I'll be working on the Railroad

[Jeff Blagden]

my hotel the Victoria Inn is by the airport all the way across the city from trashcona but if you are by the hotel ask for chef be happy to meet you have a good day day Jeff from Winnipeg

 

[olds307 and 403]

Thanks guys. I think we will be staying put in Melville. We may pick up a small cabin on a Lake, if sh*t calms down. Our locked in 2.19% interest for 3 years 4 months is too hard to pass up on this house. My Daughter and her Boyfriend just bought and older smaller house, 1/2 hour away in the real City of Yorkton. Kevin is a truck guy, it has a 5 year old, 2.5 car garage. I plan on doing the 3.08 gears and Yukon posi in their garage. I am giving a cordless Ryobi shop vac, my brand new welder, cart and helmet as a house warming gift. I can't use the welder with my limited power situation in my garage and I need the space.

 

[Cauterize]

Well, after after another frustrating year of making 50ish K. I saw both CP and CN Rail were hiring, double the money once trained. CP was supposed to hire me in October with $5000 bonus, last communication was Nov 17. They wouldn't answer my email or answer the phone or return messages. We are a major CN hub here in Melville, expensive place to live for a tiny City with a half Canadian Tire. My house is partially paid for and locked in for 3 years and 4 months of the 5 year Mortgage term at 2.19%. With my Wife on disability, something has to give, money is really tight. So I applied at CN, made it through to the drug test, don't drink or do any drugs, passed along with the background check. So CP Rail contacts me out of the blue, nothing at Wynyard till July. That is fine, I asked about training wage and the bonus, waffling on the signing bonus. Apology for me feeling ignored, claimed her boss sent me an email to train in January. I checked my email and junk everyday, BS. Multiple email and phone calls ignored. I called, she was snotty and clarified the 1129.45 per week but the bonus has to be approved by her bosses boss. Supposedly talked about it on Friday. Still heard nothing. I was wanting to move closer to Fishing Lake. Meanwhile CN offered me a job at $900 a week but 5 mins from my house. We had many discussions, my garage here sucks, to small and uninsulated, house needs more as well and this house needs work, some things easily fixed, like the roof, others like the 75 amp service, my garage is part of that, not so much. We have added 10 grand in windows and doors, never seen such bad sliding windows when we moved in, furnace, hot water tanks and fences also added. I hate how close the neighbours are but I hate people. Either way, we decided on CN and I agreed to start training in Winnipeg on March 13th. They informed me now the training wage is $1180 gross a week due to the collective bargaining agreement. So instead of making the same or slightly less than my current job, it will be a slight raise over driving fuel truck. By fall, I should be making double my current wage.

Glad you decided on CN.

Running trades? Or are you going to be on the MOW crews? Signals maintainer? Ect.

Training pay as a conductor was 118.87/day for me when I was hired on

CP was by far the worst company I have ever worked for. Hunter Harrison (may he burn in hell) made the working environment abysmal after the Pershing Square hostile takeover.

CP Rail = Completely Pathetic Railroad
Still miss the job. Not the company.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Training as a Conductor. Always great to hear from someone who worked for both companies. Yeah, the office so far from CN has been much better and more honest to deal with.

 

[DRIVEN]

Just like truckin', only bigger.

 

[ck80]

Just like truckin', only bigger.

First question to ask during orientation: 'what's the company policy on pee bottles?'

 

[Cauterize]

Training as a Conductor. Always great to hear from someone who worked for both companies. Yeah, the office so far from CN has been much better and more honest to deal with.

I never did go work for CN but a few of my buddy's left and went to CN after sh*t went sideways at CP. They are still there today and are slightly happier. CN didn't operate South of Calgary. I had just bought my house and wasn't willing to relocate. When I pulled the pin I went back to running picker trucks.

ck80 There is a can in the nose of the locomotives to use. The rule on the road is you never sh*t in the head end power. Use the trailing unit..Night shift in the yard... well the world is your piss bottle.

 

[ck80]

I never did go work for CN but a few of my buddy's left and went to CN after sh*t went sideways at CP. They are still there today and are slightly happier. CN didn't operate South of Calgary. I had just bought my house and wasn't willing to relocate. When I pulled the pin I went back to running picker trucks.

ck80 There is a can in the nose of the locomotives to use. The rule on the road is you never sh*t in the head end power. Use the trailing unit..Night shift in the yard... well the world is your piss bottle.

So, basically night shift in a yard is like living in New Jersey... go where you want, when you want, cause it doesn't make a lick of difference. Got it🤔

 

[airboatgreg]

Congrats on the new gig. Lots of great benefits working for the railroad

 

[olds307 and 403]

Well, I made it through 11 weeks, the 7 weeks at the Campus were brutal. A ton of information, high standards. I got highest mark in the first 4 week block, 95%. I ended up somehow missing 8 questions on the final exam. Still only missed it by 2 questions. Four of us, got a rewrote. A way harder exam with a 90% needed. I was the only one standing with 91%!