Member of public in driving cab

[Jala_150]

Greater Anglia are offering a member of the public the chance to ride in a driving cab to raise money for comic relief.

What would the logistics of this be? Would they need any training and what would happen in the event of an incident? Would the driver of instructor or manager grade? Are there any other TOCs that offer cab rides?
It's a brilliant idea to raise money but I've not heard of this before. I presumed it was strictly rail staff only in a driving cab.

 

[UpTheFront]

Driver and driver manager/inspector only crew needed or involved. No training for public. Thats it I'm afraid! No God like powers given to anyone involved!

 

[306024]

A driver manager or equivalent will be present. A brief will be given regarding cab etiquette, e.g. switch off mobile phone, do not distract the driver etc. Other than that nothing specific for the lucky winner other than they need to be 16 or older according to the website.

In the unfortunate event of any incident, on most GA rolling stock you can simply return to the passenger accommodation. The only exception is if you are in a class 90 locomotive as you would then have to get out onto the ballast.

Of course apart from this prize, any visitors the the cab need an appropriate cab pass, and even then admittance is totally at the discretion of the driver.

 

[Bigfoot]

Of course apart from this prize, any visitors the the cab need an appropriate cab pass, and even then admittance is totally at the discretion of the driver.

Drivers for these types of offerings tend to be picked for their openness and friendliness. Not always but usually.

 

[DarloRich]

Drivers for these types of offerings tend to be picked for their openness and friendliness. Not always but usually.

and, no doubt, a clean driving license so to speak

 

[theking]

Surely it would be someone high up in the training dept in the driving seat and not a day to day driver.

 

[ExRes]

Surely it would be someone high up in the training dept in the driving seat and not some run of the mill driver.

Could you be good enough to define ".... some run of the mill driver"

 

[theking]

Could you be good enough to define ".... some run of the mill driver"

A day to day driver

My reasoning behind it would be someone from the training dept would be they would have more experience in coaching and explaining aspects of the driving role and maybe would be able to give more detailed answers and have more experience interacting with other people in the cab, that and the fact they won't have to affect passenger service by covering a drivers job for them to be released for this prize.

Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!

 

[ExRes]

A day to day driver

My reasoning behind it would be someone from the training dept would be they would have more experience in coaching and explaining aspects of the driving role and maybe would be able to give more detailed answers and have more experience interacting with other people in the cab, that and the fact they won't have to affect passenger service by covering a drivers job for them to be released for this prize.

Happy to be corrected if I'm wrong!

There is no such thing as a "day to day driver", a driver is a driver is a driver

If anything technical 'needs' to be explained or discussed that is for the manager riding in the cab

I very much doubt that a special train will be laid on for this trip, no passenger service will be disrupted and no alternative driver required

 

[KN1]

Surely it would be someone high up in the training dept in the driving seat and not a day to day driver.

It would be a driver full stop.

 

[ComUtoR]

It's not always a 'Driver' Our last visitor had a Driver Manager in the seat instead.

Sadly I'd admit that there are some Drivers you just wouldn't want up the front with a visitor. Ours are also usually on the more prestigious services rather than peak time metro.

You also don't need a 'Manager' Just the holder of the appropriate pass.

 

[zaax]

How many can you get a in cab? As I suspect there will be at least a reporter; photographer / TV crew and press officer.

 

[TheEdge]

How many can you get a in cab? As I suspect there will be at least a reporter; photographer / TV crew and press officer.

You suspect very wrong. Going by how GA manned the class 37 cabs for a similar thing last year, the driver, the visitor and probably a driver manager or ops manager.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

How many can you get a in cab? As I suspect there will be at least a reporter; photographer / TV crew and press officer.

Press/media activity will likely be confined to the termini of the journey. During the journey the number in the cab will likely be three: the driver, the prize-winner and the appropriate accompanying member of staff. As already mentioned this would normally be a driver manager but anyone holding the requisite cab pass can fill the role.

 

[bramling]

Surely it would be someone high up in the training dept in the driving seat and not a day to day driver.

Nope.

In theory the driver manager (traction inspector in old money) can simply turn up on the day to a selected train. In reality, especially nowadays, he would try to identify a particular service first and okay it with the booked driver in advance, to avoid the awkwardness of turning up and the driver not being happy, or to avoid the awkwardness of it being an individual who you simply wouldn't want to be putting on public display! Definitely if the driver was to be filmed it would be being okayed in advance. The manager may try to choose a driver who he knows is good with visitors, and perhaps avoid a newly qualified driver simply for peace of mind.

