MichelleFrance
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Hi All, I am at present in my training as a conductor for Man Pic. I was just wondering how you learnt your routes. I know everyone learns differently, I was just looking for idea's 
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Route learning
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Hi All, I am at present in my training as a conductor for Man Pic. I was just wondering how you learnt your routes. I know everyone learns differently, I was just looking for idea's
How was your first week? and what can I expect in the first week?
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TOCDriver
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Hi All, I am at present in my training as a conductor for Man Pic. I was just wondering how you learnt your routes. I know everyone learns differently, I was just looking for idea's
Do what your TOC instructs you to do and learn your literature
156441
Member
You learn them by doing several trips over them with a pre printed crib sheet of what they want you to know. At the end of the specified number of trips you get given a blank crib sheet and are expected to fill it in.
Without looking they want you to know.
All stations en route
All stations that have platform starting signals
Platforms with weird or potential 'problem' signals (or off indicators and the like)
Platforms with large gaps or where safety information should be announced to passengers.
Major junctions
Line names (up/down/goods etc)
Level crossings
Viaducts
Tunnels
Some shunt moves where you will be involved.
Each person has there own learning style.
Some can just learn the crib sheet parrot fashion.
I like to draw the route out all colourful like a map and add bits to it as I 'work' along the route.
You'll be very well supported though so don't worry!
Without looking they want you to know.
All stations en route
All stations that have platform starting signals
Platforms with weird or potential 'problem' signals (or off indicators and the like)
Platforms with large gaps or where safety information should be announced to passengers.
Major junctions
Line names (up/down/goods etc)
Level crossings
Viaducts
Tunnels
Some shunt moves where you will be involved.
Each person has there own learning style.
Some can just learn the crib sheet parrot fashion.
I like to draw the route out all colourful like a map and add bits to it as I 'work' along the route.
You'll be very well supported though so don't worry!
Mattmatt
Member
The first route you'll learn is Hadfield; that'll be done in your pass out with a CTM;
Then depending on what conductor trainer you have, it could be any of the routes out of Picc, for me it was Sheffield, along with a rideout from a CTM too; then you'll wizz through routes; & doing the odd job here & there on the routes you've signed.
As for learning the routes; do it your own way; but write them down so you've got them to hand if you need them. (I still carry them in my bag)
The hardest (from my point of view) was Liverpool; as it's not a route you'll do all the time, and the stopping pattern is all over the place. I think I've worked more trains from LIV than too LIV.
Make sure you hand your completed route learning sheets to a Trainer or a CTM face to face! DO NOT leave them on their desk in the hope that they'll find them & mark them! (my Airport route sheet went walkies & had to do it all again!)
But you will be well supported in the learning process.
Then depending on what conductor trainer you have, it could be any of the routes out of Picc, for me it was Sheffield, along with a rideout from a CTM too; then you'll wizz through routes; & doing the odd job here & there on the routes you've signed.
As for learning the routes; do it your own way; but write them down so you've got them to hand if you need them. (I still carry them in my bag)
The hardest (from my point of view) was Liverpool; as it's not a route you'll do all the time, and the stopping pattern is all over the place. I think I've worked more trains from LIV than too LIV.
Make sure you hand your completed route learning sheets to a Trainer or a CTM face to face! DO NOT leave them on their desk in the hope that they'll find them & mark them! (my Airport route sheet went walkies & had to do it all again!)
But you will be well supported in the learning process.
Hi All, I am at present in my training as a conductor for Man Pic. I was just wondering how you learnt your routes. I know everyone learns differently, I was just looking for idea's
The way I did it was to draw maps of each station on each route from "on site visits" as it will and just learned them. So not only did I just look at station but had to take details to map it later.
Also remember to draw your own attention to risks. Just because something isn't in your paperwork doesn't mean its a risk. I can think of one station where our paperwork said be aware of the canopy but didn't mention that one a two or three car unit the starter is easy to see but didn't note that on a 153 the signal is invisible!
As to actual stations I was lucky, I can memorise lists very easily but where you have problems try and find patterns. I had real problems getting Thetford and Brandon the right way round, then noticed from Norwich you get Tuberculosis! Or Chelmsford, Ingatestone, Shenfield, Brentwood, Harold Wood, Gidea Park, Romford, Chadwell Heath. An unbroken run of Geography names!
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