First Great Western Train Driving

[Lewis Brownlow]

Hi there,

I joined the forum today and one day I'm hoping to become a train driver with First Great Western. I will be moving to Somerset relatively soon and the nearest depot will be Bristol. With the Intercity Express Programme coming up within the next few years and a new depot being constructed at Bristol, will St Phillips Marsh depot remain open for HST's? Ultimately, the HST is the train I hope to drive and the HST's are supposed to be continuing to run on the London to Devon and Cornwall service after 2017. Bearing all this in mind, where would be the nearest depot to Taunton for HST's? Will St Phillips Marsh still be used for HST's after introduction of Hitachi IEP trains?

Thanks in advance,

Lewis

 

[HarleyDavidson]

If you're going to use Taunton as your originating point then your lucky in that you have a choice of two depots Bristol or Exeter.

At the moment though FGW are only looking at taking on Fully Qualified drivers from other TOCs, not trainees, so you may want to do what I suggested elsewhere and that's get your foot in the door and do your probationary period and then work your way up through the system, rather than wait.

 

[455driver]

I dont think there will be any HSTs at SPM, the remaining HSTs will all be maintained at Laira.

Edit-
if you live at Taunton then Exeter would be best for you as it is easier to commute with the sleepers being quite handy for the early starts/ late finishes (saves driving the car in).

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Except on Sunday/Monday nights when it doesn't stop at Taunton.

 

[Lewis Brownlow]

Thank you for the comments, very helpful indeed. I shall bear them in mind. Also, out of curiosity do Cross Country drivers based at Bristol drive HST's? I know that only Voyagers are based at Bristol but do the HST drivers change over at Bristol?

 

[HarleyDavidson]

No idea where they swap over, I would suspect that they do crew changes there at Bristol & Plymouth depending on operational need.

Again XC tend to recruit within the industry, only taking fully qualified drivers from other TOC's, not trainees.

 

[CC 72100]

Thank you for the comments, very helpful indeed. I shall bear them in mind. Also, out of curiosity do Cross Country drivers based at Bristol drive HST's? I know that only Voyagers are based at Bristol but do the HST drivers change over at Bristol?

I know an XC driver at Bristol who signs all XC traction - 170s, 22x and HSTs, signing Gloucester - Cardiff via Lydney as well as the 'mainline' routes. How far North he signs I'm not sure (Derby maybe?), but he does sign down to Plymouth.

 

[G136GREYHOUND]

I don't wish to rain on your parade Lewis, but neither do I wish to see you plan your life in a way that's never going to happen mate.

Firstly you have to GET INTO THE JOB, thinking about rolling stock is way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy down the line.

1) you have to get through the HR process
2) you have to pass the psycho
3) you have to qualify, which with FGW can take aeons
4) you have to work a min of 2 years PRODUCTIVE on the West before
you can even apply for HSS
5) you have to wait for a place to come up on HSS
6) you have to do the traction on HSS and sign all the HSS routes
7) who cares what type of train you drive ? you look out of the front, 99.9% of it is behind your ears

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH HSS/IEP/SPM/HITACHI FILTON yet
and if they do, they are certainly not telling

Cross country Bristol drive HSTs but X country only take on qualified drivers with 3 years experience

Sorry, but that is the reality

 

[HarleyDavidson]

When I looked into going to Exeter with a couple of other drivers,I realised that even with just a tad under 30 years on "the plate",I'd have to start at the bottom & work my way up again. And at my age,I'd never get to do the HST's which I love, the chances of doing any long distance & fast work for which I love & crave, would never happen before I retired.

That & family issues stopped me from going. If I'd been bold enough to do a transfer in BR days,then there's a reasonable probability that I would be in the HSS links. But it shows you when someone like me with my length of service would have to start again from scratch it shows you how thing are.

 

[387star]

Heard exeter's really tough to get into on my induction course two qualified were moving to Exeter from london depots one a former drivers manager both from southern and SWT respectively

 

[455driver]

Except on Sunday/Monday nights when it doesn't stop at Taunton.

A bit like the Matlot Express out of Waterloo which is handy for Woking and Guildford crews to get down Pompey way, as long as they remember what day it runs!

 

[SkinnyDave]

There was recently an expression of interest form went out for existing FGW drivers to register for HSS Bristol and Swansea and West Fratton.
It also included people wanting to transfer to Gloucester Westbury etc.

I think you will have plenty of opportunities to go for at Bristol and hopefully it sorts itself out with its Trainees but thats a different story

 

[HarleyDavidson]

So they're going to put a HSS depot at Fratton?

 

[SkinnyDave]

lol no but they are or were looking for internals to transfer to Fratton recently

 

[455driver]

So they're going to put a HSS depot at Fratton?

No, hence the West Fratton! :roll:

Keep up at the back old boy!

 

[E&W Lucas]

Hi there,

I joined the forum today and one day I'm hoping to become a train driver with First Great Western. I will be moving to Somerset relatively soon and the nearest depot will be Bristol. With the Intercity Express Programme coming up within the next few years and a new depot being constructed at Bristol, will St Phillips Marsh depot remain open for HST's? Ultimately, the HST is the train I hope to drive and the HST's are supposed to be continuing to run on the London to Devon and Cornwall service after 2017. Bearing all this in mind, where would be the nearest depot to Taunton for HST's? Will St Phillips Marsh still be used for HST's after introduction of Hitachi IEP trains?

Thanks in advance,

Lewis

To reinforce what as been said to you above, any hint of any statement like that in a trainee application, and that's you in the reject pile.
Likelyhood of a trainee place in Somerset at all - minimal.
You have to be equally alert and motivated, whatever the traction. HST's are sadly very close to becoming a part of railway history. There is next to no chance of securing a trainee place with the other operators that still use them, and even if you started a training course tomorrow, you've insufficient time to secure sufficient experience, before they are phased out.

