It was a hell of a lot of fun, although the hours were odd, since I worked the extra board. That was where all the newbies were placed. Then, when an open slot came up I’d get a call and have to be anywhere in the division to pick up my train. Given the erratic schedule, one of my engineers said, “Sortt of f***s up your social life,doesn’t it?” I replied, “Doesn’t f***k it up at all, just eliminates it.” The “f” word was an indispensable conversational lubricant. Indeed, if the RR had prohibited profanity, just about everybody would have been fired in the first day.
The money was good too. I made enough each summer to pay for about sixty percent of the years’s college costs at a Big Ten university. Just try doing that today.
I was in college a little over fifty years ago. I never worked for the railroad, but had a good friend who did.
And damned if he didn't experience a head-on collision himself, out in Western Oklahoma. Got the thrill of hitting the silk at about 30 mph and came away with a dislocated hip.