Lokführer
Posted by Lou on Mar 1, 2009
Did I ever mentioned that my younger brother back in Germany is an engineer ? Years after I started with the German Railroad he decided to do the same. Since I was often home, had a lot of days off and plenty of money to spend on gadgets, it seemed to him a good decision. I helped him to find a spot so he joined the Railroad. His career started a little bit different than mine. See, the Job at the German Railroad starts with a 3 year training. During this time you go through all different crafts. You work in the Yard, you are on the Road, some days you are a Dispatcher and some you are a Conductor on Passenger Trains. There are no freight Conductors in Germany. So in his first 3 years he saw a lot – all aspects of the Railroad. Usually you go a few weeks in Class – study the rules and stuff – than you practice the new learned stuff out in the field with an assigned Person. After the 3 years you do a big test and than you decide what you liked most and where are the best chances for you to work. His dream was being an engineer. His first Hub he got assigned to was only 20 minutes from home. Get your Passenger train out of the yard in the morning, make 2 trips and than go home. Once a week he has to bring his train to the roundhouse (which is, btw a real roundhouse) for check ups and maintenance. His paycheck is not as high as here in the States, but it’s OK to make a good living. Regular work is 40 hours a week with 2 days off. Everything over 40 hours will be put into a special account. At the end of the year you can decide to take the hours off (payed) or let the Railroad pay you out for that. Another nice plan, which he choose, put the hours on a life account. That means every hour you earned on that account get’s towards your retirement. The regular way to get retired is to reach 65 years of age to get the full benefits for the retirement. He already figured out that, if he works the same hours he is working now, he will retire at the age of 52 or 53. With full pay until he is 65 and than he is getting the retirement plan. Folks, I am so jealous. And the retirement is not bad, either. You get around 75% of your last pay but with much lower taxes. Health plan is included and does not have to be payed extra. I will talk to my local chairman about those German plans – I am sure I will get a giggle out of him.
The Most Negative Week in Railshare History!!!
Posted by Lou on Jan 15, 2009
Railfax reports what we already know : it’s going down and it seems not go get better soon. Highest number of negative year-over-year. That’s something to look forward to in my railroad future. Checking the furlough boards shows me even deeper the trouble I am into. The nunbers in front of me are rasing constantly, and the total number is at record high. Now it takes a 2004 guy to work at my Hub. With my early 2007 seniority date you can figure out when I will be called back to work. Hm, perhaps I should ask to get my German Railroad seniority date transfered. With the starting year 1986 I can hold any position out there, heck, I could be President of this company. Yeah, let’s go for it. I am starting to make little stickers that you can put next to the funny ‘Stop Smoking’ Signs you find on every Engine. The Sticker could show ‘Lou for President’ – hm, already taken. Perhaps ‘You run the Railroad – I destroy it’ – hm, already taken by a big company up in the North. That’s not an easy task. Perhaps you have an idea.
