Education · 1 of 5

The path

You get hired first and learn the job on the railroad's clock.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   The formal requirement. You must be 18 or older, pass a background check, a drug test and a physical including vision and hearing.

2. 2

   Apply and wait

   Weeks to a year

   Openings come in waves. Big freight railroads and commuter agencies post them, and the hiring process takes months.

3. 3

   Conductor training program

   3 to 6 months

   Classroom on operating rules, air brakes and paperwork, then weeks riding and switching with a qualified conductor.

4. 4

   Federal certification

   End of training

   The railroad must certify you before you can work as a conductor. That means a knowledge test, a hands-on skills check, a vision and hearing test and a review of your safety record.

5. 5

   The extra board

   Years

   New conductors have no seniority, so you are on call for whatever run needs filling until enough people retire ahead of you.