Work Experience

[Daniel]

Well, I was typing this in the Information Kiosk at St. Pancras until I got kicked out!


Managed to get an earlier train this morning from Enfield Lock and had a nice de-classified FC journey to Tottenham Hale.... Victoria Line suspended. Continued to Stratford. Delays on the Central meant trains were literally full. Failed signal at Liverpool Street meant National Rail wasn't moving from P/F 5. Managed to squeeze onto a Central one stop to Mile End. Next Hammersmith in 10 mins! Got on a refurb District to Aldgate East. Doors opened and closed several times at Stepney Green, and I noticed the doors nearest me weren't shutting. Cue a shout of "Stand clear of the bloody doors" from a mysterious passenger remarkably close to the person right next to me......... Waited for the Hammersmith. Got around to Moorgate where a woman suddenly started pushing everyone out of the way as soon as the doors opened. No problems at KX, apart from getting tripped over (on purpose) on the escalator on the way up.

Arrived at St. Pancras around 0840, wasn't meant to be there till 0930... Went up to the platforms, had a look around, got bored and went to the DSM's office at 0910.
As it turns out, the guy in charge of my work experience was on sick leave today! So as for hours of work and location, all still un-confirmed - they still haven't told me what time i'm supposed to be in tomorrow.
Had a quick safety briefing, signed my life away on a piece of paper with the most noticeable sentence being "AND YOU WILL DIE". Was given a visitors pass once i'd signed in. Had a brief tour of the station and given the door code to the staff area.

I was put in the information kiosk from 1000 onwards, by 1020 I had the 2nd window open and knew how to use the computer and was helping the public. At 1310 the guy with me in the kiosk went home, so I was on my own until 1420 when the new DSM came on shift and sent me home - (a.k.a. pushed me out of the door)!

"Hello dear".
"Hello".
"Can you tell me how to get to St. Pancras?"
"............sorry?"
"St. Pancras railway station?"
"This is St Pancras."
"Railway Station"
"Yes."
"Are you sure".
"Errr... yes, I think so!"

"Where are the trains?"
"Next to the platform."
"Wheres the platform?"
"In the station."
"This station?"
"Maybe".

Also, rather annoying the kiosk had no way of looking up the price of tickets!
Train times and TOPS only.

 

[kettlefan]

sounds like an interesting day.

oh no another 444 fan "claps hands to face in shock"

 

[Daniel]

More of a HST fan actually, I was just in a dessie mood

 

[kettlefan]

More of a HST fan actually, I was just in a dessie mood

thank lord for that

a dessie mood? something I will never experiance.......

 

[Kris]

Get your foot in the door any way you can. Last thing you want to do is work for a living. It's a nasty world out there off the railway.

I hear Midland Mainline is a good company to work for.

 

[AlexS]

That'll be something to test you with! Try and learn to use the GEMINI/GENIUS/TRUST whatever the hell system MML use these days! It's like working with MSDOS or logo

 

[Daniel]

The system they use, (can't remember what it was called), was very basic.

However, press F3, F3, 1, for TOPS.
And F3, F3, 5 for TRUST.

Information Kiosk interior pictured. Poor quality is due to it being taken from my mobile. You can just about view whatever it was on the screen there.

 

[Ascot]

That's Gemini, same as CT, by the looks of it

 

[Mintona]

Very nice Dan, sounds like a hellfire day, I wish some company had let me go to them on my work experience

 

[Daniel]

Get your foot in the door any way you can. Last thing you want to do is work for a living. It's a nasty world out there off the railway.

Why do you think I tried for 9 months to get one on the sodding railway?

I hear Midland Mainline is a good company to work for.

They are, especially considering they're the only ones who accepted me

 

[Ascot]

Why do you think I tried for 9 months to get one on the sodding railway?




They are, especially considering they're the only ones who accepted me

CT, CH, SS, AW and VT got the zing zing to accept you, did with me anyway.

