Pros
Great money Flexible hours depending on what job you get If in a yard you can work 8-12 hour shifts and still go home at the end of the day Sometimes there's nothing to do so you just chill cause something broke else where and stopped all work you could do Great health insurance Stock exchange program slightly worse but its still around If you can throw a switch and communicate effectively you can make it anywhere on the railroad Some really cool and interesting co-workers
Cons
On call depending on what job you have Working with random people nearly every day unless they are regulars If on the Road you are never home but make 3x the money Many ways to get fatally injured Loud Noises Somewhat physically demanding Weather conditions heavily affect your work Managers are constantly on the hunt to fire you Thrown to wolves is universally accepted truth that the training is terrible and will never prepare you for how to work when most jobs are extremely different. Big egos from everyone Seniority will determine your experience every single day for the entirety of you career, bigger fish can screw you over and push you out of a current job you might have gotten used to or liked