thought i would start this thread seeing some think running freight trains is boring or passenger..does or has TSW inspired you to go and seek railroad empoyment ...personally i wanted to work for RR but due to a disability. Thats not possible for me TSW is as close as i get to operating trains
TSW was actually one of the motivators for me to think about getting a job as a train driver for DB in germany. I hope it goes well for me
Personally no as I was already planning to work for the railroad but TSW, gives the opportunity to enjoy trains from other countries and perspectives, even though it’s mostly the same 3 countries. Really ? Good luck then but don’t ever tell them that trains are your passion or TSW gave you the motivation to become a train driver, train companies don’t like that mostly. Wish you luck.
i ts a shame the way this world work that someone has to hide ther passion to get employment in any career ...here in US railroads were having a hard time getting and keeping worker when if they hire ppl that like or want to work there would make for at least a few deticated employees that have passion for their career
Long story short, I did switch careers after getting into and playing TSW for many years. I work with implementation of ETCS in northern europe, and I was working in sales before that.
Not really, since my software developer job pays better than working for the railroad, lol. Also real life railroad work can be a lot of hassle, not your usual 8-4 job. There will be night shifts probably, etc. But it is tempting sometimes, that's for sure - driving trains all day, the real thing. I did plan on trying my luck at the railroad if software development didn't interest me, but thankfully I started to really enjoy it once I began working in it after university.
TSW kind of did inspire me to go work for a railway but not in the traditional sense. Last year I applied to a heritage railway to volunteer after I had paid to drive their class 37 loco (one of my fave locos to drive in TSW and TSC). Whilst I am not a driver or guard on the trains, I do still get to be close up to them and often ride them up the line either for training or just for fun (cab rides). I'm hoping that this year will see an opportunity to progress from ticket sales/buffet car server/general worker to trainee guard or other role (signaller etc). Some of the volunteers do have interests in railways and some have railway backgrounds and some even work for TOCs or FOCs on the mainlines.
Applied, got job offer for Norfolk Southern 3 times and declined all. Finally decided to leave my hobby a hobby and not ruin it as a job. Plus I love my current job rebuilding electric motors and industrial turbine water pumps.
I considered it because even though I haul a good salary as a property manager, I was getting pretty disenchanted with how things work in the corporate field. Ended up declining an offer from NJT. Ultimately I couldn’t get onboard with a major salary decrease + all the crazy hour/holiday requirements. Decided to just move on to another company in the same capacity and it seems like right move. Sometimes a hobby is better off staying a hobby. I love photography too but I wouldn’t quit my day job for it.
I play Train Sim World because I left my real railway job after 23 years last month. 2001-2006 i worked for Central Trains as platform staff / train dispatcher at Birmingham New Street. 2007-2024 I was an operations manager for Network Rail (Central & North West). Was made redundant last month, so the only trains I'll be seeing daily are virtual ones on TSW from now on.
I would say yes, though I don’t have plans to do so. I considered it probably a lot on the fact of the amount time I have been putting into TSW, ultimately it’s just an idea and not really one I intend to carry out but also wouldn’t rule out. it’s a career i saw myself enjoying and that’s not an easy thing to say for many less enjoyable careers.
I'd like to say that TSW had a sub-conscious influence as I spent the majority of my spare time with it (albeit there were other factors involved such as a global pandemic and a growing dislike for my previous job), and for the past eight months, I have been employed with a TOC (unnamed for obvious reasons) as a train cleaner on nights, which actually works better as I'm not really a morning person. Give it enough time (hopefully within the next 1 - 3 years), and I'll be in the same position as when playing TSW: in the drivers seat.
Recently applied for a trainee driver job with West Midlands Trains. Got up to the non-live video interview before being told I didn’t get to the next stage of the application process, they couldn’t provide me with any feedback at that point so I don’t know where I slipped up. Certainly won’t stop me trying again as soon as another job vacancy pops up!
Really interesting discussion, and great to hear some of you have secured roles in the industry! Good luck to all those who are applying for, or thinking of applying for roles.
Not at this time. I have a good job with fixed hours. But if I was to get fired for some reason, working in the railroad would be my first choice. Probably train driver. The only thing stopping me to quit now and make the change for myself, is the irregular working hours. Becoming a train driver would hurt my current social life.
I´ve been a freight driver in Germany for 6 years inspired by TSC... hope that counts. To your point: your social life will change drasticly. Life happens on your days off or on vacation. The rest is sleeping, eating and trains. I countered this problem by making my contract with reduced hours, so I get a couple of days more off. A conserative life with 2-3 children, wife, dog and regular social activies? Basicly impossible as a train driver! At least thats what I hear from others.... I´m single and childless, so no problems.
