its definitely good to see some balance on here, often posts by many people very keen to start a career in signalling so understandably gives a very rosy vibe …
would appreciate any more real insight good or bad, on the day to day as a grade 2/3 solo signaller, especially how it can be when busy and what that involves?
Current Grade 3 Signaller.
Most days are fine. It depends on your location. I trained in a busier location to where I work now, however you adjust to it accordingly. You get into a routine pretty quickly. Day to day you have challenges like regulating trains and fitting in line-blocks but with experience this becomes second nature. On a regular day it can be a bit mundane in all honesty, I've gone through a lot of books and many cups of tea. Shift work can be difficult, particularly if you have young children, getting into a good routine is beneficial. Some people complain about loneliness, but it hasn't bothered me yet, you always have someone on the phone or visiting your box. Extra trains running can also make things challenging, as can scheduling errors, but it is rewarding to come up with a solution. A regular "busy day" for me will be two or three line-blocks, two or three trains running around in my loop, a movement into and out of my ground frame, and some extra freight or light loco movements alongside regular passengers service, and regulating due to some trains running late. Even on such a busy day I will still have plenty of time sat doing nothing in-between all that.
Worst aspect is when things go wrong, i.e. defective signals, points failure, track circuit failures, adverse weather conditions such as flooding. Sometimes you can be dealing with multiple failures and things going wrong, all at once. When it goes wrong you need to know your stuff and how to work around it. You need to think things through and triple check everything as you are more prone to make a mistake in stressful situations. Keeping calm is essential. When on the phone to Operations Control it can sometimes be a bit demanding and pressuring, they'll often prioritise train running over every else and you have to learn to be assertive with them. Ultimately you have responsibility for your area of track, don't feel forced into doing something you think it is unsafe or wrong. You also come to dread GSMR calls from train drivers as it is very rarely if ever good news from them.
Knowledge fade when you finish IST is a real thing, and keeping up with your rules knowledge is vital. It's tedious committing it all to memory, but in the long run you're making your own life easier by doing so. Outside of emergency situations though you do have time to think it through and double check your rulebooks, "Take 5" is drilled into you. The rules aren't always black and white, they can be interpreted differently by different signallers, and don't cover every conceivable situation either. Sometimes you're faced with a situation where the rulebook doesn't have the answer and you just have to make the safest decision and go with common sense, after covering yourself with Operations Control or your LOM first. Although extremely stressful in the moment, it is very rewarding when you work through a difficult situation. When you first sign off to work independently you'll be full of nerves and can often think the smallest thing is a catastrophy, but eventually you mellow out with experience.
Management is hit and miss. My first LOM was regarded by some as a mythical being as you never ever saw him. My current LOM is better, but obviously extremely overworked and stressed. Unlike other's experiences on here, management in my area is decent at recognising hard work and achievement, and checking in on you during stuff like degrading working even if it is only a phone call. The fair culture policy is decent if you mess up, so long as you hold your hand up and don't try cover it up. Office politics is a thing even in single-manned locations, and you might come to dread handovers from certain signallers, or working to certain ones in adjacent boxes, but you get on with it. On the whole my experience is that the vast majority of signallers are a good bunch. Best advice is to keep your box tidy for handovers, help out your colleagues when you can, and ensure you give a thorough handover before you clock off.
Overall though the job is great. Brilliant work-life balance, decent pay, and no matter how stressful a day has been you sign off and soon forget about it. I applied to this job on a whim not really expecting to get anywhere, but it was the best decision I could ever make career wise. I'm earning an extra grand each month after tax compared to my last job, whilst working a third less hours and with 90% less stress. I would highly recommend this job to anyone interested, although admittedly it isn't a job for everyone.
nationalcareers.service.gov.uk
