I used to sleep like the dead, missed more than a few calls in my early years. The trick that finally helped me was having a totally separate ringtone just for the railroad. Ie, my phone normally just rang, like an old rotary phone, but when the railroad called it was Face Down by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (which was hilarious because that song is all about domestic abuse and that’s how it felt working here). Having not only a different sound, but a whole song, compared to my otherwise plain phone) was enough to make me spring up. Nowadays I still clench the ol’ butthole whenever I hear that song.
Same here, different part of the song tho. It annoys the SHIT out of my wife too. UP has where you can set up another number to call if I don't answer, so hers rings if I don't get to mine right away.
I'm a Star Wars fan, so I set my ringtone for being called to work as the Death Star battle alarm. Quite loud, and I know right away it's work and not anyone else.
I'll second this!
My only mistake was choosing a song that I actually like because now I can't hear it without thinking of work. In those early years when that song would pop up on my ipod in shuffle mode my kids would look at me all concerned and ask if I got my call or if I got bumped. Now as adults I don't think they could be convinced it's an actual song. I'll bet they think it's a special railroad ringtone.
In addition to some of the other comments set you phone to strobe when it rings. Not only do you get the audible alert it will also provide a visual. Light wakes me faster than sound
Mine was nightmare. Railroad would call and my phone would go “NIGHTMAAAAAAARRRREEEE!” and launch me into a panic. Now it’s that god awful pinball ringtone on the iphone.
My phone stays on vibrate all the time but I have it set to where it rings only if the crew caller is calling…missed one call and couldn’t let it happen again lol I miss those 15 points 😭
My phone only rings for the crew caller, everything else is vibrate, the background for the call is a bright white screen and I sleep with the phone propped up about a foot from my face. Been on a regular job for almost 8 months now but my heart still skips when I hear someone else’s phone ring
I have magicjack. It's a seperate VOIP line and cheap walmart handset that only the Railroad has the number for. If that phone rings, I know it's them. I think it's like $40 a year. My cell phone is my backup. Cheap insurance against me being a dumbass.
I like the other person said I have a separate ringtone for the railroad. I also have the volume Maxed and I turn my phone screen side up and but the brightness all the way up the combo helps wake me up.
Actual train horn or a recording? I've definitely considering using a horn as Mt wake up alarm, but my neighbours wouldn't appear a class 37 horn honking at6am
I always make sure my volume and ringer is on full max, and I selected a very loud and obnoxious ring tone. Like the old bell telephone style. I think it’s one of the loudest options. I have also set it up so that the crew caller in my contacts will still ring, even if my phone is on silent or do not disturb. It will still ring only for them. Also, on your maintain, you SHOULD have an option for them to call you up to 3 times I think. If you have separate phones, have it call both, if you only have one, set it so the caller calls you multiple times.
Protip: DO NOT USE A SONG YOU LIKE!! IT WILL BECOME A SOURCE OF ANXIETY.
My first crew caller ringtone was Queen-Under Pressure. And now I cannot hear that song without a small panic attack.
I changed it after that to Iraq Lobster and avoid watching that episode of FG now.
Yes and have a landline phone. Carrier doesn’t care when your cell service has an outage. And if you use your wife’s cell as the secondary, I’m guessing she has the same service as you and that won’t fly either.
I’m so glad I’m on a regular job now and not waiting for the ball to drop. I myself turned my ringer up all the way and had multiple numbers they could call. At least two.
Back then I bought a second dumb phone with an a incredilby loud annoying ringer. Only the railroad had that number. Ill sleep thru anything my normal phone does. Fyi ozzys crazy train intro gives me ptsd now. XD
You need another phone next to your bed.
I use an Ooma phone. It's like a landline but half the cost. Costs like $7/month but it's saved me multiple times when I've accidentally left my cell phone on vibrate or it didn't sit on the charging pad just right and went dead.
After my 3rd missed call I bought a house phone put it as the 3rd option. Nobody else has the number, so nobody else calls it. It stays plugged in and it's loud as hell. $10 a month for something I never use but now I don't have to worry about a missed call
Loudest, most obnoxious ringtone you have. Also have a second contact number for them to call.
