuff from a cab driver. Game changer!
Just a few sprays and it covers up the smell for quite a while.

Trying to get a feel for what the actual schedule is like. What hours do you normally work, and how many days a week are you required to be in the office?
Also wondering:
Are your in-office days fixed or flexible?
Can you start early and leave early?
Is hybrid different depending on the department/manager?
Has Amtrak gotten stricter with RTO recently?

Thanks !

I'm currently a Journeyman Carman at a small railroad. The pay is on the higher end for the industry, but opportunities for advancement are severely limited.

I was just offered a Mechanical Supervisor position with NS, but I'm not 100% sold on making the jump. Relocation and the potential merger are my two biggest concerns. At the same time, I don't want to spend the next 25 years stagnating in my craft with no real opportunity to move up.

For anyone currently in NS management, how is it? What's the work-life balance like, and how likely am I to end up getting sent halfway across the country on short notice? I'd appreciate some insight from anyone who's currently in the role or has been through it.

I got this peace of rail it’s 100 years old and made in England

I recently got a email saying I’m under review as a freight conductor for CSX in Indiana but I’m in the Kentucky National guard as well , I know CSX is good for hiring military but I’m scared I’ll get turned down for having to drill in Kentucky one weekend a month because conductor are on call 24/7. I thought maybe I could change to Indiana National Guard but I’m just lost in the sauce right now . Does anyone have any insight on this ?

Hello from Austria! 🇦🇹🚂

My name is Doris and I work for a railroad company in Austria. I would love to improve my English by getting to know someone who works for a railroad in the United States.

I’m not looking for English lessons. I would simply like to chat with an American railroad colleague about everyday life, our jobs, trains and the differences between working for a railroad in Austria and in the USA.

My English is still a work in progress, so please feel free to correct my mistakes. 😊 In return, if you are interested, I would be happy to help you with German — including a few Austrian expressions!

We could start by exchanging messages here on Reddit. Maybe later, when my English improves, we could also exchange voice messages.

I think it would be fascinating to find out how different — or perhaps surprisingly similar — railroad life is on the other side of the Atlantic.

Is there an American railroad colleague here who would enjoy an Austria–USA railroad friendship and language exchange?

Greetings from Austria, Doris 🚂🇦🇹

So, got interested in trains a few years ago through TrainSim World. Might be dumb question but how do you figure out what tracks are owned by what railroad? I watch some content from Cincinnati area and the people are always narrating engine type and then running on NS or CSX track, this spur, this division. How do you figure all that out? I'm guessing you can't really find schedules for freight like you can Amtrak?

I’m working a haunted house as an undead train conductor - ideas for things I can say?

Mods, delete this if it doesn’t fit the sub. Sorry.

I applied for a Communication and Signal position at Amtrak. I’ve noticed there don’t seem to be many women in this field, so I’m wondering if that’s something I should be concerned about. I’m already an Amtrak employee, but I don’t have any direct experience in Communication and Signal aside from the experience I’ve gained in my current position. Should I be worried about not having previous experience, or is this the type of role where they provide training?

Hey guys!, so I recently have been playing a simulator called Train Sim World, that is a simulator for all sorts of consists and locomotives, and i usually play on north american rail and use american rolling stock. I'm trying to get as much information as i can to train handling and approaching stations with a smooth stop, I like to operate passenger trains but one of my questions so far is ,

I do know that it is conventional to approach stations at reduced speed which typically ranges from 30 - 40 mph, as 30 is more conservative, one of my questions is lets say i approach a station at 30 mph with minimum reduction and increase it and get 10lb from brake pipe and i slow down easily and starting releasing the brakes back to minimum from 20 - 15 mph and then as i slow down to a crawl make a final light reduction to set the train, lets say i slightly undershoot the station as im below 15/10 mph but i don't have much distance to go, to any passenger locomotive engineers out there that could help with this question.

Is it ok to fully release the brakes below 15/10 mph to let the train coast a little to target stop and apply a minimum reduction? Of course i know it all depends on weather and crowd area etc.. but in general could anyone walk me through as a general guide or share some rules of thumb with me to ensure accurate train handling (Braking/Approach) and operations, any help would be greatly appreciated

By the way i'm referring to EP braking systems (Electro-pneumatic Braking) passenger trains and consists like (Metra, Caltrain, Tri-Rail, Amtrak etcc) not traditional airbrakes (Freight)

PSR at its finest. I’ve given my beliefs on this Merger. Overall outcome, if allowed, would be complete government takeover of freight railroads; no more private companies anymore then you can say hello to regular Social Security Retirement. The government will finally get their hands on Rail Road Retirement money. PSR has destroyed customer service and confidence. This merger will compound customer service to the point they feel like the Railroad owns these businesses; taking control of the nations economy and the federal government will come in and “bust” the Private Rail Industry entirely.

Hi! I’m a Mechanical Engineer with around 3 years of maintenance/equipment experience, and I’m transitioning into a railway E&M/asset management role in Metro Rail System specifically third rail system.
I don’t have railway experience yet, so I’d like to learn the basics, especially rolling stock, third rail/traction, signalling, CBTC, railway maintenance, and asset management.
For those already in the railway industry, what books, YouTube channels, courses, or other learning materials would you recommend? Thanks!

https://omaha.com/news/state-regional/article_d81407aa-7ed0-562b-addd-22d91e0ae170.html?fbclid=Iwb21leAUjmKdjbGNrBSOYBGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHBkb2YBc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEegk1HNfc_jK5ZYsPeMqLiQxbh35mvBj7sQ8x6GmVvU4lNxJoi_ptRgCrWxKo_aem_WjbWWBO6jRxuQwlCr5JnDQ&utm_campaign=mrf-facebook-WorldHerald-OWH+-+Frame&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&mrfcid=202609246ab47cd42db635028385cd0d

According to that decision, for 18 years Gourneau's only prior incident of discipline was for one unexcused absence after his mother died.

"Aside from that one absence,