I am curious if you can be an independent self employed train driver in the UK or do you have to work for a company? Is there any way to get training and get a train driving licence and drive your own trains on the mainline without working for a company? Are there rules that would prevent this?
I know it is different but with a bus PCV licence you can either get a job and get trained by a bus company or you go independent and go through a private company that will train you to drive a bus and get a PCV bus licence so basically i am wondering whether anything similar exists for trains.
ORR website (the ORR issue train driving licences) say that a train driving licence request must be made by either a train operating company or an infrastructure manager on behalf of the driver. I am not entirely sure what an infrastructure manager is. But perhaps it could be possible to go through them instead.
Are there any train driver training companies that you can pay to get train driver training and route knowledge and traction knowledge and be given a train driving licence without getting employed by a TOC or FOC operator?
I ask because in some Mainland European countries it is actually possible. For example in Germany there is a man who owns a locomotive and drives it on the mainline as a one man operation. He just gets work and short term contracts and one off jobs from various companies to haul freight or empty stock on the mainline. There were two videos (in German but you can turn on English subtitles) made about his operation and he is still in business today:
He is not the only one and there has been a few other one man train driving operations in Germany in the past and there was a female driver who had her own one woman operation in Germany but she seems to have retired and shut down a few years back:
All of the examples i can find are in Germany and the only other thing i can find on Google is a discussion on a Swedish forum which seems to indicate that there has also been at least one Swedish one man train driver operation in the past:
I know the UK tends to be a lot stricter with railway rules and regulations compared to some Mainland European countries.
But i am wondering whether something like this would be possible in the UK or has it actually ever happened in the UK before?
Could someome in the UK set up their own one man train driving business and get a train driving licence and take jobs for freight or railtours or other work that required a locomotive on the mainline?
Also what if somebody owned their own preserved locomotive or unit and had it mainline certified (as many are) then would there be any way for them to get a train driving licence and drive it on the mainline without working for a TOC or FOC company?
Have there ever been any drivers who have gotten a train driving licence and training to drive their own mainline certified preserved locomotive on the mainline?
Is anyone aware of anything like this happening on the UK rail network before?
If it is possible then i expect it could be very expensive which might be why you never hear of anything like this.
I know it is different but with a bus PCV licence you can either get a job and get trained by a bus company or you go independent and go through a private company that will train you to drive a bus and get a PCV bus licence so basically i am wondering whether anything similar exists for trains.
ORR website (the ORR issue train driving licences) say that a train driving licence request must be made by either a train operating company or an infrastructure manager on behalf of the driver. I am not entirely sure what an infrastructure manager is. But perhaps it could be possible to go through them instead.
Are there any train driver training companies that you can pay to get train driver training and route knowledge and traction knowledge and be given a train driving licence without getting employed by a TOC or FOC operator?
I ask because in some Mainland European countries it is actually possible. For example in Germany there is a man who owns a locomotive and drives it on the mainline as a one man operation. He just gets work and short term contracts and one off jobs from various companies to haul freight or empty stock on the mainline. There were two videos (in German but you can turn on English subtitles) made about his operation and he is still in business today:
He is not the only one and there has been a few other one man train driving operations in Germany in the past and there was a female driver who had her own one woman operation in Germany but she seems to have retired and shut down a few years back:
All of the examples i can find are in Germany and the only other thing i can find on Google is a discussion on a Swedish forum which seems to indicate that there has also been at least one Swedish one man train driver operation in the past:
Förekommer sådant här i Sverige? - Postvagnen - Svenska Järnvägsklubben
Hittade en film på Youtube från Tyska NDR (Norddeutsche Rundfunk) om en lokförare som köpt ett eget lok och kör gods där det behövs. Han är stationerad i Oldenburg. Förekommer det att någon "egenåkare" har ett lok och kör på uppdrag? -Per https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYUIaebzNLs
www.postvagnen.com
I know the UK tends to be a lot stricter with railway rules and regulations compared to some Mainland European countries.
But i am wondering whether something like this would be possible in the UK or has it actually ever happened in the UK before?
Could someome in the UK set up their own one man train driving business and get a train driving licence and take jobs for freight or railtours or other work that required a locomotive on the mainline?
Also what if somebody owned their own preserved locomotive or unit and had it mainline certified (as many are) then would there be any way for them to get a train driving licence and drive it on the mainline without working for a TOC or FOC company?
Have there ever been any drivers who have gotten a train driving licence and training to drive their own mainline certified preserved locomotive on the mainline?
Is anyone aware of anything like this happening on the UK rail network before?
If it is possible then i expect it could be very expensive which might be why you never hear of anything like this.
