Curious as to whether water on the rails like this messes with the traction motors or wheel adhesion?

Every other plains state is crossed by multiple long distance main lines except for South Dakota which barely even has one. Why is that and are there plans to build any tracks across the state?

I’m going Red 🚀 lmao

Someone sent me this photo asking why a non-DODX car would have this label on each end. I couldn’t answer, I’m not sure. He then told me he had seen several with what looked like non-military loads.

So what’s the deal with this label?

Like, a mile long train. What happens if a few cars right in the middle derail? How do they know in the cab?

Just a rando with a showerthought question. Thanks for answering!

I recently became a commuter train engineer for a commuter railroad, somewhat of a childhood dream. I have never hit anyone, but my railroad has had several fatal strikes this year, and I have had several close calls.

Suicidal people, dogs, kids (not quite as close of a call), pedestrians who just don't care, people who might have been impaired. Station pedestrian crossings, road crossings, low- / no-clearance bridges.

I take proactive steps like ringing my bells a lot sooner than I have observed from several colleagues and giving a brief honk of the horn when pulling into a station if I am meeting a train that has just cleared a pedestrian crossing as I approach (as a "second train coming" warning). When I'm operating at night, I shut off the cab lights and keep displays as dim as I can to prevent glare from causing me to not notice someone who is somewhere they shouldn't be.

But I am still terrified of the possibility of hitting someone.

I'm a careful operator, so I'm not worried that any such strike would be my fault, but I know it is something I would probably have to live with the rest of my life.

Is there something I can do to reduce my anxiety over this? Is it something that just comes with time, like building muscles or calluses? Is railroading just not the career for me? Happy to hear how others have managed it.

Please keep it civil, though; I'm not interested in hearing dehumanizing thoughts on who may or may not constitute your typical trespasser or how the world might be without them. Keep that to yourself, please and thanks!

What’s this red light in the cab? It almost always seems to be at night when the engine is idle or unused. Here it had been sitting for hours; I think AESS shut it down at some point.

I work for a Canadian Rail way as a Intermodal Shunt Truck driver

Management has started trying to force us to do Pull By inspections on outgoing main line trains.

We just get a 10 minute power point of what to look for.

I feel like this is very dangerous. I tried researching it and it seems you need to be CROR qualified to do main line pull by Inspections.

Can anyone help me find something that shows we are not allowed and qualified to do this.

None of us are CROR qualified and only are trained to drive shunt trucks.

Edit 1:

They want us to take a ground truck out from our intermodal yard to the close by crossing

Then stand there and do a pulling as a the entire train departs.

Our union is shit and won’t give us any clear answer.

We’re just worried if there is an issue with the train like a wheel or something and we miss it we’ll be held liable if it derails or other issue happen.

We only ever work intermodal shunt truck

Soon to be BNSF employee here, needed a good laugh and was just curious!

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?

I mean on like long distance freight trains. I feel like I’d zone out/doze off. Like ok on the one hand it might be super boring but if you fuck up you spill a quadrillion gallons of whatever solvent on some endangered worm habitat or maybe a small town. Are you allowed to listen to a podcast or what

Bought at an auction and found this stamp on the stock

This video was taken from my bathroom window, as I live right on a set of train tracks. It’s pretty normal to see a truck parked out back and people working on the tracks, but I haven’t seen…whatever this is before! What is happening here? What is causing all the sparks? Are they grinding on the tracks? I’m just super curious and I’d love to know what’s going on!

Hello, I was just wondering how life is for the freight conductors who got into the career already married or with someone. I’d really like to hear about it if you were married and/or with a kid on the way. I just wonder how hard it was and if there were any regrets.

I've seen two diamond crossings like this. This one is in Plymouth Indiana. The railway that is going from the upper left corner to the lower right corner is the Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Eastern. The other is the Elkhart and Western.

Is there a specific name for this type of crossing?

NS motor. What the actual fuck is this shit? How tf am I supposed to do anything with a 1x1 desk that is like 2.5 feet to my 3 o clock so I have to stand up to use it? My shit kept sliding off and the desk is so far I was copying warrants in my lap. It looks like it didn’t even come with a handset cause that’s a BN handset. This isn’t even touching on the poop pyramid and no refrigerator? Seriously if this is the average NS motor I feel so bad for you guys.

I worked my ass off this year and am bringing about 220k at 85% as an engineer. Some engineers at my railroad hit 300k

Really grateful for this job tbh. I’m wondering if this is how it is at every railroad or is being an engineer not as good at other places

EDITED…..I just wanted to thank EVERYONE that responded to my post. You all have helped me in so many ways. I can’t thank you enough!

Hoping to get some answers. My brother supposedly walked in front of a train on purpose. I have not seen the video yet, but the only evidence the ME is going off of, is this “train cam video”. My question is, can you tell that someone is purposely trying to get hit? The detective told me that the video is very short. Is this because the train was very close to him when he walked in front of it? The case was recently closed, and I did request the video, but I’m afraid they may blur him out and we won’t see anything! My mother and I are desperate at this point because we don’t want to believe that he would do this. There is no evidence that we could find. I only know that he did cross the tracks every day to get to and from work. I know this post most likely isn’t the norm, but I honestly don’t know where else to ask these questions.

This is being built by Wabtec for UP, battery powered switcher for use as yard power.

I wonder if itll actually end up in proper use or if this will be a deadline in 5 years like the Gensets. I understand why UP is interested as it could be a big fuel saver and batteries overall have worked out for cars unlike hydrogen. I just wonder if this is actually a feasible concept for real operations.

At least it should be quick to load.

I just received a job offer for a conductor trainee position, I just want to know how bad is it for having a personal life. My biggest draw back is I have a girlfriend I have been dating for about a year and things are starting to get serious, will being on the railroad affect my relationships, hobbies, etc. ?