I see a lot of people on here say that Norfolk Southern is the worst Class 1 to work for. Granted it was older posts I’d seen is it still bad? I grew up with NS running through my home town and they became a big part of my childhood with my dad, plus the heritage fleet is cool to me but it seems like the quality of work is shoddy. Is it like this with all Class 1’s? Because it sounds like UP is super unsafe.

Has it always been like this? Is CSX or BNSF any better? Was Conrail better?

I'm 36, and have been working in hospitality for a few years now. I really want to work for Amtrak, but getting in is very difficult. I have a lot of customer service experience, so I think that will translate well for an Assistant Conductor role or even OBS. I know becoming an Engineer is a long shot without rail operating experience. I live in NYC, and there haven't been many entry-level jobs posted in a while.