 

[455driver]

even if you started a training course tomorrow, you've insufficient time to secure sufficient experience, before they are phased out.

If the rumours doing the rounds at Exeter are anything to go by then that statement might not be true!

But then we all know what railway rumours are like dont we.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

No, hence the West Fratton! :roll:

Keep up at the back old boy!

That's a bit rich,considering you're older than me!

 

[455driver]

That's a bit rich,considering you're older than me!

Ah sod it, I thought you might have forgotten!

 

[E&W Lucas]

If the rumours doing the rounds at Exeter are anything to go by then that statement might not be true!

But then we all know what railway rumours are like dont we.

Haven't heard those yet.....

I'm in no hurry to convert to 21st Century traction

 

[Lee Place]

Hi there,

I joined the forum today and one day I'm hoping to become a train driver with First Great Western. I will be moving to Somerset relatively soon and the nearest depot will be Bristol. With the Intercity Express Programme coming up within the next few years and a new depot being constructed at Bristol, will St Phillips Marsh depot remain open for HST's? Ultimately, the HST is the train I hope to drive and the HST's are supposed to be continuing to run on the London to Devon and Cornwall service after 2017. Bearing all this in mind, where would be the nearest depot to Taunton for HST's? Will St Phillips Marsh still be used for HST's after introduction of Hitachi IEP trains?

Thanks in advance,

Lewis

I just joined the forum today and am very keen to become a train driver.

FGW have just gone through a trainee recruitment process over the last 13 months. I wasn't expecting it to take so long but there are lots of phases to the process.

I am just in the process of waiting to hear about what vacancies are available at my chosen depot.

What I have learnt over the last year is that if you want to become a train driver you have to be very patient, not just waiting for opportunities to arise but whilst in the recruitment process. I had to wait nearly nine months for my interview to be scheduled.

 

[oxoneil]

I don't wish to rain on your parade Lewis, but neither do I wish to see you plan your life in a way that's never going to happen mate.

3) you have to qualify, which with FGW can take aeons

Sorry, but that is the reality

I keep hearing/reading this, why is it like that?

 

[KT530]

Depends on timing, a bit of luck, and how well you do in the assessments.

I know of some that have been offered the job 8 weeks after initial application, whereas some have been waiting over a year.

Short term pain for long term gain

 

[HarleyDavidson]

I really don't get this fascination about driving trains. It's not exactly an exciting job & it's certainly not glamorous.

The only thing going for it is the money & that's about the only thing that after my length of service I can truly & honestly say for it.

There's no real enjoyment or fun anymore (managers & p1$$ poor traincrew diagrammers have seen to that!), they've made the job mind blowingly boring, repetitive & monotonous. It kills off your social life & I find is a general bind.

 

[bystander]

I really don't get this fascination about driving trains. It's not exactly an exciting job & it's certainly not glamorous.

The only thing going for it is the money & that's about the only thing that after my length of service I can truly & honestly say for it.

There's no real enjoyment or fun anymore (managers & p1$$ poor traincrew diagrammers have seen to that!), they've made the job mind blowingly boring, repetitive & monotonous. It kills off your social life & I find is a general bind.

Well that's one viewpoint. Mine is as follows.

I drive cl43 HSTs (and another modern HST unit) every day unless I'm cover, and I genuinely love it. Good days and bad days happen, but I get to see the changing seasons, to drive half the length of the country every day at high speed day and night in all weather conditions, I kind of am my own boss as long as I turn up on time, in uniform and sober, and I get paid appropriately for it.

No one hassles me for doing my job properly, unlike many jobs in this day and age. On occasions, stuff goes wrong and I have to drag up knowledge and act fast and safely which makes you feel a bit more alive. I sip coffee and whizz along. I've done other stuff that was a lot less enjoyable, even if better paid, and I want to do this until I retire in 15 or so years. I have nothing but praise for it.

Regards,

B

 

[W230]

There's no real enjoyment or fun anymore (managers & p1$$ poor traincrew diagrammers have seen to that!), they've made the job mind blowingly boring, repetitive & monotonous. It kills off your social life & I find is a general bind.

May I ask if you've a railwayman throughout your working career or someone who came to the job from outside?

Reason I ask is at the depot I work at, the career guys are totally fed up with the same reasons as you. Those that have come from outside industries (like myself) seem to have a much more positive outlook feeling like we've escaped from our previous employers! (but give it time hey? )

 

[455driver]

May I ask if you've a railwayman throughout your working career or someone who came to the job from outside?

Reason I ask is at the depot I work at, the career guys are totally fed up with the same reasons as you. Those that have come from outside industries (like myself) seem to have a much more positive outlook feeling like we've escaped from our previous employers! (but give it time hey? )

You are correct!

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Career railwayman, who's seen the best times come & go and has fear that by far the worst is yet to come.

Those who're new to the job (last 5 or so years), seem to have the proverbial rose coloured glasses on!

They don't see the bigger picture or read between the lines, nor do they heed the warnings that us senior old farts who've been on the job warn them about, they seem quite happy to sell their T&C's down the river for the cheapest possible price. All they ****ing well think about is the money, they just don't seem to realise that they're about to stitch themselves up.

Hey, what do I know, I've only been on the job, longer than some of them have been out of their old man's ball bag. :roll:

 

[hello]

i would say 10-15 years or so also. not just 5 years

 

[bystander]

I've never sold anything down the river. While I appreciate that the railway has changed in the last 20 years (and I started in the industry in 1994, although haven't worked constantly in it for that time), in my opinion the outside world has changed an awful lot more. I choose not to despise everything that happens but instead to enjoy a job that allows me to do a four day week, never work on a Sunday, and earn more than a police sergeant or senior teacher.