[Closed] is anyone here a train driver?

I'm not, but my mate is

They are really hard to steer apparently....

There are a couple... Stanfree is one IIRC.

They are really hard to steer apparently....

No they handle really well. Corner like they're on rails apparently.

I've been looking at train drivering for a few years - f*** my old boots, they don;t make it easy to get in to that industry.

Ive an interview coming up early stages yet but it means leaving the fire service and my 17 years worth of pension and being very very poor for a year if I manage to get a start.

I still imagine myself as one from time to time. Reality is sadly infintely more boring.

I tried it but failed the aptitude tests - just went completely off the rails

I failed my test on the 3 point turn. Apparently, you're not supposed to back up the same track the other way...

It's the balancing on the rails that gets me, I have trouble enough on my bike.

They turned me down because of a car accident.
Mind you, it was a really bad shunt.

[quote=pondo said]I've been looking at train drivering for a few years - f*** my old boots, they don;t make it easy to get in to that industry.

Jobs for the boys ?

Are you going to ask if you can toot my horn?

[i]Jobs for the boys ? [/i]

No. A mate got one of these jobs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-25035740

Basically they wanted folk who understand safety and take instruction. He was ex-Electricity Board on cables/power-lines etc.

Took about 7 days of time off to go through all the interviews/processes.

They turned me down because of a car accident.
Mind you, it was a really bad shunt

Iv'e always thought puns about trains made for decent two liners.

My stepson will be as long as he passes the medical next week. Did well on both interviews & tests. He's only 25 & fit & strong so the medical should go ok.
Freightliner, based in Leeds. They had 1500 applicants for 10 places.

They had 1500 applicants for 10 places

Must pay very well.

Good money with stress free life working as train driver if you can get in.

🙂

25 & fit & strong

Good money with stress free life working as train driver if you can get in.

Is it stress free enough to sleep on the job? Surely you can't have an entire rail system built on sleepers?

[quote=firestarter ]Ive an interview coming up early stages yet but it means leaving the fire service and my 17 years worth of pension and being very very poor for a year if I manage to get a start.

Or stay in FS and be poor for the rest of your career, who knows what will happen to the Rail industry now Bob has gone.

[quote=jon1973 said]
Is it stress free enough to sleep on the job? Surely you can't have an entire rail system built on sleepers?

[img] [/img]

I've been trying to come up with a witty comment to add to this thread, the punchline being "...I was pretty chuffed', but I ran out of steam.

Time flies by when you're the driver of a train, or so I'm led to believe.

Train drivers always sem to look bored shitless when pulling into stations, I've noticed.

[i]Ive an interview coming up early stages yet but it means leaving the fire service and my 17 years worth of pension and being very very poor for a year if I manage to get a start.
[/i]

You'll keep all your pension though, and get another Final-Salary Pension to boot.

bruneep my patience with the way we get treated In the fire service has finally gone. Ive had enough tbh if I dont get this I'll be looking elsewhere

jon1973 - Member

Is it stress free enough to sleep on the job?

Sleeping on the job? Does that happen to train driver? 😯

Surely you can't have an entire rail system built on sleepers?

I doubt there is enough passenger for sleepers unless the traveling time is more than 8 hrs. No?

The last sleepers I used was in Thailand ... bloody hell talking about slow ... but fun though.

p/s: just saw the "boom-tish!" above ... 😆 Okay okay ... I get it. Bloody train joke.

[quote=firestarter ]bruneep my patience with the way we get treated In the fire service has finally gone. Ive had enough tbh if I dont get this I'll be looking elsewhere

As has mine just counting the days down 2165 to go.

Train drivers always sem to look bored shitless when pulling into stations, I've noticed.

I'd be tempted to keep a collection of masks/strange headgear in the cab to wear when pulling into stations.

Bruneep im gonna have an extra 8 to do if I were to stay.

Br I would be trying to transfer the funds out as I wouldn't trust the gov to leave it alone. They have already destroyed my army pension

Anyway thanks for all the crap jokes 😉

[i]bruneep my patience with the way we get treated In the fire service has finally gone.[/i]

Is it worse than the Prison Service? I bet it's not.

stress free life working as train driver

You might want to run that idea past any drivers that have had suicides (or accidents).

Actually TOC train driver salary raises are a direct result of the Tory Government privatising the railways - Major Thatcher's legacy to us all.

[i]Br I would be trying to transfer the funds out as I wouldn't trust the gov to leave it alone. They have already destroyed my army pension[/i]

Tell me I'm wrong, but I understood that the Train Drivers pension was a Govt backed one too?

And tbh you should never amalgamate pensions - eggs and baskets...

edlong - Member

You might want to run that idea past any drivers that have had suicides (or accidents).

Accidents? Yes, there is a danger working in all transportation job.

Suicide has nothing to do with the job but rather the individuals themselves. i.e. their mental health.

I think he means people jumping in front of trains. Can't be nice for the driver.

Suicide has nothing to do with the job but rather the individuals themselves.

The think they were talking about people jumping in front of drivers trains, not the drivers topping themselves!

Br it may be but as soon as you stop paying into the fs one its pretty much worthless. But I get the idea with the eggs that's how my army one is worthless now

anyhow none of this addresses my problem

Cheers all 😉

esselgruntfuttock

Is it worse than the Prison Service? I bet it's not.

Should we really celebrating who has been done over most by the ConDems?

Yeah, sorry I meant drivers who experienced other people throwing themselves in front of their trains. My BIL is a train driver (not in the UK anymore though) and he's had colleagues' lives hugely affected by this.

Bru its the usual race to the bottom.

Then again the all new shiny Scottish FRS and R1 officials are doing most of the bad work for the UK gov at the moment.

Is it worse than the Prison Service? I bet it's not.

Got my interview coming up 😉

Keep up the pep talk

My brother in law just retired after 49 years as a train driver, don't think he misses the early starts.

Wages were very good though and believe the pension is also well worth having

Fireman to train driver - it's like Monty Python in reverse - lion tamer to accountant. 🙂

STOP on Red.

GO on Green,

Expect yellow/double yellow or flashing yellow to mean expect to stop soon on a Red.

gobuchul - Member

The think they were talking about people jumping in front of drivers trains, not the drivers topping themselves!

edlong - Member

Yeah, sorry I meant drivers who experienced other people throwing themselves in front of their trains. My BIL is a train driver (not in the UK anymore though) and he's had colleagues' lives hugely affected by this.

There is nothing they can do whatsoever if someone is determined to commit suicide by jumping in front of the train. (check out death by train on Youtube etc, seen that ... some of the bodies were quartered) Train driver can only do their best to stop in time. If the train driver is affected then they should seek counseling as the situation out of their control.

There's a recently retired driver at my depot who was at a counciling session for a suicide. Whilst out side having a fag during a break some one jumped to their death from the roof of the building he was stood outside and died on the pavement next to him. Shouldn't find it funny but....

Re the pension I think you can use your old pension to buy into the Railway pension. Some ex forces lads are already taking their pension while still working. Might be worth looking into?

[i]Is it worse than the Prison Service? I bet it's not.[/i]

[i]Got my interview coming up[/i]

Really, honestly?

I'm sure someone jumping out infront of your train aint pleasent, but I imagine if you are in the fire service you have probably seen far far worse.

Hats off to anyone in that job, the thought of the carnage they must come across doesn't bear thinking about.

Good luck Mick!
Hope it all pans out buddy.

Cheers nick . Yeah a stint in the army and then into the fire service im kinda used to dealing with fatalities