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Yeovil Junction- New Starters

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pickledonion88

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5 Oct 2019
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Salisbury
Hi everyone, just wondering if anyone else is due to start working at Yeovil Junction? I start my guard training in a few weeks. Can anyone give me an idea of what to expect regarding the training? I can’t wait to start! Cheers :D
 
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pompeyfan

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24 Jan 2012
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First couple of days will be corporate welcome, what the company do, company ethos etc and also collect uniform.

From day 3 you’ll be up the ROC, first few days are disability and also conflict awareness, you’ll then do basic rail, what’s a signal, what’s a set of points etc.

next will be personal track safety, how to keep yourself and others safe in the event you need to go on the track.

next you’ll do the really intense, rules etc and some practical handling doing the job and learning your depots core traction (diesel units). Finally after 6 weeks you’ll have a 200 question exam where there’s very little margin for error.

Once you get your train working licence, you’ll be based at your depot where you’ll learn routes. You’ll be expected to know which stations are not step free access, which stations have starter signals, off indicators, stations with short platforms (especially important for diesel stock with manual selective door opening) any unusual operating procedures (Yeovil - Weymouth for example).

Each section of route is broken into chunks, so Salisbury - Waterloo is assessed as Waterloo - Clapham, Clapham - Woking, Woking - Basingstoke and Basingstoke - Salisbury.

After you’ve signed all your routes (you’ll probably start off in the bottom link with only core routes) you’ll do a few turns shadowing and eventually you’ll be productive.

it’s a lot to take in but they don’t set you up to fail, do the revision, put the effort in and you’ll be okay, it’s not in their interests to fail you during training.

there’s probably bits I’ve forgotten such as the 2 week commercial course, but this has been typed while walking to work.

And remember, 3 T’s and a dog sandwich;)
 

pompeyfan

Established Member
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4,181
GWR teach that as 3 Ts and a jam sandwhich (probably more realistic? Lol)....I got a few funny looks when I said about SWR’s version :E

Yes I can imagine, but strangely it makes much more sense! We were also taught to enjoy DCAF
 

baz962

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3,280
Ah ok , do guards do that too. I was taught 4 t's , no mention of a sandwich though lol.
 

Stigy

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6 Nov 2009
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Ah ok , do guards do that too. I was taught 4 t's , no mention of a sandwich though lol.
Yeah, the dog is Diverging Junction, although we just leave the ‘diverging’ bit off to save the dog and replace him for jam for our mnemonic :E

It’s a PTS thing rather than role specific so it’ll be part of any PTS course. It’ll no don’t be revisited within Guards training though? (Much like it is in driver training).
 
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baz962

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Ah , I'm getting a tad confused . I thought sandwich might of been signal box. I was taught 4 t's and an s ... Train, trailing points, tunnel , telephone and signal box .. Every day is a school day lol.
 

Stigy

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4,879
Ah , I'm getting a tad confused . I thought sandwich might of been signal box. I was taught 4 t's and an s ... Train, trailing points, tunnel , telephone and signal box .. Every day is a school day lol.
Haha, indeed.
 

Stigy

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4,879
Ah , I'm getting a tad confused . I thought sandwich might of been signal box. I was taught 4 t's and an s ... Train, trailing points, tunnel , telephone and signal box .. Every day is a school day lol.
Sorry, my fault as I mistyped it. Sandwhich is signal box but it’s the dog bit we don’t use lol. Anyway, we digress
 

Dieseldriver

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9 Apr 2012
Messages
971
Ah , I'm getting a tad confused . I thought sandwich might of been signal box. I was taught 4 t's and an s ... Train, trailing points, tunnel , telephone and signal box .. Every day is a school day lol.
Now I'm a tad confused. Why would you be laying dets any differently during emergency protection if you encountered a trailing junction?
 

baz962

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Now I'm a tad confused. Why would you be laying dets any differently during emergency protection if you encountered a trailing junction?
I was taught you put them down at a trailing junction. If that's wrong , then that's on my trainer's or DM . My trainer since moved to a different toc though.
 

pompeyfan

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I was taught you put them down at a trailing junction. If that's wrong , then that's on my trainer's or DM . My trainer since moved to a different toc though.

i suppose if you’re walking back to lay dets then it is a trailing junction.
 

