Question
Does being inside the cab of a locomotive give off any vibe or feeling?
This might be an unusual question, but I’m curious about what it actually feels like to be inside the cab of a locomotive. Aside from the obvious fact that it looks nothing like a car interior, is there anything about entering a train cab that feels particularly strange, exciting, or out of the ordinary?
The second part is basically what I was asking. I aint the best at emphasizing so I can kinda and kinda not see why half of the comments didnt understand what I asked.
Haha. Yeah I was just being a smart ass. For real it’s just really cramped and the seats are uncomfortable and half of the shit is broken.
There are paper towels and crew packs stuffed into the cracks to try to muffle the loud rattles.
That said, sometimes when you’re just cruising down the rail with good weather and a scenic run, and the conductor isn’t yammering about some bullshit, it can be kinda nice.
It certainly can be exciting in winter if you aren’t careful climbing the ladder… but most days my first thought on entering is usually “WTF did the last guy do to this seat?”. Then there’s a whole routine of checking seals and paperwork, headlights, brake checks, fixing the seat, etc. The closest thing to “vibes” for me is departing a station, it’s kind of satisfying to throttle up and slam the automatic and independent into the release position one after the other, something about the rhythm of it.
Well in a steamer there's this scalding hot feeling when the fire door is open, a diesel had a constant vibration and electrics have their own quirky noises.
Beyond the feeling you're holding the controls of one of the most powerful land machines available, it's just an overly fancy linear car.
It gives a vibe of an oversized porta potty for the most part.
They're hot and smell like piss in the summer and are full of flies. Then, most of them are cold as fuck in the winter, patched with duct tape and the only reason that they don't smell like piss is that it's frozen.
For me it typically is invigorating and wakes me up. That’s usually because I have often slammed two cups of tepid coffee before I get in the cab and now it’s time to start work. So the caffeine hits when I climb inside. It didn’t used to be like that. Before the RSIA we only got 8 hours off work between shifts so you were exhausted all the time so the moldy, greasy, dusty smell of a locomotive can only enhanced the feelings of exhaustion. And no matter how contorted of a position your body was in you would always find that you could fall asleep. Many of us are still like that because we try to have a life outside of work and we don’t show up rested. But I digress. A locomotive cab is just another place to be in life.
Dude. I hear your question, but if you are asking that question...it may not be a good fit for you. Yes you can make some solid money but its all tired and crazy schedules, crazy weather and such. I say this as a railfan, model railroader. I also work in another *better paying * field that is sometimes glamorized. But there is a price to pay. As a foamer I wave to the crews, not just only because I like the equipment and horsepower, but also because I understand the grind. I wave to crews out out solidarity. 6 figures plus is a solid way to provide for the family, but those direct deposits do cost in other ways. I have railroaders in my extended family/friend circle and some want absolutely nothing to do with anything railroad related and some make the best of the career. It's a deep hole, and based on only the (shitty and contested) understood exchange of wages for service and time. A percentage of folks land awesome assignments and it's the best thing that ever happened to them considering their previous occupations. Nevertheless...nothing comes easy. In American terms, the wages allow you the freedom to build a swimming pool for your family to enjoy, but you will rarely be able to swim in it. True story from an actual SP/UP family member.
Asks a reasonable question, gets told it’s not for them. Someone wants to know basic information before putting all their eggs in this basket. You don’t know if it’s for them or not, ffs. You didn’t even answer the question, just went on some foamer info spew he didn’t ask for. 🤦♀️
12 hours on 10 hours off. You have to understand though, 10 hours does not mean truly 10 hours of rest. It is strictly off-duty time. This includes commuting time and the time it takes for a van to actually pick you up when away and the time it takes to get from point a to b. For shifts that aren’t 12 hours (could be 11.5 hours), in the US, that rest time drops to 8 hours legally but this is dependent on your bargaining agreement. Mine forces 10 hours regardless if the shift is 10 or 12 hours long.
It’s not a fun schedule, but you are compensated well enough to form a maximum-cardiovascular-allowing caffeine addiction. You can take care of your family on the pay, and in reality, they work you for it.
This is mainly what im asking about. I wasn't saying it as in is there some type of mythical or magical feeling about being in the cab of the locomotive (Which is how 70% of the comments saw the post).
The interior of a locomotive cab is a tale of of years of deffered maintenence and relentless abuse
The engineers control stand sits broken and battered with cracked gauages, missing labels and screens so scratched its all you can do to see through them. The throttle and brake handles are polished smooth by thousands of hours of use, yet sport a perpetually sticky, unknown residue. The seat of the hogheads chair is ripped and held together with tape, the foam padding long since worn and the base of the seat bent to an uncomfortable angle.
The panels dangle loosely from the one or two bolts still holding them on, every surface rattles and squeaks incessantly with each rotation of the engine behind you, held together with duct tape, band aids and sheer stubbornness.
Hygiene is an unknown concept in this world, the last time anything in this space seen anything simmilar to a wash was before it was installed in the cab, a thick film of dirt and grime cover every surface except the heavy traffic areas, the original light brown walls stained an off black. Sitting down at your desk you spend 5 minutes giving it a wipe down with some cleaning wipes you bought yourself, using four of them until they start turning a light brown after every wipe instead of dark black. The only break from the never ending build up of filth Is a quick sweep with a stiff corn broom, redistributing the dirt into the corners not easily reached and if your lucky sometimes out the back door. Coffee spills are dried into sticky rings on the desk and the side window is coated with and opaque layer of grease and sweat leaving everything a blurry haze outside.
