First solo shift after passing out - experiences?

[king_walnut]

All of that seriously happened on your first day out on your own? I suspect a little poetic license, when there are drivers out there with 20+ years in the grade who haven’t done pilotman working, or long wrong direction moves to assist a failure!

If so, fair play, I think I’d have resigned immediately after that!

Yep! I definitely went home and went straight to bed after that hahaha.

Also a guy who was on my training course had to press the emergency button twice during his first ever shift. Firstly for cows on a foot crossing, and then later on for trespassers. I guess it's just the luck of the draw!

 

[DaveTM]

Got to my first station stop and spotted that the Customer Information System was saying "Terminates here" instead of my expected destination. My first thought was "Oh sh!t, how have I f*cked up?", but it turned out a signal failure meant I could go no further. We kicked everyone off and then went and sat in the sidings for the next hour while my heart rate came back down from the stratosphere.

 

[John Bishop]

Yep! I definitely went home and went straight to bed after that hahaha.

Also a guy who was on my training course had to press the emergency button twice during his first ever shift. Firstly for cows on a foot crossing, and then later on for trespassers. I guess it's just the luck of the draw!

Really? I thought it would have been straight to the pub!!

 

[Muse29]

My first shift on my own was an absolute riot:


First train out was single line working with a pilotman. Very nervous but the guy was great so that was okay.

Then I was sent out to rescue a failed unit which involved quite a long wrong direction movement, picking up the driver holding a red flag, going over detonators, coupling to the failed train then doing all sorts of checks whilst on the phone to fleet. The adrenaline was enough to kill a small horse I'm pretty sure.

Then at the end of the shift taking the train into the yard I gapped it and had to be rescued myself. Cost me a box of biscuits.


Quite thankful I got all that as my first ever shift though. Everything was still super fresh in my head, and now because I've done it, I'll always be confident in exactly what to do.

Pardon my ignorance, what does "gapped it" mean please?

 

[Jimini]

Pardon my ignorance, what does "gapped it" mean please?

Think it means being stranded in a neutral zone between otherwise electrified sections.

 

[philthetube]

It’s natural to be apprehensive to start with (in fact, if you aren’t apprehensive, that’s something to really worry about!). First couple of journeys you worry everything will go wrong then, when it doesn’t, you begin to relax into it.

The biggest thing I noticed over the first few weeks was feeling absolutely shattered from the concentration, but that diminishes. Also being alone in the cab for as long as you are doing this job really hits home for the first time. That’s something else that takes a bit of an adjustment, or at least did for me.




Congratulations!

I remember this, couldn't believe how tired thinking could make you. First shift is spent on edge the whole time.

 

[LRV3004]

This is something I’m going through currently! As I type this I’m on a train to work to do my first main line drive under the supervision of an instructor. I started my driver training in September and after a gruelling number of weeks doing rules and basic traction training, our group is finally taking to the rails for the first time today. Nothing special, just a light loco run but I’m looking forward to it while also very nervous at the same time!!!

 

[Falcon1200]

Pardon my ignorance, what does "gapped it" mean please?

Think it means being stranded in a neutral zone between otherwise electrified sections.

Or in third rail territory, stuck with no pick-up shoes in contact with the live rail.

Not me, but a colleague on his very first night shift as Control Duty Manager had a sleeper train strike a van dumped on the track outside Edinburgh.....

 

[king_walnut]

Pardon my ignorance, what does "gapped it" mean please?

In some areas there are breaks in the third rail, especially across junctions. If the train does not pass over them fast enough then it can get stuck in the gap and can't move, hence "gapped". I don't think it's much of a problem for most trains, but I was driving a three coach 313 which only has four pickup shoes.

 

[TW3M]

This is something I’m going through currently! As I type this I’m on a train to work to do my first main line drive under the supervision of an instructor. I started my driver training in September and after a gruelling number of weeks doing rules and basic traction training, our group is finally taking to the rails for the first time today. Nothing special, just a light loco run but I’m looking forward to it while also very nervous at the same time!!!

How did it go??

 

[LRV3004]

How did it go??

It was good thanks, enjoyed it and had a good laugh with my instructor!