TheVicLine
Member
I would stay well away from the rule book at this stage. They like to teach you in a specific order, we were told not to read it when I did my training and I think we only got it after a couple of months.
Mate have a look at this online one, it's up to date:Been given this rule book to have a ganders at , it’s a 2011 one but hopefully should give me a bit of a head start
Mate have a look at this online one, it's up to date:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/GERM8000-traindriver Iss 2.pdf#page365
Have you made your final choice yet? You going to GA or Arriva?Cheers mate, I started to look at the book I got, no one of it really made sense lol, so will stick to the safety side and signals side of it and hope the other parts make sense during training lol
NEVER NEVER NEVER read ahead. Its very stupid. Firstly a 2011 Rulebook is out of date by many years and many many rules have been removed, reworded and added since then. It has also gone through a major change with various tranche updates.
There is also a major reason why you shouldn't accept advice from this forum about getting a step ahead. That link is out of date. It is NOT up to date. Please don't use it. In fact checking the link its 2yrs out of date :/
Have you made your final choice yet? You going to GA or Arriva?
Mate have a look at this online one, it's up to date:
https://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/GERM8000-traindriver Iss 2.pdf#page365
Dont even waste your time thinking you could pull off a commute of that nature it would only be a question of time before you make a mistake, drivers are always talking about fatigue you are always tired when you do shift work, why would you do that to yourself? my advice is the nearer to home you can work the better and depot driver is not a bad job at all and sooner or later you will get the chance to go mainline.Good evening all hope we are all well , just after a bit of advice , I have recently been offered two jobs , one trainee mainline driver with Arriva ( London overground ) the other trainee train depot driver ( greater Anglia).
The main line drivers role will be based at New Cross Gate , was originally meant to be Willesden depot but they had filled all vacancies there , the depot one is in Ilford.
For me to get to New Cross it’s a minimum 3 hour journey there and back by car, once it took over 5 hours simply because I am in north London so have to travel through or around London, where as Ilford takes 30 -40 mins each way. Clearly the pay is not as good being a depot driver compared to main line ( although it’s still more than I am on now ) I am really stuck on what to do the commute to and from new cross worries me as I know punctuation is everything , plus I don’t want to be tired doing such a safety critical role. the people at illford all seemed really friendly, yet I know it’s few and far between to get a main line job.
Thoughts and advice please.
Many thanks.
Dont even waste your time thinking you could pull off a commute of that nature it would only be a question of time before you make a mistake, drivers are always talking about fatigue you are always tired when you do shift work, why would you do that to yourself? my advice is the nearer to home you can work the better and depot driver is not a bad job at all and sooner or later you will get the chance to go mainline.
I have done quite a few runs 2 by train and 4 by car , all 6 routes are different
Both rail routes take roughly the same as each other around 2 half hours there and back , although did have a train break down on me once lol. so took over 3
4 routes :
M25, then A2 into new cross gate mileage 102 miles there and back , time taken on average there and back around 4 hours.
A406, A12 or A13 into the Rotherhithe tunnel and onto new cross gate , mileage 45 miles there and back , average time about 3 half hours.
A406, A13 , Blackwall tunnel onto New Cross Gate , mileage same as above around 45mile, average time about 4 hours
A10 , across tower bridge onto New Cross Gate , mileage around 30 there and back , average time about 3 half hours there and back.
When do you have to make your final choice either way by?No not yet
I have done quite a few runs 2 by train and 4 by car , all 6 routes are different
Both rail routes take roughly the same as each other around 2 half hours there and back , although did have a train break down on me once lol. so took over 3
4 routes :
M25, then A2 into new cross gate mileage 102 miles there and back , time taken on average there and back around 4 hours.
A406, A12 or A13 into the Rotherhithe tunnel and onto new cross gate , mileage 45 miles there and back , average time about 3 half hours.
A406, A13 , Blackwall tunnel onto New Cross Gate , mileage same as above around 45mile, average time about 4 hours
A10 , across tower bridge onto New Cross Gate , mileage around 30 there and back , average time about 3 half hours there and back.
That commute is bad mate, like I mean there’s stretching it then there’s what you’re proposing, its too much. Commuting is very important for the role you’re going for. Imagine a 4/5pm start, you’re going to have to drive in but through rush hour. All that stress of london traffic and sitting in your car for what 3/4 hours?! And then driving a train until 1am at night, it’s an incident waiting to happen honestly, the risks are bad enough for train drivers as it is and that’s even well very much well rested. It’s an ongoing daily battle to make it through each shift that’s just the way the job is.
Look you will be initially @ Swiss cottage for classroom training anyway, lets say 2/3 months, it will be office based hours so commutable by train, u have from now until the back end of that 3 months which depending on your start date could be a good couple of months to find a place and move etc. It’s a hassle I know but you have the grace of time which is good, not like you have to rush.
I know it will be worth it because the fact you’re even considering that type of commute shows how much you want it.
When do you have to make your final choice either way by?
I wouldnt go depot driving if offered mainline just relocate
Mate , from London overground station Where you live to New cross gate is an hour by train and tube.
Its a four day 34 hour week , not a four day 40 hour week
Mate , from London overground station Where you live to New cross gate is an hour by train and tube.
En
Enfield town is the nearest London Overground station , however Gordon hill is the easier route