Night time working

[Daniel]

So here I am, sitting in the Network Control Centre, on my first night shift, waiting for the first trains to start trickling through.

Seeing as I've been pretty much sitting here and doing nothing for the last few hours, I've been wondering what you guys do when your on nights?

Other than sleep!


When I say what you do, I mean that if your in my position, in a control room with company computers, which block almost everything, (including, until I complained, Google).

 

[Mojo]

I don't do night shifts, but I've been told the platform staff at my station play Monopoly on nights!

 

[Aussie_Rail]

Well It might be the early hours, but its late arvo here, but as I work at Macas, I have nearly had to a night shift, but the latest I have had to work was 1.30am and at that time there is no computers, other than a laptop to play music on.

Even working till 1.30am I get really tired, so I do feel sorry for you though.

 

[GB]

My iPod and Laptop are never too far away from me whatever shift Im doing...usually keeps me occupied for a while.

 

[Aictos]

Depends, I usually like to watch a DVD after getting my duties done and settle down with a cuppa before turning down the lights and pulling the blind down to give that Cinema feel to the office.

Sometimes if I'm really bored, I just go for a walk round the car park which is the last thing I want to do on a cold night, failing that I sometimes practise my window cleaning skills...

Of course, I don't mind having a quick kip at the end of the week, but mainly I somehow stay up all night - must be all these coffees I overdose on!

 

[poshbakerloo]

I used to work nights and loved it! So much fun! I worked in a hotel so made myself sandwiches etc and was on the internet most the night.

 

[Daniel]

Ah well we didn't have sandwiches, we made fish and chips ;D

But as I said the problem with the internet up there is that almost everything is blocked..

 

[Aictos]

But as I said the problem with the internet up there is that almost everything is blocked..

That's when you bring in your own entertainment such as DVDs,
What you might want to get is a portable DVD player if you haven't a laptop then you won't get bored.

 

[EM2]

I have to do boring things like security patrols (including kicking out any dossers) or book deliveries into the yard. No chance of a kip or a DVD!

 

[djw1981]

That's when you bring in your own entertainment such as DVDs,
What you might want to get is a portable DVD player if you haven't a laptop then you won't get bored.

Why doi they put staff on all night rather than a say split shift, it sound like you have 2 hours free in a shift (instead of breaks, or all your breaks consolidated into one?) the it would seem to make sens e to split itm, since effecvtively you are 'unproductive at that time?

 

[Aictos]

Why doi they put staff on all night rather than a say split shift, it sound like you have 2 hours free in a shift (instead of breaks, or all your breaks consolidated into one?) the it would seem to make sens e to split itm, since effecvtively you are 'unproductive at that time?

Well for one, my station is manned 24/7 which is why there's a night shift - the only other stations on the GN which has similar manning hours are Stevenage, Royston, Welwyn Garden City, Finsbury Park and Kings Cross.

I'm sure there are valid reasons for this manning, one of which is the fact that there's staff available at locations out of hours to attend to incidents in their area - I got a call one morning at 5am by the on call manager to get to Grange Park as the TVM had been broken into and the police were required elsewhere.

So with all my stuff, I made my way there and spend my time there advising passengers on how to use the Pertis machine, what had happened and what to do with regards buying a ticket.

Nearness to say with it raining and the TVM alarm going off, I was not enjoying myself but I can't complain as I got booked 12 hours overtime,

As to breaks, we don't get a breaks as such - we have to take them when we are able to do so.

We officially don't have free time as there's always something to do, be it car park patrols, salting the platforms when ice is forecasted, cleaning - it's when you have a set way of doing things it becomes that little quicker and easier in doing things.

 

[43034 The Black Horse]

If you have TOPS/TRUST/Web Gemini/GENIUS why not have a play and get some allocations or plan some moves?

 

[devon_metro]

Simsig?

 

[Daniel]

Admittedly I hadn't thought of taking my laptop in, which would mean a DVD player and simsig lol... Cheers guys, good ideas for next time

NOC is staffed 24hrs, every day - including Christmas Day.

We only get a couple of hours with no phone calls really.. when the trains stop running the phone starts ringing constantly with the staff taxis being late mostly.. then a couple of hours later you start getting the ones for the taxis into work, then the information calls start after the first trains.

 

[Aictos]

If you have TOPS/TRUST/Web Gemini/GENIUS why not have a play and get some allocations or plan some moves?

Already use TRUST/P2 for that, Can only play SimSig to a certain extend as some of the keys on the laptop don't work.
We did have TOPS but I need a cast iron excuse for requesting it back and I don't think even I can get away with it a second time!