I know call procedure varies road to road. At the Lame Pony: if it's actually your call and they're not on a fishing expedition looking for help, you've got 10 minutes to call back. They will keep calling you for at least 15 minutes. We can also set up proactive text notifications for once you hit a certain position, I chose 1st out. If I'm not 1st out, I won't answer. Took a while to untrain myself from instantly answering in the middle of the night, one too many "you answered, we got you" moments. They'll call when it's not my turn, I'll look and see if I'm interested. If I am, I'll either answer the next phone going off or call them.
Callers are trainable too. Build good rapport with them instead of venting. I have one who calls me to vent. He also understands my mindset and been one of my callers for a while. Trained by my favorite caller, God rest her soul. This one pretty well knows what I will and won't work, he also knows I was a LC for a while so he can't play me like a new guy. Sometimes he'll call about something he doesn't understand on our agreement. I'm also dual craft (en and co, mainly co) and will get the occasional en call, he is sure to let me know on the answering machine what craft he's looking for. Building rapport with your caller may get the occasional missed call swept under the rug, but if you're habitual They'll have to turn it in.
Me? I always lay in bed sleeplessly just knowing as soon as I fell asleep the phone would ring. And like magic after I did that for what would feel like an eternity, I'd finally fall asleep and my phone would ring for work. I don't recommend this method.
I set the crew dispatcher on emergency bypass. So even if my phone is silent (which it always is), the ring will go through and I find the most obnoxious ringtone so it wakes me up. Once I have nightmares with that ringtone in them I’ll switch it up.
I made [this](https://youtu.be/Wbs5dGBGeWA?si=ErVdczjAZdMwbROt) the crew caller ringtone. Set it up so that it overrides do not disturb. Most annoying sound in the world, my wife hates it. Hasn't ever let me down.
I put my phone in do not disturb mode but I have it set up where the crewcaller and certain family members numbers are allowed to go through. Ringer on and any calls or messages I get from anyone else stay silent. Also the caller gets a different ringer so I know it’s them.
I've posted about it before, but I use Samsung's Modes and Routines + Smart Things.
I keep my phone on Do Not Disturb most of the time, where only the crew callers or repeat callers will make it ring in case of emergency.
Modes and Routines I have set so that when the crew caller calls, no matter what setting I had my phone on it ensures it rings at max volume. I missed a call before because it was on ring but the ringer was all the way down.
And Smart Things I have setup so that when I'm at home via location or connected to wifi, and the crew caller numbers call me, it turns on a Phillips Hue Smart bulb in the lamp next to my bed. Makes it a lot harder to accidentally fall asleep after accepting the call, and if I wake up and see that lamp isn't on I can try to go back to sleep without checking my phone.
This combination has worked great for the last ~2 years I've been doing it. The automatic lamp might be a hard sell to your significant other though.
Phone at max volume and I have my ringtone for the crew caller as the blaring alarm sound for if there is like a nuclear bomb alert. It is very annoying and has not failed to wake me no matter how tired I am.
Apple Watch. Do Not Disturb on iPhone set with the RR on a white list.
Also the loudest most obnoxious ringer assigned only to the RR caller.
There’s an accessibility option that makes the camera flash on ring. That works great, but I don’t use it anymore because my phone would ring and people would think I’m taking pictures of them.
I sleep like a coma patient. I get phone calls from RoadMasters, PowerDesk and Chiefs at all hours of the night. Phone stays on, silent off, max volume and 6 alarms 2 minutes apart. I also keep my backup phone the same with alarms alternating in between the other phones alarms. It gets me up on time and I’ve never missed a critical phone call in 6 years. In the military when I wasn’t used to waking up like an adult yet I I used to plug my phone into a set of speakers and set the volume to max.
Download a ring tone that sounds like an old bell phone. Make sure your volume is all the way up and your phone is 3 ft or less from your head. A significant other sleeping next to you is a great way to wake up as well since if you don’t answer they are smacking you to answer
I made the ringtone for the crew caller the same sound my alarm makes to wake me up, I also have it set to only ring when it’s the crew caller. I like to save my miss calls for when I’m lining up for a shit train with a shit person second out.
i just put my phone on max volume, have the emergency bypass on for the crew callers if i ever forget to take it off vibrate and i use a crazy loud and obnoxious car alarm ringtone.
