First, it's not the Conductor we are talking about. The Conductor doesnt have a fraction of the responsibilities ase the Engineer does.Thats why he was in the rear of the train.
Second, its real easy for you to sit in a passenger car and say how things "should" be. No day on the railroad is the same as the previous. Just because you take the hole for a freight train one day doesnt mean that you will meet that train again the next day. You may never see that train again.