Optional · 1 of 2

Moves that raise your pay

• Locomotive engineer

  The usual next step. Conductors are the pool engineers are drawn from, and it pays more.

• Yardmaster

  Running a yard instead of a train. Indoors, more planning, fewer nights outside in the rain.

• Passenger railroads

  Amtrak and commuter lines run to a timetable, so the hours are far more predictable than freight.

• Road foreman or manager

  Leaves the union contract behind, so weigh it carefully.