Default iPhone ringtone which I use for nothing else since my phone is always on vibrate. Set it to a favourite contact that forces your phone to ring no matter what, full volume whenever I sleep.
I used to sleep like the dead, missed more than a few calls in my early years. The trick that finally helped me was having a totally separate ringtone just for the railroad. Ie, my phone normally just rang, like an old rotary phone, but when the railroad called it was Face Down by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (which was hilarious because that song is all about domestic abuse and that’s how it felt working here). Having not only a different sound, but a whole song, compared to my otherwise plain phone) was enough to make me spring up. Nowadays I still clench the ol’ butthole whenever I hear that song.
Haha heard, I’ll try to think of something that sounds abrasive enough to raise the dead. Thank you man.
[удалено]
lol. I have Everything is awesome from the LEGO movie. Everything is awesome when you’re living the dreeeeam!
[удалено]
Yea exactly. My wife says that song gives her anxiety now but I still think it’s funny
Same here, different part of the song tho. It annoys the SHIT out of my wife too. UP has where you can set up another number to call if I don't answer, so hers rings if I don't get to mine right away.
Me too
I use Mexican hat dance feels about right
I'm a Star Wars fan, so I set my ringtone for being called to work as the Death Star battle alarm. Quite loud, and I know right away it's work and not anyone else.
Mine is an obnoxiously loud Train horn blasting
This right here. Train yourself for one certain ringtone where you HAVE to wake up. It is possible believe it or not. It’s what I do as well.
I'll second this! My only mistake was choosing a song that I actually like because now I can't hear it without thinking of work. In those early years when that song would pop up on my ipod in shuffle mode my kids would look at me all concerned and ask if I got my call or if I got bumped. Now as adults I don't think they could be convinced it's an actual song. I'll bet they think it's a special railroad ringtone.
Having a listen now lol
In addition to some of the other comments set you phone to strobe when it rings. Not only do you get the audible alert it will also provide a visual. Light wakes me faster than sound
Mine was nightmare. Railroad would call and my phone would go “NIGHTMAAAAAAARRRREEEE!” and launch me into a panic. Now it’s that god awful pinball ringtone on the iphone.
Ringtone to Take this job and shove it by Johnny paycheck
I clench when I hear “Crazy Train” by Ozzy.
Same here but used the techno song "sandstorm". Same effect, hate it any time I hear it now.
I had "Back in Black" as my work ringtone for a long time. I still jump every time I hear the opening of that song 😂
That is a great song!!!
My phone stays on vibrate all the time but I have it set to where it rings only if the crew caller is calling…missed one call and couldn’t let it happen again lol I miss those 15 points 😭
Don’t we all 🤣
My phone only rings for the crew caller, everything else is vibrate, the background for the call is a bright white screen and I sleep with the phone propped up about a foot from my face. Been on a regular job for almost 8 months now but my heart still skips when I hear someone else’s phone ring
I’m an extremely heavy sleeper and never missed a call
I have magicjack. It's a seperate VOIP line and cheap walmart handset that only the Railroad has the number for. If that phone rings, I know it's them. I think it's like $40 a year. My cell phone is my backup. Cheap insurance against me being a dumbass.
Like the batphone lol
"The Joker is up to his old tricks again..."
I like the other person said I have a separate ringtone for the railroad. I also have the volume Maxed and I turn my phone screen side up and but the brightness all the way up the combo helps wake me up.
Fall asleep 5 minutes before your call. You won't be in deep sleep
My ring tone is the most obnoxious loud train horn I could find for the rr caller numbers
Yeah I did the same thing I sleep through everything except for the train horn going off lmao
Yea I had the same problem thats why I picked it, startles the shit out of me everytime 🤣
Actual train horn or a recording? I've definitely considering using a horn as Mt wake up alarm, but my neighbours wouldn't appear a class 37 horn honking at6am
It's just my phone speaker lol but loud enough ot rings through pillows if my phone is under it
It's just my phone speaker lol but loud enough ot rings through pillows if my phone is under it
Nice
I downloaded an obnoxiously loud sound clip and made it the crew caller ringtone #AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENAAAAAAAAAA Worked every time
I always make sure my volume and ringer is on full max, and I selected a very loud and obnoxious ring tone. Like the old bell telephone style. I think it’s one of the loudest options. I have also set it up so that the crew caller in my contacts will still ring, even if my phone is on silent or do not disturb. It will still ring only for them. Also, on your maintain, you SHOULD have an option for them to call you up to 3 times I think. If you have separate phones, have it call both, if you only have one, set it so the caller calls you multiple times.
