hello all, first off id like to say a little bit about myself, so you can see where im coming from. im a 25 year old from long island ny. i have been doing model trains for the last 3 years. i model b&o, c&0, wm, csx etc. i started in the hobby 3 years ago when i lived in baltimore and visited mb klein and instantly got hooked. you see, i had a pretty troubled childhood constantly fighting and just bein a bad kid in general. when i was 17 i ran away from home on a bus to philly, after spending some time in the philadelphia area i decided it was time to go somewhere else. being homeless at the time and having literally nothing to my name i decided to hitch hike down south where i could survive the winter. as i was telling someone my plan they suggested i "hop" a train. i kinda laughed at him thinking he was joking, but he was totally serious. when i realized it was a possibility, i found myself in a traditional hobo "jungle" with 3 other people heading to savannah. after that i was hooked, i lived, breathed, ate and slept on trains. it became my life for the next 6 years. i know alot of people look down on the hobo culture and that i shouldve been put in jail for riding freights, well i was. i spent a combined 9 months in jail for riding them but it still didnt keep me away. well fast forward to today. as of 2006 it became a federal charge to be on trains and as of now if your caught on a train its an automatic conspiricy charge. because of these new regulations i settled down back home on long island.(where there is pretty much 0 freight activity where i live.) i have seen some freights on long island all ny&a. now heres where my questions come in.
1:i was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about finding railroad work?im willing to do just about anything to be around freights again. :twisted:
2:im planning on starting welding classes this spring. is there a certain type of welding that railroads use?
3:i find my biggest problem is that most railroads require "track time" usually two years experience around active tracks.how do i go about this???? ive spend alot longer around and on trains but now way to prove it. safety was always my biggest concern when riding trains. as i have seen too many casualties on the rails. wall1
the only proof i could provide is that im still alive.
4:my dream job would be to work on either MOW, car repair/painting shops. what would i need to make this come true?
5: is there any type of schooling for railroading?
if any one could point me in the right direction i would be so very grateful.
and if i cant find a real job in the next year, its back to the jungle.
thanks for taking the time to read this long post.
1:i was wondering if anyone could give me some advice about finding railroad work?im willing to do just about anything to be around freights again. :twisted:
2:im planning on starting welding classes this spring. is there a certain type of welding that railroads use?
3:i find my biggest problem is that most railroads require "track time" usually two years experience around active tracks.how do i go about this???? ive spend alot longer around and on trains but now way to prove it. safety was always my biggest concern when riding trains. as i have seen too many casualties on the rails. wall1
the only proof i could provide is that im still alive.
4:my dream job would be to work on either MOW, car repair/painting shops. what would i need to make this come true?
5: is there any type of schooling for railroading?
if any one could point me in the right direction i would be so very grateful.
and if i cant find a real job in the next year, its back to the jungle.
thanks for taking the time to read this long post.
