Hot Weather TOC Uniforms

[father_jack]

At GWR we get issued shorts, but can only wear them june-September..... But not on IET's! They state that IET's have air conditioning, the fact that they allow us to wear shorts on 166's says all you need to know about the reliability of the air con on those units

And didn't something happen recently where a short wearer booked on units all throughout the shift was asked to work an IET at short notice..........

 

[JD2168]

I would have no problem with a member of staff wearing shorts in this hot weather

 

[Red Devil]

TFW guards are permitted to wear shorts all year round, I've seen dispatchers at Newport wearing shorts in December!

Ex posties, I'll bet

 

[Purple Train]

Despite being someone with close to a pathological hatred of shorts, I can confirm that I have never felt the need to flee a train, station, or railway property because of the presence of a member of staff's legs. No comment on the "outfits" preferred in this heat by some of the passengers, however...

At least GWR's IET shorts policy gave me a good laugh. It's not even as if it sounds great in theory! As long as the member of staff is helpful, I really couldn't care less what they were wearing. I've seen drivers with all kinds of interesting headwear, and it doesn't seem to affect them, so why would a guard wearing shorts on an IET cause the world to grind to a halt? Top marks to "Bob" for his act of protest as well.

 

[liamf656]

I've seen EMR drivers and TMs in shorts today but no station staff.

It's a fairly recent thing that EMR have allowed shorts

 

[Krokodil]

Eurostar don't allow shorts; but in the summer months are allowed to wear a polo shirt instead of a shirt & tie. I would love the option to wear shorts!

To be fair, you're not exactly working overcrowded 158s with faulty a/c and doing revenue duties. So your need is possibly less than some others!

I have seen a lot of TfW staff in shorts and very much on days when I would not be thinking to get my legs out. I guess working on the railways is hotter than simply travelling on them.

There was a rule, something like May-September. I don't think that applies with the new uniforms, and many drivers ignored it anyway.

Guarding is certainly hotter than passengering, when I signed loco-haulage I used to leave the DVT a/c on - even in winter. After shutting four coaches worth of slam doors and doing four coaches worth of revenue on a busy commuter train I didn't want to start sweating when I stopped and sat down in the guard's van. Even only working units now, I still get plenty of steps in.

One DI at our TOC makes a good point about shorts. They’re no fun when you’re walking in the cess with thorny plants raking your legs.

Mercifully that's far less common than in pre-GSMR days so it's worth the risk.

 

[43066]

It's a fairly recent thing that EMR have allowed shorts

There were a couple of very hot years where their staff were permitted to wear their own shorts, before the official ones were issued. Unfortunately some staff members either didn’t receive theirs, or find them so unpleasant to wear that they’re continuing to wear their own.

To be fair, you're not exactly working overcrowded 158s with faulty a/c and doing revenue duties. So your need is possibly less than some others!

I imagine (hope!) that Eurostar supply trains with functioning saloon and cab air con, which is more than some not-so-far-away-operators can manage.

 

[43066]

One DI at our TOC makes a good point about shorts. They’re no fun when you’re walking in the cess with thorny plants raking your legs.

That may be true, but how often are we doing that? Not even once in ten years, in my case. Appreciate that will vary by operator/location.

 

[bunnahabhain]

I've seen EMR drivers and TMs in shorts today but no station staff.

A long and hard battle fought by the unions for the comfort of the staff. It took about 5 years!

 

[boiledbeans2]

And didn't something happen recently where a short wearer booked on units all throughout the shift was asked to work an IET at short notice..........

"The 1303 Great Western Service to Plymouth has been cancelled. This is due to... a lack of clothes" ?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jun 2025 ==

Anyway on London Buses (even today), I see drivers in white vests. I think to myself - is that really the driver or an over-enthusiastic bus spotter who stole the bus pretending he's the driver.

 

[RPI]

And didn't something happen recently where a short wearer booked on units all throughout the shift was asked to work an IET at short notice..........

No comment

 

[Western Lord]

Ships officers wear shorts. Strictly speaking this is tropical kit, but very many years ago on a trip to the Scilly Isles on a warm and sunny day the Captain of the Scillionian III appeared on the bridge wing in full tropical whites.

 

[Backroom_boy]

TFW guards are permitted to wear shorts all year round, I've seen dispatchers at Newport wearing shorts in December!

OT but Royal Mail issued shorts (30 years back?) for summer but local delivery offices soon had unofficial competitions about who could wear them the longest through the winter. Definitely must have been some Christmas post delivered by short wearers!

 

[newtownmgr]

Swedish drivers working for SJ in the Stockholm area started wearing skirts in protest a few years ago. I wear shorts in the summer as a driver but ridiculous that’s guards can’t. They did however get an email stating they didn’t have to wear ties in the heat, truly pointless as most wear polos.

As regards customers. The vast majority don’t give a monkeys what the traincrew wear or look like, they just want the train on time and the correct amount of coaches.

 

[choochoochoo]

Most of the polo shirts aren’t that brilliant in the hot summer weather. They’re made from synthetics that aren’t that breathable and cooling. Why can’t TOCs fork out a little more a more and supply cotton ones.

Also they’d be more suitable in emergencies as cotton burns unlike polyester which melts in a fire.

