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Union Pacific Railroad Careers

If you hold a serious interest in Union Pacific Railroad careers you will be working for the oldest and largest railroad in North America. As such, keep in mind that more than any other Class I railroad UP is very serious about its heritage as the company not only fields a fleet of "heritage" locomotives but also operates a museum dedicated to its history. The Union Pacific dates back to 1862 and was essentially created by Abraham Lincoln when the President signed the Pacific Railroad Act into law, establishing for a transcontinental railroad to be built connecting the west coast with the Midwest. Over the years the UP grew and was able to avoid any serious reorganization attempts all the while also being able to also sidestep any merger takeovers or buyouts. The railroad's current system began to take place only during the last 50 years or so when it began to purchase competing lines like the Missouri Pacific, Chicago & North Western, Western Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Missouri-Kansas-Texas (the Katy).

If you have browsed around the site you may have seen the historic map of the Union Pacific which I have featured with its page (to view the map please click here). However, today's UP system is much, much larger as it serves every state west of the Mississippi River except North Dakota and South Dakota. As such, if you have any interest in Union Pacific Railroad careers, specifically within transportation or maintenance, please be aware that the company will place you wherever needed. For instance, if you live in Texas, where UP has a very large presence, and would like to remain there it's unlikely to happen as you could be assigned to a district in either Oregon or California.

Also, if you are a college student or plan to work in the management field Union Pacific offers internships, on-campus recruiting, and other events to get your foot in the door. Thankfully, as the largest Class I in North American the company offers a fairly extensive recruiting and internship to learn more about how they accept applicants. To visit this page please click here.

To give you an idea of what it means for a railroad to be determined as a "Class I" this is actually just a term it is assigned through the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The ARR breaks down railroads by their annual operating revenue and assigns them a class based on those earnings (Class I, II, and III). It has been adjusted over the years although at one time there were more than 100 Class Is in operation with names that even most in the general probably recognize such as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway or the Pennsylvania Railroad. For more information about Class I railroads please click here.

As a few more final thoughts please let me stress the difficulty in being a railroader, in the event you are expressing interest in hiring on in the transportation or maintenance fields. While these areas generally do not require a college education the work can long, hard, with totally unpredictable hours (it is actually quite common to work 12 hours for days and days). As such, it can make a home and family life tough so please think it through before deciding if it is right for you.

Of course, it can also be quite rewarding as a railroader with excellent pay, benefits, and retirement. To search for Union Pacific Railroad careers please feel free to use the search box below from Indeed.com, one of the leading online career resource guides. Finally, for more information about Union Pacific Railroad careers please click here to visit their official careers site.

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Lastly, if a career in railroading is right for you but would like to learn more about what it takes to work in the industry you might want to consider the book Working on the Railroad from noted author Brian Solomon. Solomon's book details the history of working in the railroad industry and the difficulties and hardship employees faced back then as well as today. After reading this book you should have no doubts about whether working in the industry is something you are truly interested in. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. Please note that while I strive to present the information as accurately as possible I am aware that there may be errors. If you have potential corrections the help is greatly appreciated.