This is kind of a challenging question. And longer response than I intended, but it is a question that I felt deserved a little longer explanation, and it is no where near complete.
I started as a locomotive machinist (RR term for mechanic) in the early 1990's at the former DRGW Burnham shops in Denver. And retired a few years ago as a locomotive engineer in Grand Junction CO. I rode and ran locomotives lettered for DRGW, SP, UP, BN, ATSF, and finally BNSF. Never moved out of my house via mergers, buyouts, trackage rights. Was on every piece of track between Denver and SLC (except Craig branch). I miss running a engine 1 or 10 of them. Never got tired of looking at the Rockies, especially after a good snow, going down the front range, pushing snow above the plow didnt see the track, it was like we were gliding down the mountain. Running 15,000+ ton trains in control of all that power was cool I will admit, and on mountain grades could get interesting real quick like. I also miss the people I worked with. Never ever, got tired of waiving back at the kids and giving them a little whistle.
But the way these RR's have gotten towards their own people not sure I would recommend working for any of them. But hey you might like it, especially if you want no life of your own, dont mind missing just about every important event in you families lives, being on call 24hrs a day 365 days unless your on vac, oh yea the vacation you get until you get 10-15 years of seniority will not be on any good holidays, more likely will be Jan, Feb. There are rest cycles being implemented, but I dont know how they will work out in the long run. They give you days off for personal reasons but almost never give them to you when you want them. From the day you get hired the RR is looking for a way to discipline you, keep you in line. Your on camera just about all the time, course its like that about anywhere I bet. I dont miss getting called at 10PM for a midnight train knowing I was going to be on that train till noon-ish the next day, oh yea you mowed the lawn and tried to fix a few things around the house and basically got no sleep before you got the call, because the train line-up said you werent going to work till the next day, you just got called 12-14 hrs early is all, happens all the time.
If it was me? I might consider getting a position that has fixed days off and a 5 day work week. Good luck finding that on the RR nowadays. A good friend who is a trainer for conductor new hires, told me they had a class of 10 starting and after the first morning break only 2 returned to the class, that should tell you a few things.
