Recent content by steverailer

Not soon enough, lots of lads and lasses on the MML have been given their notice this week as the job starts to wind down. Add these to the other highly skilled teams who are currently out of work. Unless something is started in the next 12 months at the latest, a lot of skill, expertise and...

You'll not see a lineguard on RC or ATF as I don't think they are available, I've never seen one in 7 years as a linesman. (Just found them on OLEMI though) Possibly down to the bigger cross section of the wire and less tension in the wire. As your, more than likely earthing up for overheads...

As has been said, sometimes its the span wire to the mast, but also the LDV to the middle span wire. If doing this please make sure that the middle span wire has a line guard (extra wire wrapped around the span wire) before you earth up. If not it can short and strand the wire leading to...

Quite simply, other than disruptive weekend blocks, you can only get 3-4 hours of usable working time on track on a Saturday night. Even then some lines are required to stay open limiting what can be done. Midweek is a no go at all, as by the time its earthed up its time to hand back. Leeds is a...

Not sure I understand what pressure they may have been under. A safe system was in place for the job to be done, they decided to go against that system and get the work completed early thus bypassing the safe system that was put into place (line blockages in the afternoon). We're not talking...

The 'Person in Charge' role is another none job and doesn't add anything to either the safety or completion of the work. Safe work leader was not adopted by NWR, but most of the contractor jobs are. Regards red and green, as I say I haven't done much Red (probably 5 shifts over 8 years on the...

Is some of this down to the public's need for 24 hour travel? Possessions seem to be getting shorter and more costly, so more work is undertaken under red zone. Luckily, the section of the industry I'm in works very rarely under Red zone (after all we need the juice off to work on the wires)...

TBH, if its a maintenance depot then you'll be bored on OLE. From what I've seen when assisting them they mostly do basic maintenance checks with very little actual work required other than a visual. Also rip downs are, luckily, few and far between so not much real hands on stuff. Of the 3...

This will seem a simple basic stupid question to most, but I very rarely travel by train. Looking at a ticket from Chesterfield to Leeds for Tuesday next week, Need to be in Leeds for 0845 and then travel back in the evening around 1900 (not sure exact time as going out for food and drinks...

Congratulations, definitely a good choice (but I am biased as a linesman myself, not NWR but a contractor :smile::smile: ) Most depot's you'll need to go into the depot before and after the work, but its all allowed for in your overall working time. Depending what your depot is will depend on...

Come on, he's applying to NOT WORK RAIL lol not some agency/contractor lol. Don't know about track rats but have seen the OLE rosters and they are rostered for roughly 50% work days per year, they can then work their 'off' days as overtime if they wish.

Working for a contractor to NWR our shifts vary week to week an example of the last few weeks Week 1 Saturday night shift at Crewe at 2100 travelled as only an hour away Sunday off Monday 1400 Staff meeting in office 1 hour away Tuesday-Thursday 2100 Wembley stay in hotel travel home after...

On Zero hours contracts I fully agree, but unfortunately in the current climate its an employers market as there are that many people looking for work so they juggle the staff around to give as many as they can a small slice. Plus zero hours means less burden on the agency so more profit. As the...

Once again the shortsightedness of the Govt/NWR will lead to a serious lack of skill in the industry. The current lack of CP6 work starting and the lack of OLE work in CP6 is meaning that skilled staff are having to look elsewhere for work. I know of some long served top linesmen who cannot find...

Is everyone assuming that this is the only works being carried out on this weekend?? No doubt most other lines will have some sort of works happening, thus lowering their capacity. I'm guessing they'll be some closures on the MML for the electrification work, along with some on the WCML.