Career Change - Questions.

[Redviper]

Hi all
I’ve been lurking on this site for a while, reading all the fascinating posts, and now I have a few questions.

I’m 33 years old and I really, really want to be a train driver – I have been interested in the railways ever since I was kid, and now at work ( I work in a office) with redundancy looming ever closer now is a good time as ever to do something about it.

1st of all I have volunteered to join my local Heritage railway which is the Wensleydale railway I don’t know what to expect but I have been invited along for a induction day at the end of this month. If I like it so much I might have to give up motor sport marshalling which would be a shame as I really enjoy that as well – but I’m prepared to make the sacrifice.

I want to be a freight driver I live in the North East of England and I will work any shifts given to me, and I am fully prepared to do any of the exams that is required.

I have questions though if someone would be so kind as to answer for me.

• When you apply for a job, do you do the training when accepted , OR do you do the training and then apply for any jobs that are required?
• Can any one tell me what its actually like to be a driver – i.e how do you keep on top of driving at speed and having to deal with AWS & TPWS.
• What happens if you set one of the systems off, do you get the sack?
• If I was to be a passenger driver – does anyone have any experiences, IE what happens if you are late coming into a train station*?
• How do you learn the routes that are available – would you just get one route to do and learn it, or are you expected to know the majority of routes for your area?
• Apart from joining a heritage railway how can I get some real-time experience of being in the cab of a train?



*I have been using openBVE train sim for a couple of weeks now, and while I appreciate its probably nothing like driving for real it has given me a fascinating insight but I cannot keep time and I end up arriving at some stations 4 minutes late.


Many Thanks

 

[rail-britain]

I would suggest you contact all the relevant Freight Train Companies
They may be interested that you have some relevant heritage railway experience
However, I would keep everything else on the QT

All your other questions would be part of the training, which can take up to 6 months, and then reviewed at regular intervals of typically 3 years

Normally you will be trained on specific equipment and routes

Setting off some on-board equipment (which is recorded) may result in a meeting
Whilst other more essential equipment may result in immediate suspension and a meeting
This is a good question to raise at the second interview, covering the disciplinary procedures

When I worked for InterCity East Coast during the 1990s
I covered :
Edinburgh - Aberdeen
Edinburgh - Newcastle
Edinburgh - Carlisle
I was then removed from Edinburgh - Carlisle after my track knowledge expired

My traction knowledge covered Mark 2 coaches, Class 158, HST, and IC225
I was also trained on Class 156, but with restricted use
This allowed for the temporary period between Class 47/7 and Class 158 introduction

I cannot keep time and I end up arriving at some stations 4 minutes late

This is one of the issues on the railway, as delays become accumulative
However, normally there is some allowance in the timetable, especially at the final destination
One trick I learned on simulations was to apply full brakes as late as possible, and to then have them released on entering the platform, then lightly applied for the stop itself
Not very realistic, but would normally result in arriving on-time

 

[Redviper]

Many Thanks, but i dont know what you mean by "QT"

 

[pendolino]

Others may know more than me, but I suspect that if you want a job as a trainee driver, you would be far more likely to find a vacancy with a TOC (passenger train company) than a freight operator.

But to answer your questions as best I can:

• When you apply for a job, do you do the training when accepted , OR do you do the training and then apply for any jobs that are required?

The former, you will be employed as a trainee driver - training takes around a year. It is likely you will be tied in to your contract so that if you leave within, say, a year of qualifying the employer may require you to pay back some of the training cost.

• Can any one tell me what its actually like to be a driver – i.e how do you keep on top of driving at speed and having to deal with AWS & TPWS.

Not quite sure how to answer this! You just do. If you can't, you're totally unsuitable for the job. TPWS is not something you need to 'deal with' normally - route knowledge and professional driving techniques mean that you shouldn't even notice TPWS.

• What happens if you set one of the systems off, do you get the sack?

Do you mean TPWS? AWS? No. A TPWS activation will usually mean you're off track while the incident is investigated and the cause identified and you may be placed under a coaching plan to prevent a repetition. Safety of the line incidents are taken very seriously but it would take a lot to get the sack - e.g., a significant number of incidents in a short period of time, or a serious and deliberate breach of rules.

• If I was to be a passenger driver – does anyone have any experiences, IE what happens if you are late coming into a train station*?

In that situation you might get a 'please explain' where you are asked to give the reason for the delay, but this isn't intended to suggest you're to blame for it. There might be any number of reasons - passengers taking a long time to board/alight, restrictive signal aspects etc. But safety comes first - much better to be delayed by 2 minutes than to have an incident (SPAD etc.) because you were chasing aspects and not driving defensively.

• How do you learn the routes that are available – would you just get one route to do and learn it, or are you expected to know the majority of routes for your area?

You might learn one or two routes first then gradually build up route knowledge as you progress through the links at your depot. Route learning is largely done by travelling in the cab with another driver repeatedly until you know it well enough (including at night), but also with route briefs, route packs, the sectional appendix - lots of differing sources of information.

• Apart from joining a heritage railway how can I get some real-time experience of being in the cab of a train?

If you apply for a job as a trainee driver, you will not be expected to have any driving experience. And unless you get a job as a (trainee) driver you shouldn't be able to get experience in the cab - having an unauthorised person in the cab is a big no-no because of the potential distraction risk.

Many Thanks, but i dont know what you mean by "QT"

on the QT = keep quiet about it. Admitting to being a rail enthusiast could be detrimental to any job application.

 

[Redviper]

Excellent Thankyou rail-britain, and pendolino.

Im sure ill have a few more questions as I think about it more.

 

[E&W Lucas]

Crikey, where do I start answering that, apart from to say that you're barking up the wrong trees entirely!

1. Forget computer games, they're just a model railway on a PC.

2. Freight companies don't train. (EWS/ DBS used to, but they're more likely to be laying people off!). If you're in the N East, apply t Northern & Transpennine.

3. Volunteering on a heritage line is a great hobby, I've done it since I was a school kid, but work on the assumption that it does not get you directly recognised experience for mainline jobs (I'm a mainline driver too). They will be far more interested in your real world workplace experience.

4. Don't get in a stress about AWS, TPWS etc at this stage. The training assumes no prior knowledge, so you'll be taught how to deal with all the situations & equipment that you will encounter.

5. Read this site http://www.traindriver.org/

You need to get a clearer understanding of what the job involves, and this site should help.

Beware of input from those who do not actually work in the industry.

Best of luck!

 

[Redviper]

Many Thanks for that - Yes im aware that the "simulators" that are available, are not a accurate presentation of driving a train, but good fun non - the less