This is a blog written by a new recruit to ‘One’ railways in West Anglia (now National Express East Anglia) who joined the railway in March 2005 after several years in other jobs. The experiences are typical of what can be expected at a passenger TOC and cover his experiences from interview to passing out nearly a year later, then his first few months as a qualified driver. It was written both to illustrate the training process and to provide information and encouragement to other trainees and people considering train driving as a career.
Many thanks to the author for allowing me to display this blog.
UPDATE: As of 2016, this blog now also includes the latest industry news and free advice for those wanting to get into the rail industry.The last entry from the trainee train driver training series can be found here: http://www.traindriver.org/springwatch/ We have 100s of insightful posts!
Lost in a haze
As is often the case this time of year, there was a wee bit of fog about yesterday evening which made for a new experience. Unfortunately, due to railway lines having to be fairly flat they were often built in the bottoms of river valleys close to water, making them prone to becoming fog-bound. Our … Continue reading Lost in a haze
Pulling my chain
Boy, what an interesting evening. I have counted myself quite lucky that everything so far has gone well and I’ve not had to deal with any problems. However, all that went out of the window today. It all started innocuously enough, with a pulled passcom (communication cord) on my first run up to London . … Continue reading Pulling my chain
Two steps forward, one step back
I am very pleased to report that I and my colleagues have finally finished the last part of classroom training that our job requires. From here on, we are no longer under the auspices of the Hornsey training school. This last part was a SPAD Awareness and Route Risk course. I was initially worried how … Continue reading Two steps forward, one step back
Slip sliding away
Given today’s date, I would have thought that we would have been well into the throes of autumn by now. However, when I look out of my window all I can see are ranks of trees covered in lush green leaves. Even today’s high winds have failed to dislodge very many. We’re supposed to be … Continue reading Slip sliding away
Trick or treat
Actually, there are only ‘treats’ to report so far. Last week, the wife and I had ourselves a little holiday in a cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. The idea was that we would rest, relax and recharge our batteries after what has seemed a very long and busy year so far. From my own … Continue reading Trick or treat
I’m a failure
Well, it’s finally happened. I’ve failed a train. Given my previous ‘Jonah Complex’ I’m surprised it’s taken this long. It was actually something of an anticlimax when it finally happened. Predictably it had to be a door fault on a Class 315 rather than anything more spectacular, but safety first…!! We were at Hackney Downs … Continue reading I’m a failure
Pillar to post
Things have been fairly quiet of late, so there hasn’t been much to report. I’ve been shuttling up and down the West Anglia routes at the control of various services, making my stops, doing PA announcements and generally keeping out of the way. It’s been quite nice. There was one day last week when the … Continue reading Pillar to post
Getting the hump
Apologies once again, dear reader, for not updating the blog over the last couple of weeks. I have been busy racking up the hours at the controls, which I am still pleased to report is going well. As I’m getting familiar with the actual driving of trains I’m having to concentrate less on it, which … Continue reading Getting the hump
Comedy of errors
I’m very pleased to say that my minder driving is going very well indeed and that I’m enjoying it very much. The initial nervousness has now all but gone, and even two return trips out to Enfield Town in a Class 315 hasn’t dampened my spirits. Being on late turns this week, I’ve had my … Continue reading Comedy of errors
Eyes like saucers
Today is a day to remember, as it was our first day driving with our minders. Never mind shuttling up and down a siding or getting a brief drive, this was a full turn of duty with stops, passengers and a timetable to keep. It would have been nice if they’d broken us in gently, … Continue reading Eyes like saucers