Once in the cab, the manager will supervise the visitor, allowing the booked driver to be as unhindered as possible. A good manager will be able to answer all questions, like seen on some of the old Railscene videos, although nowadays I can guarantee some of what is heard on those would be regarded as too much of a distraction, and rightly so. There's nothing to stop the driver chipping in when confident and able to do so, but this would be at the discretion of the driver. Again, a good manager will be subtly keeping a very watchful eye on every move. In times past, the manager could use it as an opportunity to keep their own driving up to date, if licensed, although probably only if they 100% trusted the visitor. This latter scenario would open up a bit of a can of worms if something went wrong.

Where I am, we once had a driver manager turn up with a cameraman to film a cab ride video. It was all booked with a senior instructor driver for the first bit, but then came a booked crew relief and the relieving driver hadn't been told anything about it. She wasn't happy at all, although in the end agreed to do it as it simply to avoid the hassle of all the gear having to be de-assembled, which would in itself have caused a delay. This is an example of how not to do things!

(I should add a rider that the above is how things would be done at my location - things may differ elsewhere).

 

[Taunton]

Back when Cecil J Allen and O S Nock did performance columns in the main rail magazines, they regularly got a footplate pass. They were always accompanied by an inspector. As there was a fireman as well on first generation diesels there would be four in the cab.

Drivers for these types of offerings tend to be picked for their openness and friendliness. Not always but usually.

There was a brilliant taciturn character from Doncaster depot in the 1990s BBC television documentary of the early ECML electrification days, who even was filmed being cautioned by the inspector "no swearing now" as he boarded Despite which he was the one the film crew focused on.

 

[the sniper]

Back when Cecil J Allen and O S Nock did performance columns in the main rail magazines, they regularly got a footplate pass. They were always accompanied by an inspector. As there was a fireman as well on first generation diesels there would be four in the cab.

In somewhat more recent times, I did work experience with a TOC in 2004. On the return trip from where we went there were five of us in the cab of a 170! This included the driver, a driver instructor who was instructing them, a driver manager who was supervising me and another guy having a cab ride, who iirc was a graduate who'd recently started working in the industry/train maintenance. It was pretty cosy, I sat cross-legged on the secondman's side desk for the whole trip while we bombed along at 100mph... I don't think it'd happen now!

Saying that, on the out bound trip there were four of us in the cab, but the women on the trolley came up to the cab door and served us all tea and coffee, including the driver, while we cruised along at 100mph... That certainly wouldn't happen today, if only because they've since gotten rid of the trolleys!

 

[Wookiee]

Things have changed a lot since the days when I used to get cab-rides in Cromptons between Southampton and Cosham as a nipper!

 

[6Gman]

There was a brilliant taciturn character from Doncaster depot in the 1990s BBC television documentary of the early ECML electrification days, who even was filmed being cautioned by the inspector "no swearing now" as he boarded Despite which he was the one the film crew focused on.

Drivers swear?



Who'd have thunk it!

 

[Banana]

Things have changed a lot since the days when I used to get cab-rides in Cromptons between Southampton and Cosham as a nipper!

Indeed

Drove a few too.

 

[sk688]

In somewhat more recent times, I did work experience with a TOC in 2004. On the return trip from where we went there were five of us in the cab of a 170! This included the driver, a driver instructor who was instructing them, a driver manager who was supervising me and another guy having a cab ride, who iirc was a graduate who'd recently started working in the industry/train maintenance. It was pretty cosy, I sat cross-legged on the secondman's side desk for the whole trip while we bombed along at 100mph... I don't think it'd happen now!

Saying that, on the out bound trip there were four of us in the cab, but the women on the trolley came up to the cab door and served us all tea and coffee, including the driver, while we cruised along at 100mph... That certainly wouldn't happen today, if only because they've since gotten rid

How do you get work experience with a TOC? Do you just ask or apply?

 

[noddingdonkey]

There was a brilliant taciturn character from Doncaster depot in the 1990s BBC television documentary of the early ECML electrification days, who even was filmed being cautioned by the inspector "no swearing now" as he boarded Despite which he was the one the film crew focused on.

In fairness he had greeted the driver he was relieving with "what's all this bloody lot then?", referring to the TV crew.

 

[DarloRich]

How many can you get a in cab? As I suspect there will be at least a reporter; photographer / TV crew and press officer.

I am fairly sure you would do the "press" before the off then leave the cab to the driver, escorting officer/traction inspector and winner of the competition for the journey

 

[WL113]

In fairness he had greeted the driver he was relieving with "what's all this bloody lot then?", referring to the TV crew.

It was quite funny in places and a great insight.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1XIrHcV6dA

 

[philthetube]

Approx 45 years ago, as a lid I remember returning from Preston to Colne With 9 kids plus an officer in the cab of a DMU.

All unofficial with the driver explaining what everything did.

 

[the sniper]

How do you get work experience with a TOC? Do you just ask or apply?

I don't know what the situation is now, it seems to vary from TOC to TOC, with some not seeming to do it at all and others offering more head office based stuff. We just wrote to them back then. Probably still worth trying now.