I'm a little late to the party, but Bruce gave some really great information. Read over it a couple times because it's a gold mine.
I would add to Bruce's emphasis on safety and echo that, because it's the foremost concern on the railroad. If you can emphasize safety in your previous job experience, do so. For example, "on such and such job site, we worked 180 days injury free." Or, "I was the safety coordinator for XYZ, Inc. as well as being the job foreman." If you have past experiences like those that apply, you should mention them. If not, DO NOT make something up. As Bruce said, you shouldn't lie (GCOR 1.6 comes to mind, and a violation is a termination event).
Prior military experience seems to be big with the Class 1 roads as many Afghanistan vets rotate back to the States. Following rules and orders is good experience for understanding and working with track authority. You will also deal with the occasional incompetent boss from time to time. You may be asked to break the rules by management. You must have the kind of character to not do that, even if your job is threatened (probably one of the best protections provided by a union).
Since you mentioned the DGNO, I suspect you are in or near the DFW metroplex. You might also consider the Alliance Terminal Railroad. They operate at the Alliance Intermodal Facility in north Fort Worth. TNER and Kiamichi are also Rail America properties that operate northeast of the DFW metro area, if you're located near Sherman, TX or Madill, OK. KCS also operates in the area, maybe out of Garland, and has a turn that transfers cars at BNSF Alliance Yard.
As far as schedules are concerned, as a junior employee, you will work the worst and lowest paying jobs. If you're on an extra board - which is a listing of available employees who can fill vacant yard jobs or trains, such as other employee's sick days or vacations - it will look like you are lined up to go to work tomorrow afternoon but when the rain or sleet starts coming down the call will come shortly after. There are swing jobs, which are yard jobs that cover two or three other yard jobs' days off, and those go pretty low in seniority. Say the 207 job has Wednesday and Thursday off, the 306 has Friday and Saturday off and the 304 has Sundays and Mondays off. The swing job might work Wednesday through Sunday covering those days off and you have Mondays and Tuesdays off. At first, it's no picnic, but it's a good job and you get used to it. It even gets in your blood and you can't imagine working anywhere else. After awhile, you can hold a second shift yard job. You know you're really old in seniority when you can hold a daylight job with weekends off!
Back to getting the job, you'll need to decide it's for you as much as the railroad deciding you will work out for them. The shortlines aren't as bad, but to a certain extent they're the same as the big ones. 24/7 isn't a slogan - it's reality. You will be gone during holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. BNSF really does stand for Better Not Start a Family, because you won't be around. Now, the family will be taken care of in terms of benefits and pay, but you won't see them as often as if you had a regular job. And you need to weigh the costs and benefits based on what you want out of life.
Another thing: foamers are roundly rejected by railroaders. If you always loved trains and thought if would be fun to play with the big trains, don't mention it in the interview. Probably a good idea to not mention it at all in your career, in fact.
The reason is things can happen quickly and people - including you - can get hurt or worse by the loss of focus. Foamers tend to be paying attention to everything except their job. When you wonder aloud "Hmm, is that an FMC or PS 4000 cubic foot coal gondola?" or exclaim "Man, look at that SD40-2 - it was part of N&W's last order of high noses!" others around you will fear you because your focus isn't where it should be. If you aren't paying attention while operating a meat slicer at a deli, you lose a finger in an instant. On the railroad, it's a limb. Or one of your crew members. Or even your own life. You will also get sick of trains pretty quick unless you have an insanely high tolerance for them. It's not just a job, it's a lifestyle.
