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Depot driver position.

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steveo

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19 Jul 2012
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I was wondering if anyone could give me any insight into the role of driver operator, i have applied for the position and would like to know what the job is like. also in your opinion is this a good way of geting into mainline driving? the role is based at northern newton heath depot.
 
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shroeder

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No knowledge to share personally but just wanted to say good luck with your application! I was pondering whether to apply as Newton Heath would be very handy for me but in the end I didn't leave enough time to complete a good application.
 

steveo

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No knowledge to share personally but just wanted to say good luck with your application! I was pondering whether to apply as Newton Heath would be very handy for me but in the end I didn't leave enough time to complete a good application.

Cheers mate fingers crossed I'll hear back soon.
 

skinnymat

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21 Jul 2012
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I have applied for this as well steveo and like you would like to know a bit more info on the position.
I'm completely new to this and fancy a career change, so I thought I would apply.
Not sure I will get anywhere with the application but it looked a good position to try to get my foot in the door with the TOC's so I thought I would give it a try.

Good luck with your application as well.
 

Beveridges

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Salary is currently £30k pending a late pay rise. £50k is possible with overtime. Full pay is recieved while training.
The shifts depend on which link you go into but the main link has 8 night turns (all 11 or 12 hrs), 2 morning and 2 afternoon turns. There was a link that used to be permenant nights, where you did all the fuelling and toilet tanking for the night, and positioning units on the fuel rig. New starters used to go into it. Not sure if it still exists.
Whatever link you go into, this is a very busy role when on nights.
Depot Driving is different to Mainline in that it involves a lot of other tasks thrown in other than Driving. You spend a lot of time ground shunting/pulling points and preparing units that are going into mainline service.
Theres typically a lot of verbal communication involved all done by hand held radio, lots of getting on/off different units, Depot Drivers do a lot of couple/uncouple, fault finding, you regularly do moves like propelling, hauling units with brakes isolated, splitting units/putting them back together, and moving vehicles from split units. Depot Drivers also fuel and tank units.
You drive units through the wash plant, drive units with outstanding repairs into shed buildings, take units out of shed buildings to either prep for mainline service or to hold out of the way awaiting further repairs.
Depot Driving has a lot of working outdoors, and a lot of walking, you probably do 5 to 8 miles of walking per night, and countless times you have to climb up or down units.
On Depot Driving you get instructed what to do by a operations team leader by radio. Thats what depots have instead of a signaller. However once you've got the instructions it is up to you how to avoid conflicting with other moves, which you get all night, then it all comes down to radio communication with other operators & deciding how you are going to work around the conflicting moves.
The training for depot driving is very hard but it is a lot better once that is out of the way with.
Traction at this depot is 142, 144, 150, 153, 155, 156, 158.
If you get an Interview do not mention that you want to go Mainline, they want people who actually want to be a Depot Driver and stay there. Of cause once you've got the role and you want to move on, then nothing is going to stop you applying for Mainline, just dont mention it in the Interview. They have lost quite a few of their depot drivers to the mainline grade and the management at the depot dont like it when people use this job as a stepping stone.
Of cause theres also a lot of depot drivers who prefer the depot to the mainline and chose stay where they are.
 
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steveo

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Cheers Skinnymat best of luck to mate.

Thanks beveridges great to hear from someone with actual experience in this role and knows what there talking about, certainly helped me with a better understands of the job.
 

Beveridges

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Late payrise is unknown but I would expect it to push the basic salary to over 31k. If you need more money there is an almost unlimited amount of overtime available. Due to the long shifts it is an average of only 3 nights a week excluding overtime.
 
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skinnymat

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21 Jul 2012
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Thanks Beveridges for helping to explain the role. Looks to me to be a varied and hands on role that sounds brilliant and just what I am looking for.

Been in the print industry for the last 25 years and have decided that I need a career change and the railways is where I want to go, whether it be driving or maybe another role.

I will keep looking and applying until I hopefully get my foot in the door.

Just logged in and my application has changed to:
On Hold After New Application

Anyone any ideas on what this could mean?
 

steveo

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19 Jul 2012
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Just logged in and my application has changed to:
On Hold After New Application

Anyone any ideas on what this could mean?

Mine is the same,it just means they have received your application and it's on hold untill they have reached there decision to shortlist you or not.
Have not received an email off them saying thank you for your application and when to expect to hear back from them.?
 
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skinnymat

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21 Jul 2012
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Mine is the same,it just means they have received your application and it's on hold untill they have reached there decision to shortlist you or not.
Have not received an email off them saying thank you for your application and when to expect to hear back from them.?

Thanks again steveo. Just checked the email and it says it could take up to 4 weeks to hear back. Fingers crossed.
 

skinnymat

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Email just come through and passed first online assessment. Another waiting game now for shortlisting stage. Fingers crossed.
 

es373

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Thanks Beveridges for helping to explain the role. Looks to me to be a varied and hands on role that sounds brilliant and just what I am looking for.

Been in the print industry for the last 25 years and have decided that I need a career change and the railways is where I want to go, whether it be driving or maybe another role.

I will keep looking and applying until I hopefully get my foot in the door.

Just logged in and my application has changed to:
On Hold After New Application

Anyone any ideas on what this could mean?


I'm from the print industry too! Press operator and flexo print finisher! Good times!

Shunting isn't the greatest work thats around as you will be emptying the effluent tanks too. The railway needs more train maintenance crew! Come and join us!
 

