Pros
Railroad retirement, steady work for an electrician. Working on locomotive electrical systems was very fun and challenging. Met some really cool people while I worked there.
Cons
Shift work really sucks. You will work or be forced to work holidays even though they will have no locomotives to repair or service. You will not see a Saturday or Sunday day job unless you have been there for 12 years and if you do get a weekend days job, you better hope they don't abolish it. If you show intuitive and work ethic, management will ride you while your co workers either sleep or watch movies on their phones. Pay and benefits suck considering the work hours and if you become skilled at troubleshooting the locomotives you will feel underpaid. Management will always promote safety but expect production at the expense of safety. When you point out legitimate safety concerns they will brush them off. If you get stung by a bee then somehow it was your fault and you will be written up. They will try to write you up for anything. Upper management does not have a clue, they will try to lure you into taking the diesel electrician job with a signing bonus only to lay you off 6 months later. Most mechanical faculties have an on site nurse and they coerce you into going to see her by offering these wellness programs only to diagnose any potential health problems you may have and remove you from service. A guy came into work with the flu because he didn't want to get written up for calling in, he passed out and was taken to the hospital. They pulled him out of service for a month even though his doctor cleared him a week after the incident. If you take this job get the experience with diesel electric systems and try to bid a job that will give you experience troubleshooting the motor control systems on the locomotives so you can add that to your resume and leave for a better place.
