If you're thinking about working on the railroad, consider this.

More information Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Cleveland, Ohio 44113 (216) 241-2630 U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Buffalo, N.Y. 14202 (716) 551-4141

In the past two years, at least 20 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers have died from work-related injuries.

That underscores just how dangerous a train engineer's job can be, said John Bentley, spokesman for the group.

Yet the love of the open rail keeps about 22,000 men and women on tracks, guiding passengers and freight from coast to coast. Average earnings of $60,000 to $70,000 annually and excellent benefits also attract people to the profession, Bentley said.

Engineers are responsible for a train's speed, safety, and mechanical operation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook. They must know all signal systems, yards, terminals and routes, because trains handle differently, depending on weight and length.

The job is dangerous because engineers are often climbing up, down and between moving cars. Derailments and rail-yard accidents also can occur.

In addition, the job can be tiring. Engineers are at the throttle of a train for up to 12 hours at a time. Some long-distance routes require engineers to spend many days away from home.

Still interested? To be an engineer, you must have a high-school diploma and have excellent hearing and eyesight. A prospective engineer usually starts out as a brakeman or conductor and learns the skills on the job. Most railroad companies offer some classroom training as well.

Engineers have to be certified under standards set by the Federal Railroad Administration. Individual rail companies are responsible for ensuring their engineers meet the requirements.

Despite competition from airlines and trucks, the outlook for rail employees is good, Bentley said. Some items, like coal or cars, can't be transported any other way.

But the total number of new jobs to be added isn't large, the Handbook said. Advances in technology have reduced the average size of rail crews from five or six per train to about three.