Driving for GWR in the South West

[irish_rail]

Mod Note: Posts #1 - #27 originally in this thread.

Yes there's a lot of dislike for intercity TOCs from a small group of other drivers who just spew out old wives tales about why Intercity jobs are bad and 120 stops a day on 15k less is better. I think it's because they know they'd never get the job in the first place or are just to scared to apply.

I think there are definitely those that do prefer local work. At my depot Plymouth , one day we drive to London, on another we may be pootling along on a branch. I can tell you the majority prefer the local work than the intercity stuff to London. Personally I'm on the fence.
I'd say for this variety, plus nearly matching virgin wages wise and with much better terms and condition, GWR should be seen as the pinnacle of driving more than Avanti, but it is of course highly subjective.

 

[StevieH]

I think there are definitely those that do prefer local work. At my depot Plymouth , one day we drive to London, on another we may be pootling along on a branch. I can tell you the majority prefer the local work than the intercity stuff to London. Personally I'm on the fence.
I'd say for this variety, plus nearly matching virgin wages wise and with much better terms and condition, GWR should be seen as the pinnacle of driving more than Avanti, but it is of course highly subjective.

What T&C's do you have that are better than Avanti? Yes it's definitely a personal preference but it's a one way street of people going from regional TOCs to Intercity ones. You don't see people from LNER or Avanti going to regional TOCs.

 

[irish_rail]

What T&C's do you have that are better than Avanti? Yes it's definitely a personal preference but it's a one way street of people going from regional TOCs to Intercity ones. You don't see people from LNER or Avanti going to regional TOCs.

Not quite true I can think of several ex west coast and east coast drivers who traded it in for working at GWR " west " or LTV depots.

 

[StevieH]

Not quite true I can think of several ex west coast and east coast drivers who traded it in for working at GWR " west " or LTV depots.

So what T&Cs do you have that are better? I know of no LNER/Avanti moving to my TOC only a mad rush the other way but there are bound to be the odd example at other TOCs probably to relocate somewhere intercity doesn't have a depot for family reasons etc.

 

[irish_rail]

So what T&Cs do you have that are better? I know of no LNER/Avanti moving to my TOC only a mad rush the other way but there are bound to be the odd example at other TOCs probably to relocate somewhere intercity doesn't have a depot for family reasons etc.

2 hour movement for one!. Reading on here Avanti have up to 8???!!! If true that's awful in my opinion!

 

[Evolution]

What T&C's do you have that are better than Avanti? Yes it's definitely a personal preference but it's a one way street of people going from regional TOCs to Intercity ones. You don't see people from LNER or Avanti going to regional TOCs.

You do, there’s quite a few ex virgin drivers at TPE and even Northern.

TPE would be a better choice than LNER or Avanti IMO. A mixture of intercity and regional work plus better t&c’s
and similar money.

Going to London and back, driving the same traction must get boring quickly.

 

[irish_rail]

You do, there’s quite a few ex virgin drivers at TPE and even Northern.

TPE would be a better choice than LNER or Avanti IMO. A mixture of intercity and regional work plus better t&c’s
and similar money.

Going to London and back, driving the same traction must get boring quickly.

Agreed. If i had to relocate north TPE would be my TOC of choice as I think Avanti depots like Liverpool and Manchester may be about to lose alot of RK when Crewe and Holyhead come on stream. Also Voyagers are awful trains to drive ( we drive them at Laira and the cab is one of the worst I've experienced.) Can't comment on pendolinos mind you.

 

[StevieH]

2 hour movement for one!. Reading on here Avanti have up to 8???!!! If true that's awful in my opinion!

Yeah I've seen that on here but don't know if that's true for sure. My TOC is 4 hours and XC is 5. Each depot will vary as well on how often you will be spare so some will be more effected by it than others. There is less reason for someone at GWR to move though compared to a TOC paying low 50K.

 

[StevieH]

Agreed. If i had to relocate north TPE would be my TOC of choice as I think Avanti depots like Liverpool and Manchester may be about to lose alot of RK when Crewe and Holyhead come on stream. Also Voyagers are awful trains to drive ( we drive them at Laira and the cab is one of the worst I've experienced.) Can't comment on pendolinos mind you.

Surely the cabs aren't as bad as 158s or pacers lol

 

[Carl98k]

I think there are definitely those that do prefer local work. At my depot Plymouth , one day we drive to London, on another we may be pootling along on a branch. I can tell you the majority prefer the local work than the intercity stuff to London. Personally I'm on the fence.
I'd say for this variety, plus nearly matching virgin wages wise and with much better terms and condition, GWR should be seen as the pinnacle of driving more than Avanti, but it is of course highly subjective.

Do GWR recruit trainees? I’ve seen advertisements for trained drivers only. I assume it’s even harder to get a start as everyone wants to live in the SW.

 

[irish_rail]

Surely the cabs aren't as bad as 158s or pacers lol

Personally give me a BR DMU any day. The voyager cab feels extremely dated and it hasn't aged well over 20 years. Compared with an Intercity Express Train cab there is no comparison. Right down to little things like the amount of pressure needed to keep the DSD depressed, which in the case of voyagers is alot!. Poor view as well due to oversize wiper blades and narrow windscreen.