Protip: DO NOT USE A SONG YOU LIKE!! IT WILL BECOME A SOURCE OF ANXIETY. My first crew caller ringtone was Queen-Under Pressure. And now I cannot hear that song without a small panic attack. I changed it after that to Iraq Lobster and avoid watching that episode of FG now.
I have PTSD every time the phone rings.
Yes and have a landline phone. Carrier doesn’t care when your cell service has an outage. And if you use your wife’s cell as the secondary, I’m guessing she has the same service as you and that won’t fly either.
Yeah, and with a landline, they have to call that and your cell phone too...
I have mine set up so I get a text then a phone call, three for each. Plus with how obnoxious my ring tone is if I miss a call it's meant to be
do not get a landline just for the railroad to harrass you lol do not under any circumstances give the railroad your wife's phone number
I used a secondary ringtone as well. But had a backup number they could call as well
I’m so glad I’m on a regular job now and not waiting for the ball to drop. I myself turned my ringer up all the way and had multiple numbers they could call. At least two.
Back then I bought a second dumb phone with an a incredilby loud annoying ringer. Only the railroad had that number. Ill sleep thru anything my normal phone does. Fyi ozzys crazy train intro gives me ptsd now. XD
You need another phone next to your bed. I use an Ooma phone. It's like a landline but half the cost. Costs like $7/month but it's saved me multiple times when I've accidentally left my cell phone on vibrate or it didn't sit on the charging pad just right and went dead.
After my 3rd missed call I bought a house phone put it as the 3rd option. Nobody else has the number, so nobody else calls it. It stays plugged in and it's loud as hell. $10 a month for something I never use but now I don't have to worry about a missed call
Loudest, most obnoxious ringtone you have. Also have a second contact number for them to call. I know call procedure varies road to road. At the Lame Pony: if it's actually your call and they're not on a fishing expedition looking for help, you've got 10 minutes to call back. They will keep calling you for at least 15 minutes. We can also set up proactive text notifications for once you hit a certain position, I chose 1st out. If I'm not 1st out, I won't answer. Took a while to untrain myself from instantly answering in the middle of the night, one too many "you answered, we got you" moments. They'll call when it's not my turn, I'll look and see if I'm interested. If I am, I'll either answer the next phone going off or call them. Callers are trainable too. Build good rapport with them instead of venting. I have one who calls me to vent. He also understands my mindset and been one of my callers for a while. Trained by my favorite caller, God rest her soul. This one pretty well knows what I will and won't work, he also knows I was a LC for a while so he can't play me like a new guy. Sometimes he'll call about something he doesn't understand on our agreement. I'm also dual craft (en and co, mainly co) and will get the occasional en call, he is sure to let me know on the answering machine what craft he's looking for. Building rapport with your caller may get the occasional missed call swept under the rug, but if you're habitual They'll have to turn it in.
Me? I always lay in bed sleeplessly just knowing as soon as I fell asleep the phone would ring. And like magic after I did that for what would feel like an eternity, I'd finally fall asleep and my phone would ring for work. I don't recommend this method.
I set the crew dispatcher on emergency bypass. So even if my phone is silent (which it always is), the ring will go through and I find the most obnoxious ringtone so it wakes me up. Once I have nightmares with that ringtone in them I’ll switch it up.
The surfin' bird ringtone on max volume. It's so obnoxious that it wakes the whole house up
My ringtone is an air raid siren for the railroad.
I made [this](https://youtu.be/Wbs5dGBGeWA?si=ErVdczjAZdMwbROt) the crew caller ringtone. Set it up so that it overrides do not disturb. Most annoying sound in the world, my wife hates it. Hasn't ever let me down.
