Railroad dispatcher training first in nation
by Diana DeLeon, feature editor

    TCC entered into a partnership with Fort Worth’s Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad four years ago to establish the railroad dispatcher program.

   “We are the only college in the United States that has a railroad dispatcher program,” Floyd Curtis, division chair of aeronautical/industrial technology, said.

   The college also gained attention with an aptitude test designed to determine if someone should enter the program.

   The aptitude test, administered by the NW Campus testing center, is one of the requirements for students who wish to enter the railroad dispatcher program.

   An application, interview and 30 hours of college credit also are required before students can enter the program where a grade of B means failure, Curtis said.

   “Dispatching is a very responsible position,” he said. “You are controlling lives and property.”

   The classes are taught by 25-year BNSF veteran James Lacey.

   “I love what I do; it is a kick,” he said.

   The dispatcher program attracts students from all over the country. Lacey also teaches corporate management trainees and transportation trainees.

   BNSF supplied the teacher, Lacey, and the state-of-the-art simulation stations in the classroom.

   Lacey also does contract training for students who work for railroad companies other than BNSF.

   Of the non-employees who complete the dispatcher program, BNSF gets first choice of graduates.

   The program is separated into four classes that run five days a week, seven hours a day.

   The first class, Introduction to Railroading, covers machinery involved, track make up and other basic information. This class runs one week.

   The second class, Rules, Regulations and Safety, runs for three weeks. The third class, Rules Simulation, runs for a week.

   At the conclusion of this class, students take a mid-term exam.

   Students who receive a grade less than 85 percent on the mid-term exam fail the program, Lacey said.

   “A railroad dispatcher’s job is so critical,” he said, “we have high standards. There are no B’s and C’s in these classes.”

   The fourth class, Traffic Control, runs three weeks. The final exam is administered at this point.

   Students who earn a passing grade and who have already acquired employment with BNSF or other railroad companies then attend one week of observation, followed by an internship period.

   Railroad companies from around the country, including DART locally, come to NW Campus to interview graduates of this program, Lacey said.

   “We have few students who fail,” he said. “Most students are on top of things.”