Pros
Fun to travel in a train seeing the country side, waving at rail fans, kids, and the general public, cool to be apart of the process for literally building, feeding, heating, and moving America. Pride for the work you do.
Cons
Tough job if you are trying to raise a family or maintain a relationship This company is dog eat dog, overbearing management has bred a culture of fear, stabbing your buddy in the back, and ratting each other out for the littlest things Absolutely NO job security, you never know if you will have a job tomorrow To many people out for themselves and could care less about anyone especially younger people in seniority They constantly steal money from your paycheck or do something to prevent you from making the money you have rightfully earned or deserve You are just a pawn to them, they don't care about your well-being, stability, or life. They have a hole they want you to fill it SENIORITY BASED SYSTEM- Just when you think you are secure and start to get comfortable in a position along comes someone to bump you out of your spot, the company thinks it needs to save a few bucks so they cut your position, leaving you out in the cold to figure something else out Your life IS the railroad you will be married to your phone and it's next to impossible to have a life The company has bred such a culture of screwing it's employees over the morale is in the toilet and the employees don't trust anyone or anything, everyone is always expecting the worst possible outcome. You can be forced to work anywhere in your seniority district at anytime for any length of time, and you have to go there on your own dime. Never know when,if, or, how long you will be furloughed (laid off) Intentionally complicated convoluted pay system