A career as a signaller

[Horizon22]

Afternoon everyone

Just curious to know if there are any Grade 9 signal boxes in the northwest of England.

If anyone could point towards any kind of information or list I’d be grateful.

Many Thanks

M

I imagine it will only be big places like Piccadilly, Victoria, Lime Street that will reach Grade 9, but I'm sure someone with specific route info will know the full answer.

 

[Locky]

This isn't true. I have a 2hr journey to IST. And they have not offered to put me up on sunday night. Only Monday til Friday.

I will have a 5.30am alarm on a Monday. Just to get to IST for 8am at the earliest. (Train gets into Derby at 7.45)

Is this early enough for Sim groups on a Monday?

I would be contacting your LOM or the person responsible for managing your travel/hotels(mine is not my LOM) and telling them that you are concerned you will be exhausted travelling on the Monday morning. I'm sure they will arrange something else for you... This doesn't seem in-line with other reports on here

 

[lambo79]

I would be contacting your LOM or the person responsible for managing your travel/hotels(mine is not my LOM) and telling them that you are concerned you will be exhausted travelling on the Monday morning. I'm sure they will arrange something else for you... This doesn't seem in-line with other reports on here

I agree with Lockie, fatigue management is a big thing with Network Rail. It's possibly an oversight. Send a polite email to the Roster Clerk copying in the LOM requesting a hotel on the Sunday night. Unless there's a very good reason I'm sure it will be arranged. Good luck!

 

[Trothy]

Afternoon everyone

Just curious to know if there are any Grade 9 signal boxes in the northwest of England.

Manchester Piccadilly PSB - Station panel is the only grade 9 up this way.

 

[nom de guerre]

I imagine it will only be big places like Piccadilly, Victoria, Lime Street that will reach Grade 9, but I'm sure someone with specific route info will know the full answer.

Think Lime Street is a 7.

 

[Trothy]

Think Lime Street is a 7.

Lime St workstation and Liverpool workstation (basically Rainhill/Thatto Heath/Mossley Hill to Edge Hill) are both 8's.

 

[SimplyLovely]

I agree with Lockie, fatigue management is a big thing with Network Rail. It's possibly an oversight. Send a polite email to the Roster Clerk copying in the LOM requesting a hotel on the Sunday night. Unless there's a very good reason I'm sure it will be arranged. Good luck!

Wouldn’t be roster clerk, it would be the operations support clerk that handles all hotel bookings.

 

[godfreycomplex]

Lime St workstation and Liverpool workstation (basically Rainhill/Thatto Heath/Mossley Hill to Edge Hill) are both 8's.

Indeed. Piccadilly has 3 links, a 4, an 8 and a 9 (plus various SSM & SSMish jobs). Few 7s and 8s at the ROC, 7s at Preston and Warrington. The rest is lower. York, Doncaster & West Mids (the next nearest) aren’t really commutable from most of the North West

Not that anyone asked but definitive list of 9s in the country as it stands (SSMs notwithstanding)

TBASC
TBROC (several links)
Wimbledon ASC (one link)
Victoria ASC
Wembley Mainline SCC
TVSC (several links)
Liverpool Street (one link)
WMSC/Birmingham ROC (one link)
Manchester Piccadilly SCC (one link)
Doncaster PSB
York ROC (several links)
Edinburgh IECC (one link)
WSSC Springburn (one link)

When I say one link there may be some sub links in that (resident/relief etc)

 

[The Difference]

This isn't true. I have a 2hr journey to IST. And they have not offered to put me up on sunday night. Only Monday til Friday.

I will have a 5.30am alarm on a Monday. Just to get to IST for 8am at the earliest. (Train gets into Derby at 7.45)

Is this early enough for Sim groups on a Monday?

As others have suggested, I would email the Roster Support Clerk and copy in your LOM. My roster support clerk booked all my hotels and travel and I was at IST this year. I had no issues and found my roster support clerk really helpful. My travel time was around 1hr 45mins every Sunday. I’m sure it will all get sorted for you.

 

[muz379]

Afternoon everyone

Just curious to know if there are any Grade 9 signal boxes in the northwest of England.

If anyone could point towards any kind of information or list I’d be grateful.

