We all know Amtrak has been underfunded for years. So just like what happened at airlines years ago, the companies start cutting personal and salaries. This leads to older, more seasoned engineers saying the hell with it and deciding, "I'm not taking the responsibility of operating a train for that kind of money."
So a lot of them retire and the new guys are not as involved with a professional attitude. To them, it's just a job. You put your time in, you're alone in the cab and running on a rail line day after day can get boring. I think you can get to a point: You forget about what is behind the cab ("Death toll in Amtrak derailment rises to 8," May 15).
In the airline industry, it's the same thing. There is a difference in the attitude wanted to fly fighters and attack aircraft as opposed to flying a C-141 or C-17. Heck, there is a difference even in flying bombers. You do not fly a B-52 cruise missile carrying bomber like a B-1, the missions are different. If I'm hiring ex-military for my airline, I'm looking for transport pilots first, bomber pilots (B-52) second and B-1 and fighter pilots last. Stable and responsible is what you're looking for!
Joseph Szot