(The following story by Paul Nussbaum appeared on the Philadelphia Inquirer website on September 16.)
PHILADELPHIA — As SEPTA struggles to find enough engineers to keep its trains running, Bucks County Community College is offering an eight-week introductory course in basic railroading at its Newtown campus.
Students learn operating rules, air-brake theory, locomotive operation and other basics, according to instructor Mark Mattis, an engineer who is a senior training specialist with NJ Transit.
The course, Locomotive Engineer and Conductor Basic Training, is the only offering of its kind in the region, Mattis said.
Future engineers and conductors still must be trained by the railroad that hires them, as they need to learn the specifics of the rail system and the equipment. That training is rigorous, requiring eight to 10 hours a day, five days a week, for 20 months at NJ Transit, Mattis said.
“This course prepares them for that, and if they’re prepared for that, they’ll be prepared for any railroad,” he said.
There are more than 600 freight and passenger railroads in the United States, with thousands of job openings in various fields.
Engineers in training at a railroad can earn between $40,000 and $50,000, and after training and certification, salaries range from $60,000 to more than $100,000.
The fall session of the course began Sept. 6, and the class will be offered again in the spring. The fee for the noncredit course is $299, plus $25 for materials.