this post was submitted on 02 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 25 points 9 months ago (5 children)

Honestly, nobody should call themselves an engineer unless they literally drive trains for a living.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Driving a train is engineering?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 9 months ago (2 children)

In North America, the driver of a train engine is called an "engineer", yes.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I see, TIL. That's different from Germany, where Ingenieur is a protected term.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 9 months ago

In the railway context an engineer was the person who worked the engine.

In German the word comes from Latin roughly meaning inventor. Presumably the general usage of the word engineer in English has the same etymology.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

See I’d call that a conductor

[–] [email protected] 15 points 9 months ago

In the US, a conductor is the one who checks tickets, makes announcements, and delegates tasks to the crew to help ensure things keep moving on time.

The locomotive engineer is the one who is “driving” the train. They run the engine and communicate with dispatch and traffic control to keep them informed where this particular train is fitting into the overall juggling act,. They also make every effort to keep things safe (watching for signals, obstructions, etc.).

I’m not 100% sure if the terminology is different outside of the Us.

(Source: My father is a 3rd generation locomotive engineer.)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago

See I thought a conductor was a person who grabs a live main wire while standing in water.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Infrastructure erasure in the states is so bad that people who build it for a living aren't even considered anymore.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 months ago

Funny and infromative

[–] [email protected] 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

In many countries the term “engineer” is a protected title.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Yes, driving trains is becoming more and more important as we find out how terrible cars are for the environment. We should protect the profession fiercely!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 9 months ago

Or they build trebuchets