Glory
Trains go back, trains go forth, and you're basically just along for the ride. You'll probably get more glory from sounding the horn than from any other moment on the tracks. To most of the people you see every day on the train, you're just another manifestation of "The Man," coming to bust everybody's chops and check if they have their tickets.
Your job won't seem important to a lot of naive Neds and Nancys—they won't know about the physical labor you put in when you have an overnight freight train shift, or about the clerical skills you possess—but they definitely have to listen to you when you speak. You're still in charge, so if they want to get to their destination without being tossed out the caboose, they pretty much have to respect you (or at least pretend to).