Beveridges

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Shunting isn't the greatest work thats around as you will be emptying the effluent tanks too.

Shunting/depot driving is great work. No other operational role is as varied or enjoyable, based on what I have seen, and Ive seen a lot. It involves a lot of working outdoors which is good, and theres a decent variety of work and none of it is that bad, as long as your rotated between jobs often enough (ie. not stuck on fuel/CET for weeks on end, which is only fun for so long, but that only happens to the depot drivers who have incidents and have to be given non driving duties).
Only downside is prepping units in the early hours o the morning due to fatigue but that's due to the shifts. Besides that the crap tanks only need emptying on 158s they're the only northern diesel unit that has them.
Your left alone in this role at night, you can do what you want, very rarely any management around so you won't get any aggro over minor things
Yes this job has bad shifts, which is the only real downside, but what operational role doesn't?
 
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MR_P

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I'm hoping to get in this job, I'm looking forward to it for all the reasons Beveridges mentions, after being IT manager for 12 years stuck in same office staring at computer code I'm slowly going mad.
 

deltabravo

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4 Apr 2011
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Shunting/depot driving is great work. No other operational role is as varied or enjoyable, based on what I have seen, and Ive seen a lot. It involves a lot of working outdoors which is good, and theres a decent variety of work and none of it is that bad, as long as your rotated between jobs often enough (ie. not stuck on fuel/CET for weeks on end, which is only fun for so long, but that only happens to the depot drivers who have incidents and have to be given non driving duties).

If you were to work as a cleaner on nights, trust me, been put on CET duties is brilliant, especially on Saturday night(less chance of having to clean up puke or p*ss)
 
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Beveridges

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CET isnt as bad as it sounds, the fuelling/water tank replenishment is where the hard work is as every vehicle/unit that comes on needs it (and that's a very lot of units) and the fittings are awkward to say the least and you don't get much of a break.
 

es373

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It's not as bad as it sounds until you get a blow back! This is one of the jobs I hate lol
 

Beveridges

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Splash backs with the fuel are much more common than the CET.
If you get covered in either at least it means you can get off the fuel rig for an hour while you have a shower and get changed.
The fuel rig is the worst part of a depot drivers job but it only plays a relatively minor role and every other aspect of the job is good and getting on the fuel rig every so often is just a change from the usual depot driving/ground shunting/prep/DP duties. Thats unless you end up on the fuel rig for several weeks in a row, thats when people really start to get sick of it.
 
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deltabravo

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Splash backs with the fuel are much more common than the CET.
If you get covered in either at least it means you can get off the fuel rig for an hour while you have a shower and get changed.
The fuel rig is the worst part of a depot drivers job but it only plays a relatively minor role and every other aspect of the job is good and getting on the fuel rig every so often is just a change from the usual depot driving/ground shunting/prep/DP duties. Thats unless you end up on the fuel rig for several weeks in a row, thats when people really start to get sick of it.

Its worse when its p*ssing it down when tanking, as the crap gets everywhere on your coat.

The idea of Depot driver does appeal to me, and I would like to think that working nights in my current job would prepare me well to a certain extent. Now its just waiting for a vacancy to turn up...
 

Beveridges

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Working nights is the hardest thing about it so coming from a night role will make it the transition much easier. Nothing is harder than training for a new job while struggling to get used to the new shifts at the same time, that's what I found incredibly hard for sure, as I came from a day based job to a night one
 

GB

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Do you have proper, designated PPE for duties such a fueling and tanking?
 

185

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Tanked many a 155/156 at Bradford Interchange.

Also set off at 50mph with the hose still attached on many a 155/156.
 

es373

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Do you have proper, designated PPE for duties such a fueling and tanking?

Yes. face shield, chemical resistant suit, wellies with caps, breathing mask and of course.. gloves...

Bit of a pointless comment really because it doesn't matter how much trigene youve got in the tank, you can still catch things from turds.
I really don't think that any ToC would risk this.

Setting off with hoses attached! Oh yes, never good when this happens as it rips the tank in half.
 

Beveridges

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PPE for tanking and fuelling at Blackpool or NH. Apart from safety boots, HV Vest and gloves, the rest is optional. Gas mask, ear muffs, overalls, wellies, boiler suit all available but are optional and most are rarely used. Though our CET equipment is a lot less prone to making a mess than the sound of the equipment 333guy talks about. Its mainly the fuelling side of the job where its difficult not to get any on you. Seen many driver operators with overalls/HV covered in diesel after a night on the fuel rig. In most cases getting fuel/toilet waste on anything other than boots is avoidable if you dont rush and use correct technique, at least with our equipment.
 
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skinnymat

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21 Jul 2012
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Anyone heard anything more?? Been over the four weeks they said, so not looking good for me :(


I'm from the print industry too! Press operator and flexo print finisher! Good times!

Shunting isn't the greatest work thats around as you will be emptying the effluent tanks too. The railway needs more train maintenance crew! Come and join us!

Would love to get into the maintenance side if this doesn't pan out.
Any tips on how?
 

es373

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Goto the Eurostar Careers site and submit your CV to the engineering talent pool. Express that you are willing to learn and want to learn.
Do a bit of background research on railway infrastructure and how trains generally work.. wont be a bad thing to get to be able to identify components on trains.
 

skinnymat

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Thanks torquewrench but im based up in Lancashire and unable to relocate at the minute.

Anyone heard anything back from Northern or is it still a waiting game for everyone??
 
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