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I don't buy into this at all. You get a medical to assess that you meet the standards for a train driver. Thats literally it, the way I see it. They're checking your eyesight, whether you're colourblind, deaf, etc etc. They're not checking for previous issues with a nerve in your arm - as long...

Since ScotRail Edinburgh is already covered... Glasgow Queen St: Queen St - Edinburgh via Falkirk High Queen St - Edinburgh via Grahamston / Cumbernauld Queen St - Anniesland Queen St - Perth Stirling - Alloa Larbert Jn - Polmont Jn Queen St - Oban Traction is 156, 158, 170, 385, HST...

The 156 was a booked Dunbar for a while. First North Berwick on a Saturday morning was a booked 156 too for a long while. One 322 ended up doing Newcraighall shuttles one morning after disruption on the E&G. I can go one better on the 170 front! 17039x, still with buffet and full coach of first...

The entire run is four aspect signalling. There are four signal sections between West end of Waverley and Haymarket, and five sections between East End of Waverley and Haymarket (1, 2, 7). The signals are at the end of each platform, then exiting Mound Tunnel, then mouth of Haymarket Tunnel...

Even up until 2004, it was ScotRail Waverley and Central Conductors who worked it with VWC Polmadie drivers between Edinburgh/Glasgow Central and Carlisle, before handing over to (presumably) VWC Preston crew once over the border and vice versa. Not forgetting that the Fort William / Edinburgh...

Your first point is an interesting one. Guards changing over on the move is easy enough, drivers is a little more challenging but not impossible. I don't even think the rulebook mentions such a possibility anymore, but some trains have a DSD button to allow the driver to take their foot off the...

There's no need to re-site Glenrothes station - the Leven branch can be accessed both from Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes stations already without any reversals or changes to current signalling. From Glenrothes platform 1 you can only go South - towards Kirkcaldy or Cardenden. From Glenrothes platform...

I don't think pathing for 100mph would be an issue, between Dunbar and Berwick only the few miles from Dunbar to Dunglass is in excess of 100mph linespeed, and given the acceleration of a 385, I'd be very surprised if the timings for a 385 between Dunbar and Berwick with a Reston stop were any...

Spot on, hadn't even thought of that one and I pass it pretty often! On the routes I sign, there's the above signal on the up line approaching Rosyth which can display DY, SY, G. The reason for this one is because there is a diverging approach controlled junction at the next signal...

If you're on about rest day patterns and whatnot, it'll be the following because it's standard across ScotRail (except the rural depots); Its a four day week with Sundays excluded, rest day pattern is almost always this - Week A - off Fri and Sat Week B - off Mon and Tue Week C - off Wed and...

Add Stranraer to the list - it may have changed but up till fairly recently Stranraer did a solitary East Kilbride run! The Fife Circle also has five traincrew depots that sign it - Edinburgh, Perth, Tweedbank, Dundee, and Aberdeen all can and do work circles and Cowdenbeaths.

I strongly disagree about the HML, its wildly overrated by some people in my opinion. Dull. WHL is another league altogether, as is Kyle.

It all depends on each company. I'm fairly sure that FGW had driver managers actually working turns as drivers quite often for a while. ScotRail its a no-no, the DTMs have driving competency, Ops Standards nearly all have driving competency, and there are possibly others in the management...

Don't even get me started on the RMT, the leadership haven't a brain cell between them. They're a union, they are there solely to represent the wishes

Yeah, most of the guards now place 170 first class out of use in order to give themselves a safe space and also provide room for other train crew travelling pass etc. Most of the time the trains are so quiet that there's no real reason for any passengers to be in there anyway. Wait till you get...

The SPT stuff I can give you a fairly good idea of, but I'll have missed a few things I'm sure. Glasgow Central and outlying depots Glasgow Central - the drivers have links, but there are no surprises in it. They can work everything out of Central (high level only!), but they don't go further...

EDIT - I wrote an entire post here, all my own conjecture about what will happen, but I've deleted it because if you're a trainee and you're reading this, you don't need others opinions to worry you about things that may or may not happen.

My understanding is that with ScotRail, you will go on a sliding scale after 12 or 24months, however there is a floor level of that salary that you will never drop below. So if you start out on £51500, after a year it might drop to £46k, another year £41k, and then remain at that regardless of...

In 18 years service with two TOCs, I have never travelled on a RRB. Its always taxis or trains for traincrew. My understanding was always that it was a duty of care issue for the employer - they can't have you stuck on a third-party bus, a sitting duck for angry passengers. Also of course, its...

Of course they do, intentionally sometimes. When I was a guard I never did it, some people will go "50mins til next stop, I'll get a nap", I didn't do that because in my eyes, its bad patter. God knows it was hard to keep your eyes open at times though. Its not as serious as it sounds though...