Route learning

[Hughqq]

I'm currently route learning and trying to come up with a method of recording the relevant detail that is easy to read and remember.

Has anyone got any formats or templates that they would be willing to share?

Thanks

 

[Bromley boy]

I'm currently route learning and trying to come up with a method of recording the relevant detail that is easy to read and remember.

Has anyone got any formats or templates that they would be willing to share?

Thanks

I found that it just all came together in the end.

We were told to draw maps of the routes when we were in the training school but, I must admit, I didn't personally find this helpful. Neither did any of my instructors or others in my group of trainees. There's no substitute for simply driving the route again and again with an instructor.

My route learning coincided with the train handling part of my training and around 300 hours driving was about right to become proficient at driving in all weathers and conditions and to gain a good standard of route knowledge. No doubt it may be different if you're a qualified driver moving TOCs/depots and learning new routes.

The importance of this stage of the training was hammered home for me a couple of weeks back on a murky night when I found myself doing 75mph in visibility so poor I could barely see the rails in front of my train. That's very much the business end of train driving where you really, really need to know your routes and braking points!

Obviously people learn in different ways so it's probably a matter of finding what works best for you and sticking to it.

 

[321446]

As above. All I can add is what worked for me. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. At each point I needed to do something, commentary driving. It goes in. And really the only way is to drive it. You can familiarise yourself with a rout but only really learn it when driving. Dunno why, but that's my experience. People are different tho, so do whatever works for you. You reach a point where some details just don't want to stick, but they will, you just need to find a different way to input the data. Good luck!!

 

[Johncleesefan]

As others have said. Just keep driving it again and again and eventually the penny will drop. Also look at your maps and just concentrate on signals, speeds and stations to start off

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Interesting how all the replies so far have assumed the OP is a driver rather than a guard. Route learning for the latter is somewhat easier as there is less to learn. However most TOCs issue learning aids suitable for each role and they tend to be very useful. The trick is to work out what helps the most during initial route learning and then apply that to all subsequent routes. There is no magic bullet as we all have our own learning styles.

 

[SPADTrap]

I'm currently route learning and trying to come up with a method of recording the relevant detail that is easy to read and remember.

Has anyone got any formats or templates that they would be willing to share?

Thanks

Put together a cheat sheet of all the pertinent information and refer to it as you're route learning. I found that helped me incredibly well especially when it came to complex shunts which I still keep a run down of in my bag!

 

[6Gman]

Put together a cheat sheet of all the pertinent information and refer to it as you're route learning. I found that helped me incredibly well especially when it came to complex shunts which I still keep a run down of in my bag!

My dad used to have cheap notebooks in which he would draw/write in relevant points in order - signals, points, stations etc. Helped him.

I think the act of writing it down helped it to stick (may also have helped that he was a decent artist so the signals looked like signals ).

 

[MartinB1]

Have you been issued with maps Hughqq? I think I would have found it really hard without them to study. I'm not sure if all TOCs issue them, are there any drivers on here who didn't get issued with route maps?

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

 

[Hughqq]

Thank you for all the replies and suggestions, yes I should have added that I am a trainee driver.

The aide memoir approach is something that I will look at and with my DI decide what info should be in it to make it useful

I've not been issued with maps (as yet) though I do have access to the sectional appendix and old route map books. I think its a matter of combining resources available and integrating that with the practical driving