Gi’us a job!

Lemmy99uk · 18 Oct 2019

Browsing the ‘Railway Jobs and Careers’ forum,it occurred to me how much things have changed for people wanting a railway career.

Back in the day (1980), I had been unemployed for several months and spent most days cycling to my local rural station to read books and watch the succession of freight and passenger services that passed through.

My father was not happy with the situation, and, much to my surprise, phoned BR and asked if there were any local vacancies. They told him there were plenty of vacancies and that he should tell me to attend for an interview on the following Monday.

I duly turned up at the time arranged wondering what kind of an interview it would be, and whether I would make a fool of myself.

I needn’t have worried. A small man with thick glasses took me into a musty room and asked me what I wanted to do.

“I’d like to be a train driver” I told him.

“Don’t be ridiculous” he replied, “you can’t drive trains wearing spectacles.
I’ve got a Guard’s job or a Railman's job, make your mind up”

“I’d like to be a Guard then” I told him.

“Right, come for a medical on Friday at 12:00” he told me.

7 days later I started as a trainee Guard.

RailUK Forums

Cowley · 18 Oct 2019

Lemmy99uk said:
Browsing the ‘Railway Jobs and Careers’ forum,it occurred to me how much things have changed for people wanting a railway career.

Back in the day (1980), I had been unemployed for several months and spent most days cycling to my local rural station to read books and watch the succession of freight and passenger services that passed through.

My father was not happy with the situation, and, much to my surprise, phoned BR and asked if there were any local vacancies. They told him there were plenty of vacancies and that he should tell me to attend for an interview on the following Monday.

I duly turned up at the time arranged wondering what kind of an interview it would be, and whether I would make a fool of myself.

I needn’t have worried. A small man with thick glasses took me into a musty room and asked me what I wanted to do.

“I’d like to be a train driver” I told him.

“Don’t be ridiculous” he replied, “you can’t drive trains wearing spectacles.
I’ve got a Guard’s job or a Railman's job, make your mind up”

“I’d like to be a Guard then” I told him.

“Right, come for a medical on Friday at 12:00” he told me.

7 days later I started as a trainee Guard.

I’ll tell you what Lemmy. I read the title of this and thought “Ah, another thread started in the wrong section...” and like a small man with thick glasses I was thinking I might have to ask for it moved to the careers section.
But then I read it and thought it was wonderful.

DerekC · 18 Oct 2019

Lemmy99uk said:
Browsing the ‘Railway Jobs and Careers’ forum,it occurred to me how much things have changed for people wanting a railway career.

Back in the day (1980), I had been unemployed for several months and spent most days cycling to my local rural station to read books and watch the succession of freight and passenger services that passed through.

My father was not happy with the situation, and, much to my surprise, phoned BR and asked if there were any local vacancies. They told him there were plenty of vacancies and that he should tell me to attend for an interview on the following Monday.

I duly turned up at the time arranged wondering what kind of an interview it would be, and whether I would make a fool of myself.

I needn’t have worried. A small man with thick glasses took me into a musty room and asked me what I wanted to do.

“I’d like to be a train driver” I told him.

“Don’t be ridiculous” he replied, “you can’t drive trains wearing spectacles.
I’ve got a Guard’s job or a Railman's job, make your mind up”

“I’d like to be a Guard then” I told him.

“Right, come for a medical on Friday at 12:00” he told me.

7 days later I started as a trainee Guard.

I want to know a bit more - are you still a guard? What's happened in the last 39 or so years?

Grumpy Git · 18 Oct 2019

Lemmy99uk said:
Browsing the ‘Railway Jobs and Careers’ forum,it occurred to me how much things have changed for people wanting a railway career.

Back in the day (1980), I had been unemployed for several months and spent most days cycling to my local rural station to read books and watch the succession of freight and passenger services that passed through.

My father was not happy with the situation, and, much to my surprise, phoned BR and asked if there were any local vacancies. They told him there were plenty of vacancies and that he should tell me to attend for an interview on the following Monday.

I duly turned up at the time arranged wondering what kind of an interview it would be, and whether I would make a fool of myself.

I needn’t have worried. A small man with thick glasses took me into a musty room and asked me what I wanted to do.

“I’d like to be a train driver” I told him.

“Don’t be ridiculous” he replied, “you can’t drive trains wearing spectacles.
I’ve got a Guard’s job or a Railman's job, make your mind up”

“I’d like to be a Guard then” I told him.

“Right, come for a medical on Friday at 12:00” he told me.

7 days later I started as a trainee Guard.

Great story.

Now you would need to email them a risk assessment to make sure you didn't get run-over on your way to the interview.

Lemmy99uk · 18 Oct 2019

DerekC said:
I want to know a bit more - are you still a guard? What's happened in the last 39 or so years?

it was a long and lovely 38 years until retirement. I just drifted through my career with no real ambition, falling into different jobs, sometimes for personal reasons and sometimes through restructuring.

I even dropped lucky on my very first week. I arrived as instructed on the Monday morning only to find that I was a week early for the training course. The TCS (train crew supervisor) gave me 5 road learning tickets and told me to spend the week watching the job. I can’t remember exactly what I did but I know I spent at least 1 day bashing on the North Wales coast (class 40s I think). It was kid in a sweet shop time.

Islineclear3_1 · 18 Oct 2019

Many years ago, I applied for a job as a Railman and got a job as a box boy...in Waterloo signalbox - yay !

RichmondCommu · 18 Oct 2019

Wonderful stuff. I hope you're enjoying your retirement.

ChiefPlanner · 19 Oct 2019

A much respected Watford based guard , of West Indian origin , started off on mundane factory work and after a a week hated it , and was advised to call in at WFJ to see the Station Manager.

A brief conversation over his grammar school education got him to sit the "clerical" test and any cleaning jobs were parked once they had seen his work , a conversation followed and he was sent to St Albans Abbey SB for a weeks "experience" - this suited everyone and he stayed in the job as a signalman till the box closed and became a guard / TTI until his retirement. His son became a driver.

Had he gone to London Transport - I am sure they would have accommodated him equally.

Busaholic · 19 Oct 2019

ChiefPlanner said:
A much respected Watford based guard , of West Indian origin , started off on mundane factory work and after a a week hated it , and was advised to call in at WFJ to see the Station Manager.

A brief conversation over his grammar school education got him to sit the "clerical" test and any cleaning jobs were parked once they had seen his work , a conversation followed and he was sent to St Albans Abbey SB for a weeks "experience" - this suited everyone and he stayed in the job as a signalman till the box closed and became a guard / TTI until his retirement. His son became a driver.

Had he gone to London Transport - I am sure they would have accommodated him equally.

Possibly slightly off topic, but prompted by your mention of L.T., I decided to apply to become a bus conductor in 1967/8, as I'd contracted glandular fever when doing my 'A' levels which radically altered my view as to where I was going in life - suddenly Exeter (or wherever) University totally lost its appeal and all I wanted to do was to get immediate paid work and join the adult world. I was sent to offices over Edgware Road (District) station from memory and passed the test with ease: trouble was, my 'A'level passes, not great ones for most purposes, but I was told LT wouldn't consider taking me on a bus conductor because I was 'over-qualified' and would undoubtedly leave within weeks! Actually, they were probably right, but I was interested to read twenty or thirty years later that John Major had failed his bus conductor test at Camberwell in 1966!

Gi’us a job!

Lemmy99uk

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Cowley

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DerekC

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Grumpy Git

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Lemmy99uk

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Islineclear3_1

Established Member

RichmondCommu

Established Member

ChiefPlanner

Established Member

Busaholic

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