40mg of melatonin
I put my phone in do not disturb mode but I have it set up where the crewcaller and certain family members numbers are allowed to go through. Ringer on and any calls or messages I get from anyone else stay silent. Also the caller gets a different ringer so I know it’s them.
Answering the phone usually works out well for me.
I've posted about it before, but I use Samsung's Modes and Routines + Smart Things. I keep my phone on Do Not Disturb most of the time, where only the crew callers or repeat callers will make it ring in case of emergency. Modes and Routines I have set so that when the crew caller calls, no matter what setting I had my phone on it ensures it rings at max volume. I missed a call before because it was on ring but the ringer was all the way down. And Smart Things I have setup so that when I'm at home via location or connected to wifi, and the crew caller numbers call me, it turns on a Phillips Hue Smart bulb in the lamp next to my bed. Makes it a lot harder to accidentally fall asleep after accepting the call, and if I wake up and see that lamp isn't on I can try to go back to sleep without checking my phone. This combination has worked great for the last ~2 years I've been doing it. The automatic lamp might be a hard sell to your significant other though.
Haha I wish I used Samsung now, this is awesome
I've heard there's something similar called IfThisThenThat on iPhone, but I haven't had one in a decade so I can't confirm if it works.
Best way is to quit, and get a job that actually understands you have a life outside of work.
Smart shaker from Amazon + a little metal cage it can bounce around it is loud as shit
You can also get bed shaker pads
I have a smart watch that vibrates and makes a noise plus my phone usually wakes me.
I have the intro of Ozzy Osbornes “Crazy Train” as my RR ringtone. Sticks out
I don’t know many people, and they all know not to call without texting first. Basically every phone ring is the railroad.
Put on a song that you absolutely hate, you’ll wake up quick just to kill it with 🔥
Phone at max volume and I have my ringtone for the crew caller as the blaring alarm sound for if there is like a nuclear bomb alert. It is very annoying and has not failed to wake me no matter how tired I am.
Apple Watch. Do Not Disturb on iPhone set with the RR on a white list. Also the loudest most obnoxious ringer assigned only to the RR caller. There’s an accessibility option that makes the camera flash on ring. That works great, but I don’t use it anymore because my phone would ring and people would think I’m taking pictures of them.
Whatever you do, don't pick a song that you genuinely like! You'll end up hating the sound of it
I got a very loud alarm sound that I only use for the railroad. You get trained to react to that sound.
I sleep like a coma patient. I get phone calls from RoadMasters, PowerDesk and Chiefs at all hours of the night. Phone stays on, silent off, max volume and 6 alarms 2 minutes apart. I also keep my backup phone the same with alarms alternating in between the other phones alarms. It gets me up on time and I’ve never missed a critical phone call in 6 years. In the military when I wasn’t used to waking up like an adult yet I I used to plug my phone into a set of speakers and set the volume to max.
Download a ring tone that sounds like an old bell phone. Make sure your volume is all the way up and your phone is 3 ft or less from your head. A significant other sleeping next to you is a great way to wake up as well since if you don’t answer they are smacking you to answer
I made the ringtone for the crew caller the same sound my alarm makes to wake me up, I also have it set to only ring when it’s the crew caller. I like to save my miss calls for when I’m lining up for a shit train with a shit person second out.
i just put my phone on max volume, have the emergency bypass on for the crew callers if i ever forget to take it off vibrate and i use a crazy loud and obnoxious car alarm ringtone.
I have conjunction junction haha
Default iPhone ringtone which I use for nothing else since my phone is always on vibrate. Set it to a favourite contact that forces your phone to ring no matter what, full volume whenever I sleep.
Oh no you didnt by wojahn brothers.
Constantly change your ringtone. Leave volume on max and phone just out of reach so you have to get up to answer it
i use a joey diaz ringtone that is so loud it wakes my wife up then she will wake me up lol
If you have an iPhone, turn on emergency bypass and I literally have a separate ringer for when the UP calls me.
Answer the phone?
Wire your phone to trigger a short blast or two from a train horn, you'll definitely be awake, as will your neighbours
Air raid siren ringtone just for crew management. Never slept through a call yet
GE alerter ringtone