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I've gotten a lot of feedback from my original 'Life of a Conductor's Wife' post. I get asked a lot of questions and I thought since it's been a while since I've talked about it, I would do a FAQ post. These are all questions that I have been asked and my actual answers to those who asked them. :)
Q. How did you feel when your husband started to go into the freight conductor?
A. When he was offered the job and started the process, we were both very excited. I was nervous that he would be away for six weeks for training but I knew it was something he had to do in order to better our life together. It was definitely a huge adjustment but it has brought us closer and helped us to communicate better. When he's gone, we miss each other a lot but we get excited to see each other again and I feel like it makes us appreciate each other so much more. It will change your life, and it can be for the better if you let it
Q. Is it hard now that you guys have a baby?
A. Actually, it hasn't been harder since we had our baby. He's home quite a bit, even if it's only 12 hours - that's time spent with us. Not all of the jobs take him out of town. But I don't feel like he's missing out on too much at all.
Q. You say he misses birthdays and holidays and anniversary's, how do you deal with that?
A. He has missed some holidays and other important days and it's disappointing but imagine how he feels about it. I really try not to make him feel worse and we just celebrate on a different day and he's pretty good about leaving surprises that I find or he sends flowers. He doesn't miss everything, so I'll take him missing a few things over missing everything.
Q. How has it changed your life?
A. It has changed our life in the fact that we are more financially sound. After we had our son, I didn't have to return to work and I am able to stay home and care for him and raise him. My husband's job was an answer to prayers. It's a blessing to our lives.
Q. How long has he been a freight conductor and does he have a somewhat regular schedule by now?
A. He has been a freight conductor since he got hired a little over three years ago. He doesn't have what other people would call a regular schedule but it has become regular to us. They have a system that he can access from a computer or his smart phone where he can see the line up of who's to be called next. The more seasoned conductors with the most seniority are who hold the regular turns that are actually on a schedule.
Q. What is a "typical" week like?
A. A typical week is never the same from week to week. To explain the on-call board a little better, my husband gets called anytime a crew runs out of time and they need a re-crew. He gets called when a person on a regular turn takes off sick, takes a vacation day, etc. So he could get called for anything it just depends whats going on. They call 2 hours before he has to be at work so he has plenty of notice and time to get ready.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! I love talking with other train wives (and girlfriends) and forming friendships with ladies that understand first hand what the lifestyle is like. :)