Get in with the TCS and Service cars if you can, bet you any money you'll end up best time ever!

 

[Daniel]

VT took ***8 months*** to reply - and said no.

 

[class 313]

I would like to see some hellfire Dispatching going on!

Tis a shame you have to bash a fake 319 and not a proper one into London (fl)

 

[RJ]

319s are just as bad as their sister classes!

 

[Tom]

Say it like it is.

 

[class 313]

Enough you two,

319 refurbs are the best EMUs you can bash atm! *not from a passenger veiw *

 

[Respite]

As it turns out, the guy in charge of my work experience was on sick leave today! So as for hours of work and location, all still un-confirmed - they still haven't told me what time i'm supposed to be in tomorrow.
Had a quick safety briefing, signed my life away on a piece of paper with the most noticeable sentence being "AND YOU WILL DIE".

Well thats how most days are working on the railway!

Try being a driver on a week of spare turns..........I never have a clue what I'm doing till just before they want me in!

 

[Daniel]

Thing is, I know I have to go in, I know where to go, I just don't have a clue when


By the way - YOU WILL DIE was if you touched the

[quote="Safety Document]"25kv - (Yes, 100 times the power of your home socket) overhead power cables which were switched on last week. These are now on 24 hours a day and all LCR and CTRL staff must be aware of this."[/quote]

And, to be honest, 319's are as bad as 317's... The ONLY advantage is that they are dual voltage and can go to more places... unfortunately some people find this a turn on...

 

[RJ]

Only you would want to go out of your way to bash an EMU with a bright pink interior Mr Loader!

 

[Ascot]

Only you would want to go out of your way to bash an EMU with a bright pink interior Mr Loader!

 

[class 313]

And, to be honest, 319's are as bad as 317's... The ONLY advantage is that they are dual voltage and can go to more places... unfortunately some people find this a turn on...

Not true,

319s are in betterish condition (well, some of them) and the refurbs are much better! 2+2 seating in 319/4s yet 317s all have 3+2, and I too have had 317s on the MML and on the WCML so in theory 317s have been in more places

 

[class 313]

Only you would want to go out of your way to bash an EMU with a bright pink interior Mr Loader!

Not really out of my way now is it!

THEY ARE ON MY LINE!

 

[Tom]

St Albans Abbey and over to WCML? You can avoid them if you want!

 

[class 313]

St Albans Abbey and over to WCML? You can avoid them if you want!

Now that will be going out my way

 

[Tom]

Not really.

It's still a line in your large town.

 

[Ascot]

Now that will be going out my way

I noticed you went via WCML on the c2c bash saying you didn't want to go via MML

Anyhow whatever floats ya boat, have to be sad to try and prove someone wrong over their own opinion.

 

[Daniel]

Well, was shoved in the Info Desk again until 1 until Darren (the guy in charge of my work experience) came on duty at 1.
Was given a brief look at the Lost Property office and shown the First Class lounge. The staff said I could help out there, so was in there until 5:20.

Notes:

Kings Cross evac alarm raised 0906. Reason unknown.
St. Pancras evac alarm raised 11:34. Reason - contractors set a cement mixer on fire.

 

[Ascot]

Well, was shoved in the Info Desk again until 1 until Darren (the guy in charge of my work experience) came on duty at 1.
Was given a brief look at the Lost Property office and shown the First Class lounge. The staff said I could help out there, so was in there until 5:20.

Notes:

Kings Cross evac alarm raised 0906. Reason unknown.
St. Pancras evac alarm raised 11:34. Reason - contractors set a cement mixer on fire.

Sounds like fun, ask em to see if you can go out and about somewhere though up n down the line. It's usually what they do until you ask then they let you.

 

[Daniel]

Apparently they're trying to sort out an on train staff run and a HST cabride.

 

[Coxster]

contractors set a cement mixer on fire.

The same people that are working on the CTRL?