This is a super interesting thread to me, love the different experiences you all had. For me it was the other way around, I got a job in the railway industry first and discovered Train Sim World through that. This I can confirm, even though I worked as a conductor and not as a driver. Most of your time will be spend on trains, and your social life will be dominated by interacting with passengers and coworkers. I personally enjoyed that a lot, even though it could be pretty rough at times. There's no weekend and no holidays, so you need to be prepared to work on Sundays or over the holiday break. But even still, I very much enjoyed my time working for the ÖBB and am glad I had a chance to do that. Fingers crossed for those of you that are trying to get a job in the industry!
I'd love to when I grow up, though it isn't TSW that got me there. I've always wanted to drive train since I was younger, either for SBB or RZD. I'm not exactly sure how to do that, as the immigration requirements to Switzerland probably are quite high, but I'm trying to figure it out
Not really, in actual fact not at all, as I have been on the railway for all my working life many years before TSW were even thought about! However only working on the intercity/long distance side of things it has opened my eyes a bit to the big differences between the Intercity and commuter runs and then obviously freight too (though that one's much more obvious anyway). I still wouldn't leave my current TOC for a FOC or more commuter based TOC but my eyes have been opened, that's for sure!
I actually did look into freight railroads locally but when I found out the hours/working arrangements I figured I'll stick to TSW in my spare time. I am actually surprised anyone at all wants to do the job of a freight engineer/conductor in North America after learning what the work-life balance looks like.
In my experience (UK) this is less true than it was. In the days when British Rail’s main focus was cutting costs and rationalisation, there was a view that rail enthusiasts in management positions were not prepared to take the tough decisions necessary (line closures etc) to make the railway sustainable within the levels of funding which the government was prepared to provide. This resulted in a a culture of railway managers denying any interest in rail aside from it being their job. In recent years I’ve seen that begin to change, and there are now plenty of railway managers - including those in senior roles - happy to say that they have a personal passion for rail, and want to see success through growth. In terms of front line roles, I think there is a slight nervousness that someone joining the railway because of a love of trains might discover that the reality of the job isn’t quite what they thought - driving, for example, involving a lot of repetitive tasks and the need to sustain concentration through long periods of low-activity, as well as unsocial shifts (doing it for an hour on TSW is one thing - doing it for a 10 hour shift, and then doing the same thing the next day, and the next, and the next - is quite another). However, that doesn’t mean rail enthusiasts are excluded by any means. My company employs lots of rail enthusiasts (I remember one candidate, when told the salary in his interview, responding “that’s a very generous salary, but if you asked me to do the job for nothing, I would” - he got the job) and my experience is that their success rate in the role is pretty similar to non-enthusiasts. For some it does indeed turn out to be much harder than they’d imagined it, and they struggle, but for others it’s the dream job they hoped it would be and that enthusiasm visibly motivates them to do an outstanding job. My advice to anyone applying is that it’s fine to say you’re a rail enthusiast but don’t make that your primary explanation for why you’ll do a good job. Think about the actual nature of the job and try to explain why that is something you will do well, and show recognition of what the employer is going to need from you. So for a train driver it’s things like diligence, the ability to maintain concentration, a positive attitude to safety, the ability to follow rules and instructions (but not blindly - if something’s unsafe, you say so), reliability, punctuality, good attendance, flexibility.
I was watching a video on you tube recenty about a engineer s career with the railroad ..was very interesting one of his comments he said in elemetary school he could see trains from classroom would look over when trains came by .His teacher would say pay attention in class not looking at the passing trains .She said to him youll never get a job to look out the window all day.. He said how wrong she was when he grew up he got a job on RR eventually became engineer and ran trains by that same school..he said i did get a job looking out of windows of a locomtive..
I got a job just recently as a Trainee train driver, now level 2 Drivers Assistant (Conductor in the US) but like others I had wanted to be a train driver since I was a child. I definitely let the employer know I was passionate about rail but I thought to keep the simulator side to myself to start with as I didnt want to come across like I thought I knew what being a train driver was all about simply because I had done it in a sim. Its funny now that I am in the industry, there a two types of ppl where I am, those where it is just a job and those that are Gunzels (thats what we are called here in AUS). Here it pays pretty well, you can expect to earn 6 figures without any overtime but as mentioned previously, be expected to work odd hours.
I used to play TSC back in the day and have always been interested in the railway. I did a brief stint in aviation security before going onto the Elizabeth Line and now work elsewhere in London involving trains. I've taken a break from TSW in the last year but I'm tempted to get back into it soon especially after hearing the new routes that will be developed for this year.
TSW got me into trains a couple of years ago and I was due for a career switch from software engineer to something technical. Applied for freight driver and got the job, but did not pass psychological evaluation due to inexperience with night shifts. Ironically I now work as a signaling engineer with a lot a night shifts and loving it. I’m happy I didn’t become driver though since It would’ve probably bored me after a couple of months. Now I get to enjoy that side of my passion in TSW.
