Salary
Average Salary: $55,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,296,140
You're not going to get mega-rich working on the railroad, even if you work all the live-long day—and you'll work day shifts and night shifts, because trains never sleep. In fact, most railroad workers work full time with weird hours, often on holidays, and since it's all part of the normal run of things, there isn't any overtime pay.
In fact, there isn't any overtime at all—federal regulations ensure you have a minimum of rest hours so you don't work yourself (and by extension, your passengers) to death.
You won't have a summer home in Cabo or a penthouse in New York, but you should be able to live comfortably—and not just because you get the best compartment on the train. At worst, you'll be making around $35,000 a year (source).
At best, you'll be making around $77,000 a year. If you're totally average, you'll be making about $55,000 a year. You won't be swimming in pools of cash, but you'll at least be able to fill a sink or two with it.
Besides, money swimming pools are usually a waste of money.
For a better chance at that $77,000 figure, you're going to have to drop a few grand up front on a railroad conductor technology training course (source). You'll work your caboose off for a solid six weeks, after which you'll be one of the better-trained conductors on the market.
Some companies will offer paid training themselves, but if not, it's an investment worth making to get hired by the bigger rail companies like Amtrak. They tend to be a little looser with their pocket change.