For trainee drivers only

[red2005]

OK here's an interesting question for you.

Which for you was/is harder effort wise; route knowledge or traction control?

And secondly what effective method helped you master/learn them?

I'm not so sure that new/qualified drivers are allowed to answer this question mate we may get told off

I was a guard before but I can safely say I found the route learning far easier with the driving!, call It psychological but when things are coming towards you instead of going away from you It does seem to make it easier. That said we may just have easier routes up here than some TOC's ha!!

Learning the technical side to the traction was the testing side to the training for me, I'm so not mechanically minded It's unreal lol.

In terms of road learning as a driver I just used things like permanent land marks to tell me something of significance was coming up, I don't just mean for stations where you'll obviously have a set braking point but for example we have a large boat which has been dry docked for years as an attraction and I use that to tell me there's a 15mph reduction In speed coming up right before a distant signal.

It's horses for courses obviously but you'll probably find loads of quirky ways to help you through! apparently some have made up little nursery rhymes to help them remember things!.......I kid you not It gets that daft hahahah

Red

 

[G136GREYHOUND]

I'm not so sure that new/qualified drivers are allowed to answer this question mate we may get told off

I was a guard before but I can safely say I found the route learning far easier with the driving!, call It psychological but when things are coming towards you instead of going away from you It does seem to make it easier. That said we may just have easier routes up here than some TOC's ha!!

Learning the technical side to the traction was the testing side to the training for me, I'm so not mechanically minded It's unreal lol.

In terms of road learning as a driver I just used things like permanent land marks to tell me something of significance was coming up, I don't just mean for stations where you'll obviously have a set braking point but for example we have a large boat which has been dry docked for years as an attraction and I use that to tell me there's a 15mph reduction In speed coming up right before a distant signal.

It's horses for courses obviously but you'll probably find loads of quirky ways to help you through! apparently some have made up little nursery rhymes to help them remember things!.......I kid you not It gets that daft hahahah

Red

And I'll say again, you have utterly misconstrued me

 

[red2005]

And I'll say again, you have utterly misconstrued me

Once again.....Not really Interested to be fair.

 

[TDK]

I was a guard before but I can safely say I found the route learning far easier with the driving!, call It psychological but when things are coming towards you instead of going away from you It does seem to make it easier. That said we may just have easier routes up here than some TOC's ha!!

Learning the technical side to the traction was the testing side to the training for me, I'm so not mechanically minded It's unreal lol.

In terms of road learning as a driver I just used things like permanent land marks to tell me something of significance was coming up, I don't just mean for stations where you'll obviously have a set braking point but for example we have a large boat which has been dry docked for years as an attraction and I use that to tell me there's a 15mph reduction In speed coming up right before a distant signal.

It's horses for courses obviously but you'll probably find loads of quirky ways to help you through! apparently some have made up little nursery rhymes to help them remember things!.......I kid you not It gets that daft hahahah

Red

Route learning as a trainee is far easier than when you are fully qualified driver as you cover the routes with your handling, by far the most difficult part and the most important part of train driving is route knowledge, when handling you may cover 40 trips over a certain route and are actually driving that route, when qualified you are normally sitting in the second persons side and may only have 10 trips on the route and unless you get a driver who is either an instructor or willing to tell you all about the route it is very difficult to learn the route with the driver harping on about last nights football match. The most difficult part for a trainee off the street in my experience and observations is Rules and Regulations, followed by traction and the route knowledge.

 

[redbutton]

Route learning as a trainee is far easier than when you are fully qualified driver as you cover the routes with your handling

Not necessarily. SN have a habit of assigning the first available DI regardless of depot and link. As a result Metro trainees end up pottering around the coast or up and down the main lines on routes they won't see again for 10+ years.

I didn't see most of my core routes until I finished my hours and was sent out to learn them from the secondman side, then only had one or two drives over them before my ICA (a.k.a. part 6, passing out).

I know of trainees that have taken more than two attempts to pass out because the route learning has been so mismanaged.

 

[red2005]

Not necessarily. SN have a habit of assigning the first available DI regardless of depot and link. As a result Metro trainees end up pottering around the coast or up and down the main lines on routes they won't see again for 10+ years.

I didn't see most of my core routes until I finished my hours and was sent out to learn them from the secondman side, then only had one or two drives over them before my ICA (a.k.a. part 6, passing out).

I know of trainees that have taken more than two attempts to pass out because the route learning has been so mismanaged.

I fell lucky as my DI was In the same link as the one I was going Into so I only drove on the routes I would be driving over daily after pass out. Some of the other trainees were driving over routes they won't be driving over for years as their DI's were In the top link and our Instructors don't get released to train new drivers.

I shudder to think how many hours I would of lost In road learning had that happened to me. On the other side though because of the certain routes they were working over they hit their actual handling hours total a while before me. swings In roundabouts though I suppose.

 

[TDK]

Not necessarily. SN have a habit of assigning the first available DI regardless of depot and link. As a result Metro trainees end up pottering around the coast or up and down the main lines on routes they won't see again for 10+ years.

I didn't see most of my core routes until I finished my hours and was sent out to learn them from the secondman side, then only had one or two drives over them before my ICA (a.k.a. part 6, passing out).

I know of trainees that have taken more than two attempts to pass out because the route learning has been so mismanaged.

The standard with many companies is to sign routes on pass out, if the trainee is not happy or the instructor is not happy with the trainees route knowledge due to the lack of driving over the route the instructor will be released to allow the trainee to gain more experience over such routes.