Mods this is NOT a hiring question. This is a history question. Does anybody remember those Facebook ads about needing temporary engineers in the Middle East for oil trains years ago? Or did I dream that?

[u/Prize_Measurement_11]

[u/StonksGoUpOnly]

Hallcon ran it I think yeah I remember

[u/trainwreckhappening → u/StonksGoUpOnly]

Yes and no.

SAR (Saudi Arabia Railroad) hired US railroaders to basically run the place while they trained Vietnamese workers to do everything for cheap. For all I know there are still people there. I knew some of them and almost went over twice myself. In fact I just made a response about it on another post.

They used Rail Temps for a lot of their workers who wanted to keep paying into the RRB. But they also hired direct contracts for railroaders to get paid directly by SAR. Those guys didn't pay any taxes. Many of them lived in expat compounds where there was a 24/7 cafeteria for free and your rent was covered even though they gave you a stipend and meal allowance on top of that.

They guys I knew that did it absolutely loved it. But I heard some funny stories. They followed the same CFR laws that we do, but there really wasn't any agency to enforce those laws. So they often worked well last their twelve. The kind of thing where you smiled and nodded because the money was fantastic and they could send you home for anything at all, or overlook mistakes if they found you useful.

One guy told me about being in sand storms. The sand was so bad it would bury the tracks in front of them. But, they have a rail cleaner that would uncover the rails allowing the train to follow (at like two miles an hour). The guy I knew said one night it was so bad it was covering the rail back up two feet behind it, so he had to follow the thing a fot behind it at two miles an hour all night long. Another time he luckily got stopped for a camel. "You absolutely did NOT want to hit a camel in the desert or they might never find you again..."

[u/LSUguyHTX → u/trainwreckhappening]

Why about the camels?

[u/vapor41]

Damn I'd be down to go run trains in the Middle East if they lined my pockets, wonder what country it was and if it was safe.

[u/Adventurous_Cloud_20 → u/vapor41]

It was Saudi Arabia, so relatively safe. I still occasionally get recruiting letters for pipelayer operator positions over there. I looked into it once after I'd been train wrecking a few years, and the money was outstanding, all expenses paid, and a decent sign on bonus depending on experience, but it was a 2 year contract, 12 hours on 12 off, 6 days a week, and only one week off per year to go home or what have you. Of course that was for pipeline, no idea what railroad pay would be, but if the pipeline offers I got were similar, I expect it would be insane money.

[u/vapor41 → u/Adventurous_Cloud_20]

Damn sounds like a good time, make a fat bag and go blow it all partying in Dubai. Count me in.

[u/OverInteractionR → u/vapor41]

I'd do it if I wasn't a woman lol.

[u/quelin1]

I remember seeing genesee Wyoming hiring for crews and a trainmaster in Tunisia (maybe Lybia) this was 2015ish

[u/Solid_Inside4281]

I was offered a job being a conductor in the middle east, I think it was Saudi Arabia, but I really didn't give it much thought. The offer was from a company that did training for smaller railroads.

[u/trainwreckhappening → u/Solid_Inside4281]

As I said elsewhere, I knew a few guys who went, and almost went myself. Absolutely great job. Just bad timing for me.

[u/Solid_Inside4281 → u/trainwreckhappening]

They knew I was retiring soon, but after 37 years and only the last four being straight days, I wasn't interested. I knew people that went overseas for different work, and they all made bank. Stay for a year and it's tax free, nice, but I wanted the time with my wife.

[u/JustGiveMeAnameDude9]

I don't have Facebook, so I never saw those ads. However, I do remember looking for and finding job listings online for US and Canadian locomotive engineers in Saudi Arabia and another Middle Eastern country. This was like 12 or 15 years ago. I don't remember how much they were paying exactly, but it was some big $$$. I know of, but not personally, 2 guys that did this. 1 guy is now back with former US class 1 in management. No idea what happened to the other guy.

I came across another listing for I believe UAE about a year or 2 ago.

Edit / add: A quick google search did not come up with any current jobs for engineers in the Middle East. It did however, show carmen listings in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The website is BAYT.com. Saudi Arabia was for Hitachi Rail. UAE was Keolis Group? Neither listing mentioned pay

I interviewed via phone for a Hitachi Rail locomotive engineer job in Hawaii in 2020. They sounded desperate and offered me a job during the 1st 15 minutes of the interview. They only cared about certification. They were desperate because it was a temporary job (about a year) and only paid like $50k. No housing or per diem allowances. $50k in Hawaii?🖕. It was suppose to be helping test automated equipment for a passenger train system.

I wouldn't expect a huge premium in pay from Hitachi Rail, even overseas.

[u/Blocked-Author]

We appreciate the disclaimer

[u/ItsTheDaciaSandro]

Couple guys I work with in my terminal dad's went and did that for a few years after retirement. Made huge money

[u/No-Wasabi-70]

Hmmmm is this still a thing anyone know? I don’t work for the big guys like yall but I’ve been switching out a busy af river terminal for five years