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Newbie help

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TheVicLine

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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.
 
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Firestarter

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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
Have you made your final choice yet? You going to GA or Arriva?
 

ComUtoR

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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 Firstly a 2011 Rulebook is out of date by many years and many many rules have been removed, reworded and added since then.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 That link is out of date.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 In fact checking the link its 2yrs out of date :/
 

Gooner18

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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 Firstly a 2011 Rulebook is out of date by many years and many many rules have been removed, reworded and added since then.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 That link is out of date.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 In fact checking the link its 2yrs out of date :/

Yeh I have been advised this as well via Private message , seemed a good idea at the time tho lol
 

ComUtoR

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BTU

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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.
 

Gooner18

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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.
 

BallastMonkey

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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.

Now that you break it down like that, it would be absurd and detrimental in many ways. Don't make this hard for yourself.
 

Firestarter

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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.

Depot Driver it is then
 

LCC106

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I agree - depot driver is the better option for you right now. Oh and never read ahead as you will be taught the rules in a specific way using scenarios for context.
 

387star

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Mental commute
Be better relocating to somewhere like Croydon or horley or Crawley outside London
 

Val3ntine

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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.
 

Gooner18

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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.

Hello mate , the times I have put are there and back to home , still a long journey I know
 
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I'd say that unless you're going to relocate its got to be the depot drivers job. Those driving times are way too long to sustain in the long term and you'll either end up having an incident at work or potentially as you're driving home tired.

I think you know what the best option is really!
 

Economist

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24 Feb 2013
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I live within walking distance of my depot and still feel tired now and again, the idea of a two-hour commute each way, in London traffic doesn't bear thinking about, even if it's at night when the roads are quiet.

If you've got a family, I'd take the depot driving job unless it's going to result in a serious pay cut. If you're single, I'd take the mainline role and rent a room near the depot.
 

baz962

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Mate , from London overground station Where you live to New cross gate is an hour by train and tube.
 

Gooner18

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En
Mate , from London overground station Where you live to New cross gate is an hour by train and tube.

Enfield town is the nearest London Overground station , however Gordon hill is the easier route
 

Gooner18

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I don’t have any kids yet lol , unfortunately relocating is not an option at the moment , both jobs offer more money and better conditions than my current job ( car mechanic)
 
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Just to add my two cents, work at New Cross Gate is extremely intense, often running on restrictive signals for much of the shift, add in over 160 stops every day and very short turnarounds will be mentally tiring so bare that in mind for commuting a far distance away, also most jobs are around 9 hours plus due to there being a 4 day week in place
 

baz962

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Its a four day 34 hour week , not a four day 40 hour week
 
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