Many Thanks

M

Indeed. Piccadilly has 3 links, a 4, an 8 and a 9 (plus various SSM & SSMish jobs). Few 7s and 8s at the ROC, 7s at Preston and Warrington. The rest is lower. York, Doncaster & West Mids (the next nearest) aren’t really commutable from most of the North West

7's at Edgely 1,Manchester South and Manchester east as well which are also at Edgely compound . Think I saw that warrington SSM is a 10 as well .

Thought Manchester ROC had 1 or 2 grade 8 link and 2 grade 6 links ? Didnt think there were any 7's in there ?

You have control in the ROC as well which are on their own grade structure which starts higher than a sig 10 .

 

[cxlla]

.

 

[godfreycomplex]

7's at Edgely 1,Manchester South and Manchester east as well which are also at Edgely compound . Think I saw that warrington SSM is a 10 as well .

ah yes those too

Warrington SSM was a 9 last time I saw it but Warrington is dead man’s shoes so it’s a while since it was on the vacancy list, it may have got a regrade

 

[Trothy]

Manchester ROC has 2 x grade 8 links, 2 x grade 6 links, associated relief and meal relief links. Also a grade 10 SSM link. And control, with Controller grades 1-4.

And yes on the last regrade panel Warrington PSB SSM was regraded to a 10.

 

[CoachB]

Hi guys, just want to say thank you for all the responses I have received. I have emailed my roster clerk and put forward my points for requesting sunday travel and hotel and ill let you know what she comes back with.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jul 2025 ==


Had the reply from my clerk. They shut me down and refused and told me if I had any other questions then I should contact my LOM. So I have done so and I have asked it there is anything they can do to press the matter any further.

If you know of others on the same IST course as you (with different LOM's) I would contact them and ask what their hotel arrangements are and use this as evidence that you should be getting Sunday travel & hotel.
If you don't know of anyone then ask on here and see if you get any response either to your post or through private message.

As simplylovely mentioned it's your operations support that deals with hotel and train tickets (however this is under the instructions of your LOM) so I would email the same message to your operations support and LOM asking why you aren't getting a hotel Sunday night & Sunday travel when everyone else attending IST does & asking for their reasoning when it is going to effect you fatigue every Monday at IST

 

[HornbyJunction]

Weird question.. during nightshifts the block instruments between our 2 boxes make random bells.. neither of us are doing it. For the life of us we can't work out why this is happening. Is it engineering work on the line? Weather? Animals? Spectres!?...

 

[Trothy]

Power surge? Used to get it from time to time back when I worked AB, used to be a very very loud smash on the bells too, way harder than you would normally send.

 

[RailwayRookie]

Weird question.. during nightshifts the block instruments between our 2 boxes make random bells.. neither of us are doing it. For the life of us we can't work out why this is happening. Is it engineering work on the line? Weather? Animals? Spectres!?...

I prefer the idea of spectres personally, as there's no section in the rule book for it yet.. (that we know of)

 

[Kat 74]

Anybody here Immingham area? Wondering what boxes / grades are in that area?

 

[StaffsPM1]

Hi, I think it might just be me in this category but anyone who is waiting to hear back from the Arundel vacancy, I just spoke to Ambertrack and they told me they are expecting to hear from the hiring manager today or tomorrow about who is being shortlisted and they will update everyone very soon after that!

 

[HamSandwich]

Weird question.. during nightshifts the block instruments between our 2 boxes make random bells.. neither of us are doing it. For the life of us we can't work out why this is happening. Is it engineering work on the line? Weather? Animals? Spectres!?...

Ah, good old ghost bells! I think it's a build up of charge or something, but I've had it in my box and when I've asked relief they've had them too.

 

[Kingoftheploug]

Hi all

I've applied for a G2 signaller role at Three bridges and have a face to face assessment centre coming up soon. Just wanted to see if anyone could give me a bit more insight of what I should expect? I've applied before and had remote assessment centres but never a face to face one and when speaking with recruitment they have mentioned about having to do a presentation and from looking into the portal there is no mention of this and they are adamant that it is within the candidate portal. Just wanted to know what to expect in the face to face assessment and if a presentation is something that is required? Thank you in advance

 

[StaffsPM1]

Hi all

I've applied for a G2 signaller role at Three bridges and have a face to face assessment centre coming up soon. Just wanted to see if anyone could give me a bit more insight of what I should expect? I've applied before and had remote assessment centres but never a face to face one and when speaking with recruitment they have mentioned about having to do a presentation and from looking into the portal there is no mention of this and they are adamant that it is within the candidate portal. Just wanted to know what to expect in the face to face assessment and if a presentation is something that is required? Thank you in advance

I am in a similar position for a different location and Ambertrack have just rung me to tell me what to expect and prepare for the interview. They did say there was a presentation and details are on the candidate portal but that isn't the case for me so they are investigating. I assume you will get a phone call as well shortly.

