For a few years I was a brakeman on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad.   Although I spent most of my time in the Proviso freight yards in Northlake, I logged many train trips to Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana.
(I was the guy doing a handstand on the front of the engine with the lamp dangling off his  foot.)
The railroad was an adventurous job - especially if you made it adventureous.  I defied the blazing summer heat and the -80 degree windchill temperatures in the winter.   I worked hard and I worked fast and I was  dangerous.   I am glad I went on to my career in Information Technology before the law of averages caught up to me and took and arm or a leg.