 

[Zomboid]

As regards customers. The vast majority don’t give a monkeys what the traincrew wear or look like, they just want the train on time and the correct amount of coaches

I think train crew (at least passenger facing) need some kind of coherent uniform, so that as passengers we know who's crew and who isn't. But I don't think many people will be bothered about exactly what that uniform is.

 

[liamf656]

As regards customers. The vast majority don’t give a monkeys what the traincrew wear or look like, they just want the train on time and the correct amount of coaches.

If I understand your comment correctly I disagree. If traincrew wear their own clothes and blend into the general public people won't know who to approach for queries and help, and more importantly, safety concerns. I can just imagine the uproar if we removed uniform requirements completely

That said, I'm not sure anyone would care what exactly the uniform is, as long as its distinguishable and presentable

 

[43066]

If I understand your comment correctly I disagree. If traincrew wear their own clothes and blend into the general public people won't know who to approach for queries and help, and more importantly, safety concerns. I can just imagine the uproar if we removed uniform requirements completely

That said, I'm not sure anyone would care what exactly the uniform is, as long as its distinguishable and presentable

For customer facing traincrew and station staff, I agree. In the case of drivers either not wearing uniform or, if they do, wearing a very discrete one, arguably makes sense for exactly that reason; they generally aren’t the best people to deal with queries.

 

[newtownmgr]

I wasn’t suggesting not wearing uniform, it was more about being allowed to wear shorts in customer facing rolls. The uniform policies vary so much between companies hopefully we will see a better approach in the coming years under GBR. For instance my company issue softshell and overcoats to drivers but no lightweight summer jacket.

 

[dk1]

Most of the polo shirts aren’t that brilliant in the hot summer weather. They’re made from synthetics that aren’t that breathable and cooling. Why can’t TOCs fork out a little more a more and supply cotton ones.

Also they’d be more suitable in emergencies as cotton burns unlike polyester which melts in a fire.

I find last summers polo shirts here at GA very good indeed but apparently some complained so different ones have now been ordered for us. Unfortunately grey rather than the nicer maroon colour previously.

 

[ScottGallagher]

GA at long last introduced a summer uniform of shorts/polo shirts in 2024. It was not permitted to be worn before 1st June this year but due to the May heatwave and pressure from traincrews it was brought forward. Not that it made much difference on the West as they wore them regardless of head office rules

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Jun 2025 ==

Best decision ever made. I detested wearing my full uniform and getting all sweaty in Summer.

Going back a while wasn't there an instance where the Prism WAGN bit of it circa 2004 when NX fully took over that those drivers were allowed to wear shorts going back years but new management said no?

 

[dk1]

Going back a while wasn't there an instance where the Prism WAGN bit of it circa 2004 when NX fully took over that those drivers were allowed to wear shorts going back years but new management said no?

Sorry mate I wouldn’t know as I have always been Anglia Railways. Hopefully somebody out West might remember.

 

[BlueLeanie]

OT but Royal Mail issued shorts (30 years back?) for summer but local delivery offices soon had unofficial competitions about who could wear them the longest through the winter. Definitely must have been some Christmas post delivered by short wearers!

Realistically, shorts are actually more practical in wet weather compared to wet trousers.

 

[Zomboid]

Realistically, shorts are actually more practical in wet weather compared to wet trousers.

If you're exercising (and I think postal delivery can be pretty physical) then you need surprisingly few layers when it's cold. I remember needing to unzip my coat when it was -20 because I was snowboarding.

 

[tfw756rider]

And didn't something happen recently where a short wearer booked on units all throughout the shift was asked to work an IET at short notice..........

at what?

 

[BeijingDave]

A number of years ago, I remember a story on the BBC about school boys wearing skirts because shorts were banned (These kids went thru the paperwork and discovered a similar loophole that "Bob" seems to have found!)

I'd love to know where Southern would stand on those trousers that you can zip of at the knees. Do they qualify as shorts or trousers ?

Yes, this happened at my high school as far back as 1993.

There was a campaign by some of the girls in the school to allow them to wear trousers. Their parents supported them and the school backed down and (perhaps clumsily) rewrote the uniform policy to make either skirt or trousers acceptable for all.

It then followed that a few lads started wearing skirts, partly for amusement (see what the teachers' response would be) rather than for practical purposes I think.

The fuss died down after a few weeks though, and some girls continued to wear trousers but the lads ditched the skirts.

 

[plymothian]

Not just shorts, GWR train crew (except drivers) are forbidden from wearing a hat too no matter what traction.

 

[DarloRich]

I asked why the skirt instead of shorts. According to Bob Southern don't allow men to wear shorts as part of their uniform despite a trial being done a couple of years back to introduce them. This is apparently because leg tattoos might be visible, which is rather illogical as visible arm tattoos are allowed!

that is just someone being a smart arsenal to make a point - I usually side with that sort of approach but it is sometimes a bit trite.

The other issue with shorts is that companies also should be sending out sun cream. many of us find the sun to be an enemy!

 

[dk1]

The most important thing many overlook before wearing shorts is the need to get a tan first. That reminds me, I must get some milk.

 

[DarloRich]

The most important thing many overlook before wearing shorts is the need to get a tan first. That reminds me, I must get some milk.

what is a tan? i have 2 colours: Milk and Red!