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How To Become A Train Driver Book And DVD
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The Train Driver Training Process - Classroom TrainingOnce you have passed your medical, you may have to wait several months for an offer of employment. You may never receive one. In this situation it's advisable to call the HR department monthly, to politely let them know you are still here, and still interested. If a Train Driver vacancy were to arrive 6 months after your medical, they may just assume you are no longer interested, so it really pays dividends to continually remind them of your presence. But don't become a pest, or you might get left at the back of the desk drawer. The offer of employment finally arrives, and you keenly turn up for your first day at work, what can you expect? Well, about a year of training, during which you will be on a trainee train driver salary of circa £20,000 which isn't too shabby, all considering. This will be composed of about 4 to 5 months classroom based training before you even get to move a train, and about 6 months practical handling during which you will actually get to drive trains! My class contained 12 trainees, most of which were external candidates like myself, with no prior railway experience. They were an interesting mix of people, but they all had one thing in common - a serious and professional approach to the training. You really do have to make the most of it, as some of it can be quite confusing and difficult to grasp. Your first day Congratulations, you made it! You are now a Trainee Train Driver, the next 12 months will be about removing the "Trainee" part from the job title. On your first day you will most likely spend a couple of hours at you home depot being given the tour by your manager. You will also be issued with your equipment, uniform, and publications such as the rule book and sectional appendix. You will be given your timetable for the year ahead, and told what's expected of you. Onwards and upwards The rest of your first week will be an introduction to the railway. You will complete a 2 days PTS - personal track safety course which certifies you to walk on the tracks safely. You may also visit signalboxes and main stations with your classroom, be given a fire and first aid training session, and a brief outline of what the rest of the course entails. The classroom training will focus on two areas: Rules and regulations of the railway, and Traction. Railway rules and regulations The first few weeks will be an introduction to the rules, and network rail rule book. You will be given handouts on each topic, and begin to get a grasping of how the railway operates. After this, you will delve deeper into the core rules. Everything from signalling systems, what to do in an emergency, and defensive driving, to personal safety, shunting movements, and single line working. Pretty much every eventuality is covered in the rule book. Before you even set foot in a cab, you will be trained in every aspect of life as a train driver. Front end turns Scattered throughout your training, you will spend a few weeks paired up with a Train Driver instructor, and will ride around with them as they go about their duties. This will give you a good picture of what goes on in the cab, and you will get to see things you have been learning in the classroom put into practice. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions, but remember cab etiquette! Something you will be taught about before going out... Traction training After you have completed the rules and regulations training, you will stay in the classroom for 1 month of traction training. This is simply training on how the train works, specific to the train that you will be driving. This section of the course can be quite mechanically based, and you begin to appreciate why the mechanical comprehension test is in the assessment centre. You will study how the train works, the safety systems present, fault finding, and fault resolution. The idea is to get you familiar with the workings of the train, and able to fix faults without calling out fitters where possible. This will in turn save time and reduce train cancellations. Once you have been through you front end turns, rules and regulations training, and traction training, you are ready for your practical training, where you finally get to drive trains. Now the fun begins!... |
