Train driver

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This article is about the operator of a train. For the professional engineer who designs railway infrastructure, see Railway engineering.
The cab of a New South Wales Xplorer diesel multiple unit
Inside the train driver's cab of a German ICE train

An engineer (American and Canadian), engine driver, loco pilot, motorman, train driver (British and Commonwealth English), is a person who drives a train. The driver is in charge of, and responsible for driving the engine, as well as the mechanical operation of the train, train speed, and all train handling.

For many American railroads, the following career progression is typical: assistant conductor (brakeman), train conductor and finally the engineer. In the US, drivers are required to be certified and re-certified every two to three years.[1] In American English a hostler moves engines around train yards, but does not take them out on the normal tracks; the British English equivalent is a shunter.

In India, a driver starts as a diesel assistant or electrical assistant (in case of electric locomotives). They then get promoted on a scale: goods, passenger, Mail/Express and Rajdhani/Shatabdi/Duronto.[2]

In the United States and Canada, train drivers are historically known as "locomotive engineers", or "handlers". In the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia they are known as "train drivers", "engine drivers", "locomotive drivers", or "locomotive operators".

Notable railroad engineers

The United Kingdom based transport historian Christian Wolmar stated in October 2013 that train operators employed by the Rio Tinto Group to transport iron ore across the Australian outback were likely to be the highest-paid members of the occupation in the world at that time.[5] The most qualified engineer in the United States at this time is Karl Schmidt with almost 3000 miles of qualified line Feather River Oakland Ca to Salt Lake Ut, Doner pass Sacramento Ca to Reno Nv. LA subdivisions, Siskiyou mountains Roseburg Or to Weed Ca, New England Central New London Ct to St. Albdas Vt, and all branches and subdivisions.. Now working on the Ct CSO line .

See also

References

  1. ^ "2003 CFR Title 49, Volume 4; Part 240: Qualification and Certification of Locomotive Engineers". Code of Federal Regulations. United States National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved 2007-11-14. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  2. ^ "Train Crew". FAQ: Railway Operations. Indian Railways Fan Club. 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-14. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ Waterson, D.B. "Chifley, Joseph Benedict (Ben) (1885–1951)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
  4. ^ López, Carlos Andres (14 March 2017). "US' First Woman Train Engineer Speaks in Las Cruces". Las Cruces Sun-News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  5. ^ Elisabeth Behrmann (3 October 2013). "Rio Replacing Train Drivers Paid Like U.S. Surgeons". Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 October 2013.

Further reading

  • Huibregtse, Jon R. (2010). American Railroad Labor and the Genesis of the New Deal, 1919-1935. University Press of Florida.
  • Licht, Walter (1983). Working for the Railroad: The Organization of Work in the Nineteenth Century.
  • Orr, John W. (2001). Set Up Running: The Life of a Pennsylvania Railroad Engineman, 1904-1949.
  • Tuck, Joseph Hugh (1977). Canadian Railways and the International Brotherhoods: Labour Organizations in the Railway Running Trades in Canada, 1865-1914 (Thesis). Vol. 37. Dissertation Abstracts International. p. 6681.

The following examine the role of the railroad engineer from 1890 to 1919, discussing qualifications for becoming an engineer and typical experiences on the job:

  • White, John H., Jr. (Fall–Winter 2003). "Oh, To Be a Locomotive Engineer, Part 1: Once It Was Every Boy's Ambition". Railroad History. 189: 12–33. JSTOR 43504848.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • White, John H., Jr. (Spring–Summer 2004). "Oh, To Be a Locomotive Engineer, Part 2: More About the Lives of Eagle-Eyes Famous, Infamous, and Forgotten". Railroad History. 190: 56–77. JSTOR 43524273.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

Media related to Locomotive drivers at Wikimedia Commons

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