Still, TRUST is fantastic - always use it to plan every journey with the entire calling pattern and times so can see how. Far I've travelled or how far I need to go, also useful to know what trains I need rather then worry about connections.

 

[jonb]

I used to do nights, but not anymore! Give me a warm office anyday.

I suppose a sort of good feeling was when you were getting the train home everyone else would be going to work!

 

[Daniel]

I used to do nights, but not anymore! Give me a warm office anyday.

Well luckily for me im in Control at the moment, so it is a nice warm office

I suppose a sort of good feeling was when you were getting the train home everyone else would be going to work!

Not really, was more focused on trying not to fall asleep in case I missed my stop!

 

[Aictos]

Not really, was more focused on trying not to fall asleep in case I missed my stop!

One colleague a while back wanted Peterborough so jumped on a NXEC, woke up at Berwick Upon Tweed!

 

[Daniel]

One colleague a while back wanted Peterborough so jumped on a NXEC, woke up at Berwick Upon Tweed!

Ouch! Worst i've done is fallen asleep on the Stansted Express, missed Tottenham Hale, woke up just leaving Harlow Town, next stop Stansted =P

 

[jonb]

Nearly happened to me a few times used to catch the train from Liverpool Street, so furthest place I could end up would be Peterborough!

 

[Broken Viking]

Never worked nights admittedly; But after staying awake for the last 36 hours of Wacken 2005CE and making my way to the hostel in Hamburg where I was booked to stay that night, I jumped on the S1 at Altona heading for Landungsbrücken (Three stops down) only to fall asleep and find myself walking up just before Wellingsbüttel on the extreme outskirts of the city. :?

As if that wasn't enough, I bailed at Wellingsbüttel and jumped on to the next train heading back into the city...Only to fall asleep again, pass straight through the city in kip, finally waking up just as the train was pulling out of Hochkamp on the other side! hock:

The rather alternative path of my journey can be visualised more easily by looking at This 645Kb map of the HVV network - I was travelling on the green line. All I can say - Given the HVV's zero tolerance policy both on fare evasion and anything looking like vagrancy - Is I'm very glad that I'd bought a 9-Uhr Tageskarte that morning!

 

[starrymarkb]

We used to do a lot of iplayering on Sunday lates (while we didn't have a night shift our place was open to 10pm) as it was so quiet.

Am now on Perma Earlies though

 

[AlexS]

I managed to doze off on a 390 last Sunday after a long weekend - dozed off around Birmingham I think and was woken up at Wolverhampton by the station security guard (who was very pleasant which seems to be rare for private security bods!) about 15 minutes after arrival.

If he hadn't noticed I'd probably have set off back to London on the back working.

 

[Waddon]

My brother, when he lived in Purley, fell asleep on the train back from London and awoke at the next stop, Coulsdon South. He quickly leapt off the train, only to discover the train was going the other way - he had slept all the way to wherever the train terminated, and was now on the return journey...

p.s I don't work nights anymore, but I'm awake at this time of night because 5+ years of night work broke my internal clock, now I can sleep/be awake at any time of day, it makes no difference (on the negative side, it means whenever I wake up I have no idea whether its night or day...)

 

[HSTfan!!!]

If you have TOPS/TRUST/Web Gemini/GENIUS why not have a play and get some allocations or plan some moves?

boring, zzzzz lol
I'm in a similiar position, answer - take the laptop in with my internet dongle.

 

[Aictos]

boring, zzzzz lol
I'm in a similiar position, answer - take the laptop in with my internet dongle.

I do both, if you're got TRUST then you can find some really unique moves plus get all the timings for charters before the majority of anyone else including the ECS's.

 

[Daniel]

Unfortunatley I work for London Underground, so no TOPS or TRUST...

 

[keith jackson]

driving a 1000 ton freight at 3am ,with eyes like **** holes in the snow,we would love to put our feet up and relax,i wish!

 

[Aictos]

driving a 1000 ton freight at 3am ,with eyes like **** holes in the snow,we would love to put our feet up and relax,i wish!

Ah welcome,

Must state that not every night is spent sitting in the office, some nights are spent trying to get the place clean with a heavy clean and on your own as well.

Still these stairs give us lots of exercise!

 

[Daniel]

driving a 1000 ton freight at 3am ,with eyes like **** holes in the snow,we would love to put our feet up and relax,i wish!

Thats what the dashboard is for =P



Must say, 96TS in the snow performed remarkably well last night - admittedly sleet brushes were down, but it was a de-icing unit on which the de-icers weren't working, so was expecting it to slip all over the place!