 

[Kingoftheploug]

I am in a similar position for a different location and Ambertrack have just rung me to tell me what to expect and prepare for the interview. They did say there was a presentation and details are on the candidate portal but that isn't the case for me so they are investigating. I assume you will get a phone call as well shortly.

Just thought I would let you know after submitting my docs yesterday today I have the details of the presentation on the candidate portal. It's a scenario based presentation where you will have to explain what went wrong what could've been done different ect. Best of luck hopefully you're successful

 

[StaffsPM1]

Just thought I would let you know after submitting my docs yesterday today I have the details of the presentation on the candidate portal. It's a scenario based presentation where you will have to explain what went wrong what could've been done different ect. Best of luck hopefully you're successful

Thanks. Yep my candidate profile has updated. You too!

 

[Oaksie]

For those who have recently been given an IST date, how long between being told you have passed all the pre-employment checks to actually getting your start date (however far away it is) did you wait?

I know this is going to be different for everyone depending on course availability but I’d like to have a rough time like as to when I’ll be told my IST date. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since I’ve been told that the pre-employment checks are done.

 

[Kat 74]

For those who have recently been given an IST date, how long between being told you have passed all the pre-employment checks to actually getting your start date (however far away it is) did you wait?

I know this is going to be different for everyone depending on course availability but I’d like to have a rough time like as to when I’ll be told my IST date. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since I’ve been told that the pre-employment checks are done.

For those who have recently been given an IST date, how long between being told you have passed all the pre-employment checks to actually getting your start date (however far away it is) did you wait?

I know this is going to be different for everyone depending on course availability but I’d like to have a rough time like as to when I’ll be told my IST date. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since I’ve been told that the pre-employment checks are done.

I was given my start date when they rang to offer me the job - subject to all checks, etc. Then, start date was confirmed maybe 1-2 weeks after I'd been told I'd passed everything.

 

[Trojan601a]

Indeed. Piccadilly has 3 links, a 4, an 8 and a 9 (plus various SSM & SSMish jobs). Few 7s and 8s at the ROC, 7s at Preston and Warrington. The rest is lower. York, Doncaster & West Mids (the next nearest) aren’t really commutable from most of the North West

Not that anyone asked but definitive list of 9s in the country as it stands (SSMs notwithstanding)

TBASC
TBROC (several links)
Wimbledon ASC (one link)
Victoria ASC
Wembley Mainline SCC
TVSC (several links)
Liverpool Street (one link)
WMSC/Birmingham ROC (one link)
Manchester Piccadilly SCC (one link)
Doncaster PSB
York ROC (several links)
Edinburgh IECC (one link)
WSSC Springburn (one link)

When I say one link there may be some sub links in that (resident/relief etc)

Hi Godfreycomplex

I hope you are well.
Is there a list of the signal boxes in Hertfordshire, North London and central London, with their grading?

Thank you

 

[Oaksie]

I was given my start date when they rang to offer me the job - subject to all checks, etc. Then, start date was confirmed maybe 1-2 weeks after I'd been told I'd passed everything.

Ahh okay, I’ll give them another week or so before I chase them.

Thank you

 

[CoachB]

For those who have recently been given an IST date, how long between being told you have passed all the pre-employment checks to actually getting your start date (however far away it is) did you wait?

I know this is going to be different for everyone depending on course availability but I’d like to have a rough time like as to when I’ll be told my IST date. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since I’ve been told that the pre-employment checks are done.

They usually tell you the expected start date and your expected IST start date when they offer you the job. If you have an expected start date then IST is normally 2 weeks after your start date.

In normal circumstances what you find is the time between being offered the job and your start date is usually 3 to 4 months

 

[Hunter144]

Hi all, I’ve got my medical this week for a signalling position with network rail. Can anyone tell me what to expect please? Do you find out if you’ve passed or failed on the day? Thanks.