I manage curve design and bridge maintenance for a Class I in the Midwest — superelevation calcs, turnout layouts, and FRA 237 program work on steel through-girders — and just got an offer to lead track/bridge packages at a consultancy using OpenRail with about 40–50% travel… For folks who’ve made that jump, did the salary and project variety outweigh losing hy-rail overtime and possession-window control, and how did client-driven schedules treat geometry car exceptions and annual inspection cycles?
I jumped from a Class I doing superelevation calcs and FRA 237 steel through-girders to a consultancy; base + year-end bonus beat my hy-rail OT by month 6 and the OpenRail packages were more varied, but , the “40–50% travel” wore thin fast. Get in writing how travel time is treated (door-to-door billable or comp) and the billable target; that policy swings the math. If you live for field nights, you’ll miss them, otherwise it was a net win for me.
@OP I moved from a Class I into consulting last year running OpenRail; base plus quarterly bonus beat my hy-rail OT by month 4 and the project mix (turnouts + a steel through-girder rehab) was worth it. Before you sign, pin down how they handle the ‘40–50% travel’ — does travel time count toward utilization, is there per diem, and do you get comp time — because , if not, the OT you’re giving up can still outpace the bonus.
Did the math when I left a Midwest Class I doing FRA 237 and girders: with OpenRail work my base plus quarterly bonus and per diem covered the lost truck time by spring. @lopez57 hit pay; the real swing factor was utilization: negotiate a 72–75% target while you build standards and turnout templates, or you’ll be chasing hours with 50% travel. Also make sure they count field days at 1.0 billable and give you a solid laptop for OpenRail, or the variety turns into nights catching up.
I left a Midwest Class I doing superelevation and turnout work for an OpenRail-heavy role last year. Base plus project bonus was solid, but what really closed the gap was per diem and airline points; downside was, , chasing a 75–80% ‘utilization’ target after travel days. If you’ll be on the road close to half the month, negotiate comp time for travel days and clarify how inspection hours are credited on track/bridge packages — @lopez57 can probably back me up on the utilization part.