MEET Amtrak Employees
How did you come to
work at Amtrak?
I left the Navy after 14 years
through early retirement. I was a
chief petty officer, and I wasn’t
looking to manage anything
again. I wanted to get another
career going. I started out as a
contractor in 1999 in the
Albany-Rensselaer station,
running the commissary. Then a
job opened up as a ticket agent
at the station in 2007. I wanted a
change, so I applied.
With the district manager’s
job, people encouraged me to
apply and after some soul-
searching I applied and got the
job. I’ve managed the stations in
the Albany-Rensselaer area and
North Carolina. I’ve spent seven
years as a district manager of
stations, including the last two
for Amtrak’s western New York
region, which goes from Utica
through Buffalo and Niagara
Falls to Erie, Pennsylvania.
Why did you hesitate?
I wasn’t sure whether I had the
leadership skills. We also get into
train operations, and crews and
station staff cooperation. We
I
f you’re a passenger who
prefers buying your ticket
at the train station ticket
window rather than the
kiosk, you’ll love Jim
Gallagher. As a Syracuse
Station agent who started his
36th year on the job in
March, Jim’s favorite aspect of
his job is meeting people.
How did you start with
Amtrak back in 1981?
I had just gotten engaged. One of
the stipulations of my taking the
job was that I would need a week
off that August for the wedding.
Luckily, Amtrak agreed; the rest,
as they say, is history.
What’s kept you going all
these years?
Not to sound clichéd, but I really
enjoy people, especially when
they’re coming to the window for
the first time. I like giving infor-
72 | New York By Rail
make sure train gets into the
station and out on time.
What’s best about your job?
I flat-out enjoy the challenges,
the variety of issues. That’s what
keeps me in it.
What kinds of issues
come up?
Our number one focus is the
safety of our customers and
employees, but it’s also about
improving each station through
our partners—the State of New
York, the cities that own the
stations and the freight railroad
companies—and our employees.
Amtrak has changed from an
almost 100 percent federally-
funded unit to a for-profit unit,
and our employees understand
that we have to operate as a
for-profit as best we can.
Government funding is not
always there for us. Our
employees have been fantastic in
accepting that change and
dealing with its challenges.
mation, making reservations, and
I end the interaction with humor
and a smile. When someone
comes to the window, I’ll say,
“Can I help you?” They’ll say,
“I’m on train 284,” and I’ll say,
“Not yet, you’re not!” and they’ll
laugh. I like little quirky things
like that. But you’ve got to be able
to read people and know who to
joke with. There’s a thin line
between them getting a joke and
thinking I’m being a wise-guy.
What do you want
passengers to know about
your job?
I’m on their side. I don’t work on
commission, so I work with them
to find the lowest fare. I’m here
for them. If they need a
wheelchair or help with their
bags, I do that. My job has
changed from just selling and
issuing tickets to being more
about customer service. I’m
What does a good day
look like?
Recently, there was a teddy bear
left in the Rochester station. As
soon as I saw that bear in the lost
baggage room, I knew it belonged
to somebody. It was grungy—
definitely well-used and loved.
The employees researched who
had boarded with children over
the past few days, and called
them. They ended up reuniting
the teddy bear and child. That
kind of thing happens all the
time. We go above and beyond
moving a passenger down the
railroad line. If the station staff is
almost invisible but still
appreciated, they’re doing the
right thing.
What do you do when
you’re not at work?
I do a lot of model warship
woodworking as a hobby. One
ship takes up a whole winter.
It’s a nice way to get me to
spring.
spending a lot more time on the
other side of the window with
people, and I enjoy that.
Do you ever get asked
hard questions?
Sometimes I’ll get asked for
information on hotels and rental
cars. I’ve been on a lot of routes,
so I like to tell them what to
expect, but if someone asks me
about attractions in a city I’m
not familiar with, the computer’s
a great tool. I try to help people
out as much as I can.
lasting impression on me.
Everybody from the station here
pulled together to get people off
the train and to shelter.
What’s your favorite
Amtrak train?
I have a daughter out in Portland,
Oregon, so my favorite train is the
Empire Builder. It takes my wife
and me out there to see her on
our vacations.
What’s one of your
favorite days on the job?
I don’t know if I’d call it my best
day, but my most memorable
day was back in February 2001.
One of our trains ran into the
back of a freight train outside the
Syracuse station. It was the first
time I’d ever been thrown into a
situation like that and it made a
Amtrak.com
GALLAGHER
A
s a former Navy chief
petty officer, Brian
Sawyer joined
Amtrak in 2007. He couldn’t
be happier as district manager
of stations for Amtrak’s
western New York region,
even in a time of change.