MiNi

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22 Sep 2019
Messages
412
Location
Sherborne
I have my assessment on Tuesday for one of these guard roles.Do you currently work on the railway & are transferring or is this a new career for you.How long ago was your assessment/interview & medical ?.
 

ComUtoR

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13 Dec 2013
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UK
I work for two TOCs.

I got asked if the 'pig tails' were open. (coupling procedure) I had no clue what they meant. My TOC teaches something totally different. The Railway sis a fun place to work some days :)
 

Dieseldriver

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9 Apr 2012
Messages
971
I was taught you put them down at a trailing junction. If that's wrong , then that's on my trainer's or DM . My trainer since moved to a different toc though.
I would be surprised if they referred to it as a trailing junction. It's not actually on your trainers, you are issued with a rule book which you are expected to refer back to and refresh.
 

westcoaster

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DTOS A or B
I work for two TOCs.

I got asked if the 'pig tails' were open. (coupling procedure) I had no clue what they meant. My TOC teaches something totally different. The Railway sis a fun place to work some days :)
As long as the yellow butterflies are out your ok.
 

baz962

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Joined
8 Jun 2017
Messages
3,280
I would be surprised if they referred to it as a trailing junction. It's not actually on your trainers, you are issued with a rule book which you are expected to refer back to and refresh.

They referred to it as trailing points. Maybe it's to make it easier to remember. But saying that I guess you could call it trailing points , because it will be trailing to either you and your train , or the approaching train . I know the rule book refers to it as a diverging junction.
 

pickledonion88

New Member
Joined
5 Oct 2019
Messages
3
Location
Salisbury
First couple of days will be corporate welcome, what the company do, company ethos etc and also collect uniform.

From day 3 you’ll be up the ROC, first few days are disability and also conflict awareness, you’ll then do basic rail, what’s a signal, what’s a set of points etc.

next will be personal track safety, how to keep yourself and others safe in the event you need to go on the track.

next you’ll do the really intense, rules etc and some practical handling doing the job and learning your depots core traction (diesel units). Finally after 6 weeks you’ll have a 200 question exam where there’s very little margin for error.

Once you get your train working licence, you’ll be based at your depot where you’ll learn routes. You’ll be expected to know which stations are not step free access, which stations have starter signals, off indicators, stations with short platforms (especially important for diesel stock with manual selective door opening) any unusual operating procedures (Yeovil - Weymouth for example).

Each section of route is broken into chunks, so Salisbury - Waterloo is assessed as Waterloo - Clapham, Clapham - Woking, Woking - Basingstoke and Basingstoke - Salisbury.

After you’ve signed all your routes (you’ll probably start off in the bottom link with only core routes) you’ll do a few turns shadowing and eventually you’ll be productive.

it’s a lot to take in but they don’t set you up to fail, do the revision, put the effort in and you’ll be okay, it’s not in their interests to fail you during training.

there’s probably bits I’ve forgotten such as the 2 week commercial course, but this has been typed while walking to work.

And remember, 3 T’s and a dog sandwich;)
Looking forward to it. Really appreciate the reply. Thanks
 

Dieseldriver

Member
Joined
9 Apr 2012
Messages
971
They referred to it as trailing points. Maybe it's to make it easier to remember. But saying that I guess you could call it trailing points , because it will be trailing to either you and your train , or the approaching train . I know the rule book refers to it as a diverging junction.
They would be facing points at a diverging junction. If they were trailing then there would only be one route to protect so the junction would pose no problems
 
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