LM Worcester Job

[atwales]

I recently spoke to a LM Worcester guard, a couple of days ago, who showed me his diagram and I have tried to recall it however query one break between trains, here it is..

1047 Worcester Shrub Hill - Whitlocks End 1207
1219 Whitlocks End - Birmingham Snow Hill 1242
-Taxi to Birmingham New Street-
1549 Birmingham New Street - Hereford 1719
1740 Hereford - Birmingham New Street 1912
1959 Birmingham New Street - Worcester Foregate Street 2038

My only query is would the job have a 3 hour break being taxi'd from Snow Hill to New Street... Any help is appreciated, thanks..!!

 

[Tomnick]

The 3-hour break will be a consequence of how all the diagrams have been put together, rather than anything to do with the taxi from Snow Hill (for which an agreed standard allowance will be included). I'm sure TOCs would love to squeeze every minute of productivity out of their traincrew, but inevitably there will be odd bits and pieces left uncovered that are cobbled together with long breaks just to make a legal diagram.

 

[O L Leigh]

It's unusual to have a break quite that long. Never known one myself, but I guess it's possible. It's also possible that at least part of that time is spent "as required" where they could be required to cover part of another job.

The taxi is a red herring, though. It's not unusual to have staff taxis provided from one location to another to assure safety and such. I could understand it during the evening because the traipse across the city centre with cash and ticket machines could be hazardous, but not really during the middle of the day.

O L Leigh

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Why not? People get mugged during daylight hours too.

Whether the taxi actually runs or not is irrelevant, there are blokes who will chose to walk and cancel the taxi, but LM have to make it available or diagram a train connection.


I'd also say that the diagram is a snip turn, not typical of the day in day out reality of the job. Diagrams are generally made to be efficient as possible but there will always be a few trains that can't get covered which means diagrams like the one linked in the OP get created.

I'm going to pull numbers out of thin air to make a point, out it is cheaper to have 20 very efficient diagrams and 2 inefficient ones made up from the scraps than to have 25 where the workload is spread more evenly.

 

[Pumbaa]

Indeed. LM Crewe guards, sorry - senior conductors :roll: , have a great job at the moment; book on, work Crewe - MK, pass back to Crewe with Virgin, break, work back to MK, pass back to Crewe with Virgin, bugger off.

There are always hotch-pots. About the only places I can think of that don't have them are Merseyrail's two depots.

 

[O L Leigh]

Why not? People get mugged during daylight hours too.

Yes, of course. No disrespect was intended.

Whether the taxi actually runs or not is irrelevant, there are blokes who will chose to walk and cancel the taxi, but LM have to make it available or diagram a train connection.

That will depend on the company. Unless it's a connection that cannot be realistically or efficiently made any other way, some companies tend only to lay on taxis only at certain times of the day or if they have been specifically requested by staff. For example, GA would expect you to walk the short distance from Seven Kings to Ilford depot but, in the hours of darkness you could request a taxi via control. I would suggest that Snow Hill to New Street fits this model better than, say, XC or VT drivers having to get to Central Rivers for an empty Voyager where there is no other realistic way of getting there.

I'd also say that the diagram is a snip turn, not typical of the day in day out reality of the job. Diagrams are generally made to be efficient as possible but there will always be a few trains that can't get covered which means diagrams like the one linked in the OP get created.

I'm going to pull numbers out of thin air to make a point, out it is cheaper to have 20 very efficient diagrams and 2 inefficient ones made up from the scraps than to have 25 where the workload is spread more evenly.

I didn't rule out that possibility.

O L Leigh

 

[the sniper]

In Central Trains days there was a service car during the day that'd run people around to various CT places, including taking Guards between New Street and Snow Hill. In those days though I believe New Street Guards also worked trains on the Snow Hill lines, which doesn't happen now.

 

[PHILIPE]

Why not? People get mugged during daylight hours too.

Whether the taxi actually runs or not is irrelevant, there are blokes who will chose to walk and cancel the taxi, but LM have to make it available or diagram a train connection.


I'd also say that the diagram is a snip turn, not typical of the day in day out reality of the job. Diagrams are generally made to be efficient as possible but there will always be a few trains that can't get covered which means diagrams like the one linked in the OP get created.

I'm going to pull numbers out of thin air to make a point, out it is cheaper to have 20 very efficient diagrams and 2 inefficient ones made up from the scraps than to have 25 where the workload is spread more evenly.

Is there not a security issue if they walk on a publoc highway whilst carring money.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Yes, hence the taxi. O L Leigh seems to be talking about drivers, but it is different for guards because they are going to be carrying cash and therefore are a potential target.

 

[TheEdge]

I've been told of a few cases where ECS movements have been sent into Crown Point at the end of the day (instead of station sidings) and it has been forgotten that they are still carrying a conductor and then they have been taxied back to the station.