Working on a railroad isn't that bad. Without getting into specifics about certain jobs (yard switcher, road jobs etc... not conductor vs engineeer) I'll give you a brief run down...
The BEST pro, by far, is the retirement. You don't have to worry about Social Security, but investing in a private retirement for yourself outside off the RRB is a good idea. Off the top of my head, it's something like 90% of the first 710$ you make, then 35% of anything over that amount and under another, etc. RRB is going to be sustained for atleast another 25 years, and that's fine with me
You do get to travel alot depending on the road you work for. Working for a short-line you may only see the same stretch of track each night, unless there are multiple jobs out of your home termnial. The sunrise and sunsets are beautiful, and you cann see alot of "scenery" during the summer if you catch my drift..
Two of the hardest things that you'll encounter as a RR employee are the work schedule and the weather. The last few nights for me have been nothing but POURING RAIN. I'm not talking light rains or the occasional shower, but full-blown DOWN POURS. And no, there's not getting out of the work. It has to be done by someone.
The scheduling can suck. If you've got crew-callers that need you RIGHT AWAY after your rest, well, don't look for any time off. The first three months I worked for a railroad I was on-off-on-off consecutively that whole time with only one or two days off a month to do "my stuff".
Now the next two points are the ones you should follow, closely.
When I first started with the railroad, my engineer was an old-hog that had been around the block many years. He worked for the CV while under control of CN, the NECR, and now for my current employer. A direct quote from him, and it stands true today, "You're an idiot if you think you want to make a career in train service. There are hundreds of better jobs in the industry, and being a train service employee is not one of them".
This applies to the leaches trainmasters, bloodsuckers Operations Managers, etc. There are many other jobs that you'll get farther in without having to spend time below someones desk to get promoted... or to have a job that everyone hates you for.
And part two... Working for the railroad is exactly that, work. Don't mix "work" and "pleasure" (model railroading). There's always that one guy who has to carry around the Walthers catalogue with him, and takes photos of EVERYTHING he encounters. All you hear from him is talk about model trains or what type of engine Train XYZ used and the difference between yours, etc. KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF. A model railroader? No problem. But don't mix work and pleasure. You're gonna get some ribbing if they find out... "Oh you buffy" or "FNT" (Effing Train Nut).. etc. Be ready for it.
But if you have to be one of these guys that has to go standing on the platform of an engine and take pictures of yourself wearing your railroad ball cap, safety glasses, and ear plugs... Well.. don't bother. If you're going to be more concerned about getting to "play engineer" like certain young railroad employees that post on various internet forums, then don't bother... That stuff will make you a joke.