 

[irish_rail]

Do GWR recruit trainees? I’ve seen advertisements for trained drivers only. I assume it’s even harder to get a start as everyone wants to live in the SW.

Admittedly it is difficult to secure a trainee position with GWR esp in the south west, however they were recruiting for Plymouth for a short while last year externally for the first time since the 1990s, as things are changing.

 

[irish_rail]

Do GWR recruit trainees? I’ve seen advertisements for trained drivers only. I assume it’s even harder to get a start as everyone wants to live in the SW.

I would just add the south west isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be, the weather is rather hit or miss and it can often feel like a bit of a time warp. Think Ireland in the 1970s lol.

 

[StevieH]

Personally give me a BR DMU any day. The voyager cab feels extremely dated and it hasn't aged well over 20 years. Compared with an Intercity Express Train cab there is no comparison. Right down to little things like the amount of pressure needed to keep the DSD depressed, which in the case of voyagers is alot!. Poor view as well due to oversize wiper blades and narrow windscreen.

Avanti are binning all their Voyagers and getting 802s so their drivers will be happy lol

 

[Carl98k]

I would just add the south west isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be, the weather is rather hit or miss and it can often feel like a bit of a time warp. Think Ireland in the 1970s lol.

Haha I agree, I live down here after leaving the Marines. I’ve lived in worse places if I’m honest.

 

[irish_rail]

Avanti are binning all their Voyagers and getting 802s so their drivers will be happy lol

Absolutely. 802s have their faults don't get me wrong, but from a drivers perspective they are fairly good. Defo better than a voyager.

 

[irish_rail]

Haha I agree, I live down here after leaving the Marines. I’ve lived in worse places if I’m honest.

Keep an eye out for trainee roles at Plymouth. It's a relatively older depot and bound to recruit for trainees again at some point in the future. Similarly Exeter , if you are willing to settle for less haha

 

[StevieH]

Absolutely. 802s have their faults don't get me wrong, but from a drivers perspective they are fairly good. Defo better than a voyager.

What are the negatives of 802s? I can see XC doing the same and replacing voyager with 802 perfect for their network.

 

[irish_rail]

What are the negatives of 802s?

Reliability hasn't been great so far but has improved the last 6 month's or so. Frequent to have an engine isloated.
The wipers are poor also when it is raining. High tone on the horn is virtually none existent. Overall though not a bad train ( though nothing on a HST mind!)

 

[Carl98k]

Keep an eye out for trainee roles at Plymouth. It's a relatively older depot and bound to recruit for trainees again at some point in the future. Similarly Exeter , if you are willing to settle for less haha

Haha it would be a commute. Thanks for the advice mate.

 

[StevieH]

Reliability hasn't been great so far but has improved the last 6 month's or so. Frequent to have an engine isloated.
The wipers are poor also when it is raining. High tone on the horn is virtually none existent. Overall though not a bad train ( though nothing on a HST mind!)

Haha you dumped all your duff HST sets on ScotRail

 

[irish_rail]

Our loss is their gain. 2 + 4 HSTs down here certainly trump the 802s!

 

[StevieH]

Our loss is their gain. 2 + 4 HSTs down here certainly trump the 802s!

Half their sets don't work you must have kept the good ones the pick of the bunch.

 

[irish_rail]

Half their sets don't work you must have kept the good ones the pick of the bunch.

I'd say it's more down to maintenance. Some experienced guys on Laira know the HSTs inside out , whereas I'm guessing the knowledge at Haymarket isn't quite as extensive just yet. Give it time I'm sure they will iron out the problems...

 

[T-Karmel]

Do GWR recruit trainees? I’ve seen advertisements for trained drivers only. I assume it’s even harder to get a start as everyone wants to live in the SW.

GWR looked for external Trainees for London Paddington in February or March this year, before that they had vacancy for HEX, Reading, Oxford and some SW depots in December 2018.

 

[PaulBusDriver]

GWR looked for external Trainees for London Paddington in February or March this year, before that they had vacancy for HEX, Reading, Oxford and some SW depots in December 2018.

I myself got in a Talent Pool for Gloucester late 2018. GWR had quite a big recruitment drive at the time, lots of bristol and south west vacancies due to the timetable change correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Carl98k]

GWR looked for external Trainees for London Paddington in February or March this year, before that they had vacancy for HEX, Reading, Oxford and some SW depots in December 2018.

Yes I applied for Paddington, but due to not living a commutable distance it didn’t go any further.

 

[jezzer34]

i am sat in the Plymouth talent pool. Over the moon to get into it, now i can only wait...

 

[387star]

GWR has lots of depots in very desirable parts of the country. Exeter has a lot of interest from Qualified drivers. I'd imagine the least desirable GWR depot might be Reading with a fair amount of night work and inner work but there is nothing that looks as gruelling as intense as Southeastern or Southern metro. With harmonisation it should eventually be easier to go to the high speed side at certain depots. GWR is probably the most popular TOC to drive for in the south.

 

[dan2610]

Cornish depots (Pnz and Par) were also recruiting fairly recently, but the process was fairly long.

I applied late 2018, and at every stage of assessments, most of the candidates on my slot were external. Finally had my DMI in January this year. I have no idea how often they tend to advertise positions for those depots though.