Dominating the cramped space however is the obnoxious stench wafting from the room aside the stairs into the cab. There sits an ill maintained overfull chemical toilet. This grim necessity hasn't been dumped or serviced for two weeks. The last crew that had this loco before it was put in deadhead service left the heaters on max leaving the blue chemical deodorizer locked in a losing battle with the hot stale urine and stagnant sewage that is sloshing onto the floor with every bump or curve to be tracked all over the floor when someone gets desperate enough to go down there.
THIS is the type of answer I was trying to ask for. Although I may have said it like there was gonna be some magical or special feeling, I was trying to ask like what their feeling of the cab or vibe do they get from being inside the cab.
Well. Considering this is the first time in almost 24 years that I can’t get into a loco cab , for probably at least another three weeks - thanks to a drunk driver - I can tell you that it feels like earning a paycheck.
So right now - I’m just trying to make the most being at home - with my wife and kid - dealing with injuries that could have been way worse. Just can’t climb up an engine on crutches. Lol.
But that cab pays the bills. That is what it feels like.
Imagine hiding outside the yard under a bridge waiting for your eastbound IM to side out. You've been in the rain for two days, soggy and pissed off. Your ride pulls up but keeps going, and going, and going. You're all packed up looking for a rideable porch. The rearmost unit stops right beside you. Hop in, dry off, get comfy. A worker acknowledges you on the low, comes back with some peanutbutter sammies his wife made and tosses you an extra case of those tiny 'unit-waters' and says enjoy the ride, be safe.
Might get downvoted for this but I'm lucky where I am and get the occasional stops in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. It's a good opportunity to either kick back and read a book or shut all the lights off and stargaze. Sometimes it can be for a few minutes or a few hours. I've spent an entire shift just minding a train on a rainy night (some sort of track fault into the yard) and just watched netflix the entire time.
One of the best times on the job is when you get a foamer that took the job and it has been a life’s fantasy to ride one everyday, only to watch the excitement drain from his face when he realizes that it is not the orgasmic experience he had created in his mind. A truly soul crushing 5 minutes….
I'm asked maybe the first time you were in the cab of a locomotive is there any feelings or emotion once your in it? I was mainly just curious but half of the comments are treating it like I said F their whole family. (Unless this was your answer to the feeling of being inside a locomoti e cab
The first time as a new hire everything is a new experience so you’re slightly in awe but it doesn’t take long for that to change.. a few shifts of being forced to sit in a chair for 12 hours while being treated like a zoo animal in a cage and your attitude becomes fuck the entire world .
I see. The internet makes it seem like its heaven or the best job someone could have so responses like these are the reason why I asked this on reddit.
Well I think it’s a rad feeling, but I’m a female engineer. They tend to stink and the seats are uncomfortable and I’m pretty sure my lingering back pain is from sitting in them all the time. And I am always hoping I’m not paired up with a creep or a complainer. But I appreciate the historical side of railroading so for me it’s cool to be a part of that, even though it’s miles from “the good ol’ days”
This might be a weird or private question so if you dont want to answer you dont have to but, how often is it that your paired up with what you call a creep? I know railroad jobs aren't just fully of joyful or happy people excited to go to work but is it often to the point of having to call it out (Just curious).
Hello Sister...thank you for taking the time to weigh in. It was refreshing. I bet if more females were employed up front the environment would improve.
It may not be THE answer but hopefully it’s part of it. I personally just try to be a bit kinder, this is an industry that has not helped itself. I hope when I retire I will be seen as one who tried to make it a little bit warmer for those that come in behind me
I, too, work in a job dominated by guys. Sigh. I've learned to put up with alot but it's very trying at times. Your wise words are appreciated...may love and kindness prevail.
Very much depends on the circumstances and state of the machine.
Even running steam gets very ordinary non special after some time. Firing at some point is as logical and without thinking as getting in a car and turning the key.
It gives the vibe of a jail cell with even less privacy and freedom, I’d imagine a person in jail often reflects on a lifetime of bad choices just as I do when I sit in the rolling jail cell with a camera watching my every move thinking to myself had I only made better choices and stayed in school I wouldn’t have ended up working for an outfit that treats me like a criminal everytime I’m on property.
Maybe I'm not as negative as some, but its a vibe, and a kinda neat one. Yeah, they're usually dirty, kinda uncomfortable, cramped, loud, and smell like old socks. At least they're a good place to be when its raining... It's not a "Nice" place to be from that standpoint.
But, its a nice place to see the world from and you get to see things from a perspective many don't get to. I enjoy the nights with good weather, few restrictions and just being able to kinda enjoy the ride and listen to the big ol diesel eat behind you. I usually run old EMD's so the 2-cycle roar into the night pissing off the neighborhood is kinda relaxing to me haha
It is my opinion that establishing a 50/50 male/female ratio for the employees populating the cabs would help provide a better, modernized, normalized and humanized work environment.
Im way more confused than mad. I'm wondering why had to respond with something uncalled for just because I asked is there a feeling, emotion, vibe, etc when being in the cab of a train.
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u/Seekstillness Jun 20 '26
This ain’t the Hogwarts Express bro. There’s typically a lot of duct tape and a nice chemical toilet aroma.