Dale Charman to leave LUL

[pitdiver]

Although I wasn't a T/op but a Booking Clerk then a Station Supervisor I still had some early starts particularly on the Hammersmith and City. Like lots of other LUL employees I commuted from Milton Keynes. Even back in the early 90s there were some very fast services and it was relatively inexpensive as we got free travel from Watford Junction.

 

[martin2345uk]

We have a chap based in St Pancras who lives in Boulogne

 

[Goldfish62]

I find it interesting that, although there's very strict limits on the number of hours you can drive a train, time spent driving a road vehicle doesn't count at all.

Just an observation really.

That's the same with bus drivers hours. Driving hours are strictly limited by law, but driving to and from work in your time counts for nothing.

 

[Cesarcollie]

That's the same with bus drivers hours. Driving hours are strictly limited by law, but driving to and from work in your time counts for nothing.

And indeed any job covered by the Working Time Directive. Including commuting time to/from work, or driving for leisure purposes, would open a real can of worms and cause an uproar! Ditto airline pilots etc.

 

[Central]

I was wondering the same thing


The Isle of Wight, every day?

Yep.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Sep 2026 ==

Back in the 70s/80s Bletchley had quite a big LUL community.

 

[MaidaVale]

Alongside the Peterborough belt, the MML belt up towards Luton/Bedford/Wellingborough/Kettering/Corby is very popular at LUL. As is the GWML belt towards Reading, particularly since free Elizabeth line. Further up in Essex and East Anglia have always been a common one and Kent is increasingly popular too.

Previously worked with a Line Controller who used to live in Doncaster and worked mostly night shifts. Knew someone in stations management who lives on the IoW and seemed to commute most days (and numerous others in the further reaches of Hampshire). Heard talk of one particular member of staff that lives in Spain, although not 100% sure of the validity of that claim.

 

[Daniel]

Heard talk of one particular member of staff that lives in Spain, although not 100% sure of the validity of that claim.

Valid.

 

[pitdiver]

During my time as an LUL Booking Clerk there was a Chief Clerk that also lived on the IOW. Anecdotally there was a some sort of Signalling manager who lived in South Wales who was rostered one Boxing Day. It was rumoured he was taxied in and taxied home later. I have no idea of the validity of this. I shudder to think of the cost.

 

[Tubeboy]

New video up. He’s setting up a haulage company. He’s bought a tractor unit, and a trailer.

 

[Violette]

Just found out that Dale Charman is leaving LUL in a few weeks.
He will be letting us know the reason and what his new project is in a few weeks time.

For those who don’t know, he is/was a Piccadilly line tube driver who used to film his journeys using a mobile device from the cab on the front of the train.

However he was made to stop due to certain complaints.

He sounds cool. A shame he is leaving! It is always fun to watch train related videos.

 

[Posa]

New video up. He’s setting up a haulage company. He’s bought a tractor unit, and a trailer.

Wow each to their own but leaving the underground to be a hgv driver........ jesus.

 

[Daniel]

Wow each to their own but leaving the underground to be a hgv driver........ jesus.

Indeed. Surprising. You’ve got to do what makes you happy, I guess. But in general, as unhappy as a specific location, manager, role may make you, life on the railway is still a happier world than outside of it - in my opinion. That said, it’s echoed by the vast majority of people I know, both current and former railway employees.

 

[davews]

Just watched the video. A total change for him and he has loads of plans but whether they work remains to be seen. Not my scene and I expect he will now have a totally different set of followers.
Bloke opposite drove big trucks at night for many years until he had to give up for health reasons, seemed a way of life.

 

[Posa]

Indeed. Surprising. You’ve got to do what makes you happy, I guess. But in general, as unhappy as a specific location, manager, role may make you, life on the railway is still a happier world than outside of it - in my opinion. That said, it’s echoed by the vast majority of people I know, both current and former railway employees.

Not saying this about Dave specifically, but i do wonder if people who have been in the railway a while and that are used to it do get rose tinted specs about the outside world.

 

[Tubeboy]

It does seem a bit random to give up a well paid and secure job to drive Lorries. In fact the haulage industry is well known to be cut throat with competition. There will always be someone who will cut costs to the bone.

Was he fed up at LU? We will probably never know. I don’t think that he was there for a long time? 5 years?

 

[Error404]

Perhaps he had an itch to start a business.

Perhaps he didn't want to be at the beck and call of any employer and wanted to be his own boss.

Perhaps he wanted to meet clients, negotiate, administer, invoice and offer a brand and service.

Perhaps he used his employment of good wages to save up for something he has always wanted to do.

Some people have only ever started businesses. Some have only ever bought already setup businesses. Some have only ever worked for a business.

 

[bramling]

Not saying this about Dave specifically, but i do wonder if people who have been in the railway a while and that are used to it do get rose tinted specs about the outside world.

This works both ways. Yes there’s an element of becoming institutionalised, but there’s also elements which a lot of people would hate or even not tolerate.

One such element is the way abysmal performers tend not to be managed, or in some cases even seem to be rewarded, which leads onto the next point which is that there are people who wind up in positions that they simply wouldn’t be able to hold down elsewhere.

I’m not sure how many other industries have people whose non-attendance can be measured in multiple years, let alone decades, or where it’s openly tolerated having someone line-managed by their husband, to give a couple of examples.

 

[Egg Centric]

AIUI (correct me if wrong?) the railway industry through psychometric testing now really tries to "discriminate" against calculated risk takers (as you don't want a risk taker, calculated or otherwise, in most of the safety critical roles) so I would imagine that this is an unusual path there but it's not at all unusual in general for maverick capable people who get peed off working for large beauracracies. Good on him!

 

[Flange Squeal]

I wish him luck - he’s certainly a braver man than me!

 

[Meglos]

Alongside the Peterborough belt, the MML belt up towards Luton/Bedford/Wellingborough/Kettering/Corby is very popular at LUL. As is the GWML belt towards Reading, particularly since free Elizabeth line. Further up in Essex and East Anglia have always been a common one and Kent is increasingly popular too.

Previously worked with a Line Controller who used to live in Doncaster and worked mostly night shifts. Knew someone in stations management who lives on the IoW and seemed to commute most days (and numerous others in the further reaches of Hampshire). Heard talk of one particular member of staff that lives in Spain, although not 100% sure of the validity of that claim.

Not quite the same but in the 1990's British Airways had Heathrow based staff on the longhaul side who used commute from Johanesburg. That worked in those days, as even a Heathrow-Boston roster involved a three-to-four day duty, and a Heathrow-Sydney roster was an eleven day duty. Those rosters have come down in time a bit since then.

 

[fIIsion]

It does seem a bit random to give up a well paid and secure job to drive Lorries. In fact the haulage industry is well known to be cut throat with competition. There will always be someone who will cut costs to the bone.

Was he fed up at LU? We will probably never know. I don’t think that he was there for a long time? 5 years?

Dale wanted to work for himself, something he had been planning for a long while despite whatever frustrations he was experiencing at LUL. I believe he ultimately wants to be his own boss and build his own haulage company employing HGV drivers.

I wish him well. I remember our conversations about certain reservations, risks etc however Dale was determined to press ahead. He has got his license, I really hope he makes it.