(The following story by Scott Sims appeared on The Morning Sun website on July 31.)
PITTSBURG, Kan. — As the baby boom generation begins to retire, railroads are facing challenges in finding qualified workers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be 10,000 railroad conductor and yardmaster job openings by 2012.
“Wherever there is a railroad track, there is a job,” said Andy Burton director of the National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS), at Johnson County Community College.
NARS is a railroad training school.
Burton said they have seen an 800 percent increase in enrollment at, what is commonly called “Choo Choo U”, in the past two years.
The Railroad Retirement Act allows railroad workers that have at least 10 years creditable railroad service to retire at age 60.
“Baby boomers are now retiring and are retiring earlier than anticipated,” Burton said. “In order to keep up, railroad companies have to hire extra people.”
Sofrona Howard, Recruiting Manager for WATCO Companies, Inc. said the company is
having a difficult time finding all the employees needed to fill jobs that are expected to be vacated by retiring workers just in the next three years.
“There are just so many jobs out there right now, we are having a difficult time finding qualified applicants,” she said.
Pittsburg based WATCO Companies, Inc. operates 16 railroads in 14 states. It also operates industrial switching locations and mechanical and locomotive shops across the United States.
NARS used to have conductor classes of 10 to 20 students.
“Now we have classes of 80 to over 100,” he said.
Burton said everyone that graduates from the six-week training program is able to find a job.
Howard said WATCO has found success training employees in entry level positions.
Watco is a short-line railroad. Howard said most of the students that graduate from NARS are going to work for Class I railroad companies like Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX Transportation and Canadian Pacific Railway.
“Class I’s are seeing it more right now with employees retiring,” Howard said. “But they are filling positions with workers from short-line railroads companies, so that is opening gaps for us.”
Howard thinks most people forget about the railroad as an employment option.
“They see the trains, but don’t really think about what it takes to run them,” she said.
Howard said railroad companies are advertising everywhere, including military Web sites.
She said military personnel are usually put in more skilled positions like locomotive electricians and mechanics, jobs that are more difficult to fill. She said their military training helps.
Randy Bole started his career with the railroad at age 54. Bole joined WATCO in June, 2006 after a tour of duty overseas with the 772nd Mobility Company, then the 891st Engineering Battalion.
“I enjoy it,” he said. “As long as I can get up and down off these cars, I’m going to keep working.”
Bole likes the challenge of fixing the rail cars. He is a construction supervisor in the National Guard, and enjoys working with his hands. So working at WATCO’s repair facility is something he likes to do and the physical labor is something he is used to from his job in the military.
“I supervise the construction of buildings, dirt work, things like that,” he said.
Rocky Ramage has a brother that was an engineer for Kansas City Southern.
Ramage worked for the railroad for two years, stopped for a time and came back to work for WATCO at the repair facility, east of Pittsburg, in May.
“It’s a good job,” he said.
Ramage likes the security working for a railroad provides and that in his job he is not performing the same tasks everyday.
“You get to do a lot of different things,” he said. “Sometimes you work inside, sometimes you work outside and I like to weld, so I like this.”Other than military personnel and those with family members that currently or have in the past worked for the railroad, Howard said the majority of people coming to the industry are construction workers.
“They are used to working outside and they are used to working long hours,” she said. “That seems to be a better fit.”
Burton said people do not typically think about the railroad unless they are stopped in traffic by a train.
“But it is a great career,” he said. “It is a culture to itself.”