Getting on to the railway ladder.

NickBrad · Post by **NickBrad** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 11:23 pm

Sorry if this has been covered before, (the search function didn't come up with anything,) but I want a career as a train driver, but I really don't know where to start.

I realise I will need to start lower down and work my way up, but getting onto the ladder seems to be the hard part right now. I live in March, about 25 miles away from Peterborough and I'm hoping people can point me in the right direction. Please don't say "check Central Trains website" or whatever as I've already been there and it wasn't very helpful. Also, my interest is more freight than passenger work.

delticmatt100 · Post by **delticmatt100** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 8:43 am

if i get time at work today at tothale stn il try fish out a adresss where ud need to send cv to ok

tc

matty

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 9:13 am

I think Whitemore is Network Rail, so see if there's anything available in NR. Alternatively, you've got the usual EWS/Freightliner etc places to look.

It's how I got my job!

NickBrad · Post by **NickBrad** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 9:46 am

Yes, Whitemoor is Network Rail, but enquiries have led to nothing.

I did plan to get a job there when they first opened, but they decided to advertise in the Library of all places instead of the job centre and with me living out of town I never realised. EWS and Freightliner have no suitable vacancies at this time.

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:14 am

Don't bother with Network Rail, we do tracks, not trains, but send your details to EWS, Freightliner, and don't forget GBRf as well.

A couple of years ago EWS advertised for loads of trainee drivers, but apparently they had about 5x as many applicants (me included!) as positions on the training coarse! It's worth trying to get any position with a Freight company as it'll give you a better chance if any trainee driving jobs do come available.

NickBrad · Post by **NickBrad** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 10:34 am

spartacus wrote:Don't bother with Network Rail, we do tracks, not trains....

A trip to Network Rail's site confirmed that

I don't think I'd mind that much where I started working, after all as long as I'm in the industry somewhere it will count for something, wouldn't it? I can still register with companies whilst working a different job within the railways and then transfer if a career path does present itself.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:18 am

Actually, NR do trains, though not in the same sense as EWS et al. What do you want to end up doing? Just being in the industry won't necessarily help a lot with being a driver - a lot of the candidates when I went to a driver aptitude test thing (where I failed on attention span...) were bus drivers.

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:20 am

May own a few but operates none.

What's the attention span test involve by the way?

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:10 pm

When I did it, it was a load of dots, in groups of 2-6, various patterns. I had to go through and highlight all the groups of 4. There were 3 or 4 different patterns of each number (if that makes sense - a square, a diamond, an L, that kind of thing made from 4 dots). There were about 5 pages of dots, and I was on the 3rd page when I discovered a new pattern of dots that I'd missed on the previous 2 pages. And you couldn't go back when you realised you'd made a mistake. There's no secret to doing it, you just have to be able to concentrate, and do it quickly. I was really annoyed because the instructor bloke said I had sailed through all the other parts of the test hardly dropping a point!

Not too bothered now, because I really don't have the attention span to be a train driver.

NR does operate trains - they hire in the staff to do so, though. Rather like steam dreams hiring in EWS drivers for their charters. But that's probably hair splitting.

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:16 pm

arabiandisco wrote:NR does operate trains - they hire in the staff to do so, though. Rather like steam dreams hiring in EWS drivers for their charters. But that's probably hair splitting.

Don't tell the SRA! It would be illegal for NR to operate any trains! Technically I think it's Serco who operate the trains on NR's behalf.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:40 pm

I won't... Perhaps technically (to use the example I chose before) EWS are the legal "operators" of Steam Dreams' trains then. Or FMRail. Or whoever's not on strike this week.

One of the correct answers to the question "who operates trains?" at my PTS course was Network Rail, though. Bearing in mind that everything that moves on rails is classed as a train, so that would include unimogs and other road-railers, which only get an outing under a posession, therefore licensed "operators" in the sense of EWS etc are not necessary as the rules of a posession are different to the rules of normal operation.

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:43 pm

Yes, then, if you're including unimogs etc!

NickBrad · Post by **NickBrad** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:00 pm

Stupid question, but what's a Unimog?

I do eventually want to be a driver so maybe I should wait until I can get a job 'on' the trains. There's no point working as platform staff or something like that if it won't help me at all.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 3:42 pm

That's a unimog. Or one example of one. It's a 4 wheel drive off road version of a transit, basically, that also has railway wheel attachements available on the options list. Made by Mercedes.

Platform staff might help, but obviously not if you want to drive freigh trains - the freight companies aren't going to care too much about that kind of experience. You'd stand a better chance if you went on the path to being a guard.

danielw2599 · Post by **danielw2599** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 9:08 pm

Hi

I also want to be a driver (when Im old enough

) and at the moment I work for NR as a crossing keeper. I know its not much but future employers are probably more likley to hire someone with some railway background.

Ive just had an interview with GBRf for the position of ATM (Shunter) so hopefully ill hear back soon.

You should forget about Freightliner as they ONLY take experienced people. My advise is... get what ever job you can on the railway and take it from there. AFAIK when trainee driving jobs get advertised to the general public the TOC/FOC gets a tonne of applicants.

At least if your already on the railway you will make connections and you will have some experience, be it rules and regs or safety.

Hope this helps and good luck.

Daniel