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A career as a signaller

Dunc7615

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2020
Messages
10
Location
Barrow-in-Furness
Dunc,

Unlucky mate, don’t be disheartened as I have seen a lot of people on here in later years joining as a signaller. You can search this thread for plenty of others in the same situation.

Unfortunately it seems like they are postponing and withdrawing a few positions due to the current climate so keep giving it a go!
Thanks for the reply mate, I’ll keep trying and keep looking on here for help, hints and tips.
 
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Rockhopper

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Joined
29 Apr 2019
Messages
736
Hi guys I’m looking for some help. Been applying for various signaller roles in and around Cumbria for the last year but as yet no interview. Made it to application under consideration for assessment 2 for the grade 2 Northwest roles but heard today application unsuccessful. I’m coming up on 57 beginning to think my age might be against me. Is it time to give up. Thanks

Its illegal to discriminate on the basis of age these days. Can't recall the application process these days with NR but many companies ask you to totally depersonalize your application including taking your name and DOB out.
 

7Paul7

Member
Joined
10 Feb 2020
Messages
96
Location
Billingham
Hi guys I’m looking for some help. Been applying for various signaller roles in and around Cumbria for the last year but as yet no interview. Made it to application under consideration for assessment 2 for the grade 2 Northwest roles but heard today application unsuccessful. I’m coming up on 57 beginning to think my age might be against me. Is it time to give up. Thanks
Hi,
I had a lot of under consideration for Assesment twos before getting the unsuccessful email, I eventually got an invite to interview which I passed , just keep applying.

Read through your cv and make sure it focuses on the applicable non technical skills are you copy-pasting your answers to the 69 questions? If so maybe revisit the answers from scratch.

Best of luck
 

9tfrizzco

Member
Joined
17 Oct 2019
Messages
115
Location
worthing
Hi,
I had a lot of under consideration for Assesment twos before getting the unsuccessful email, I eventually got an invite to interview which I passed , just keep applying.

Read through your cv and make sure it focuses on the applicable non technical skills are you copy-pasting your answers to the 69 questions? If so maybe revisit the answers from scratch.

Best of luck
Can echo this. I had an interview with my first application (unsuccessful), then a fair few unsuccessful applications, followed by an interview and a job offer
 
Last edited:
Joined
1 Mar 2018
Messages
988
Hi guys I’m looking for some help. Been applying for various signaller roles in and around Cumbria for the last year but as yet no interview. Made it to application under consideration for assessment 2 for the grade 2 Northwest roles but heard today application unsuccessful. I’m coming up on 57 beginning to think my age might be against me. Is it time to give up. Thanks

No definitely not....

I'm 54 and today I received an email saying that I was successful in my application for a signaller role at Feltham! It was also my 5th attempt so keep applying and good luck!
 

Dunc7615

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2020
Messages
10
Location
Barrow-in-Furness
Congratulations and thanks for the words of encouragement. Is it worth a call to the recruitment team would they tell me or help with areas I could improve. Really do want this so not giving in but it would be great if I could strengthen any areas of weakness. One last question guys I always reach the benchmark on the online test but is it possible I just scraped a pass and that’s why I’m failing to get an interview. Can I request to sit the test again? Sorry that’s two questions
Thanks for the help guys
 

7Paul7

Member
Joined
10 Feb 2020
Messages
96
Location
Billingham
Congratulations and thanks for the words of encouragement. Is it worth a call to the recruitment team would they tell me or help with areas I could improve. Really do want this so not giving in but it would be great if I could strengthen any areas of weakness. One last question guys I always reach the benchmark on the online test but is it possible I just scraped a pass and that’s why I’m failing to get an interview. Can I request to sit the test again? Sorry that’s two questions
Thanks for the help guys
I asked that specific question during my interview and was told
"not till it expires , however different LOMs have different methods in selecting who moves to interview. Some will interview the top X candidates score wise, some will read the cv's of all applicants meeting the benchmark and select interviewees from that"

So you can't do anything to help you with the LOMs in the first bracket, however you can with the LOMs in the second.
 

Dunc7615

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2020
Messages
10
Location
Barrow-in-Furness
I asked that specific question during my interview and was told
"not till it expires , however different LOMs have different methods in selecting who moves to interview. Some will interview the top X candidates score wise, some will read the cv's of all applicants meeting the benchmark and select interviewees from that"

So you can't do anything to help you with the LOMs in the first bracket, however you can with the LOMs in the second.
Thanks for the info seems like I just keep applying and keep hoping I can get an interview.
 

9tfrizzco

Member
Joined
17 Oct 2019
Messages
115
Location
worthing
Congratulations and thanks for the words of encouragement. Is it worth a call to the recruitment team would they tell me or help with areas I could improve. Really do want this so not giving in but it would be great if I could strengthen any areas of weakness. One last question guys I always reach the benchmark on the online test but is it possible I just scraped a pass and that’s why I’m failing to get an interview. Can I request to sit the test again? Sorry that’s two questions
Thanks for the help guys
Yes, and yes, after six months.
 

Mi&Li

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Joined
19 Dec 2019
Messages
87
Location
UK
Joined
1 Mar 2018
Messages
988
Congratulations and thanks for the words of encouragement. Is it worth a call to the recruitment team would they tell me or help with areas I could improve. Really do want this so not giving in but it would be great if I could strengthen any areas of weakness. One last question guys I always reach the benchmark on the online test but is it possible I just scraped a pass and that’s why I’m failing to get an interview. Can I request to sit the test again? Sorry that’s two questions
Thanks for the help guys

To be honest I don't think I did that well on the maths part of the assessments and getting knocked back on other applications seemed to reinforce that. However it seems its not as straightforward as that and when I got the interview invite it felt like I was really in with a chance.
 

MrsP2010

Member
Joined
31 Mar 2020
Messages
105
Location
Ellesmere
No definitely not....

I'm 54 and today I received an email saying that I was successful in my application for a signaller role at Feltham! It was also my 5th attempt so keep applying and good luck!
Have they given you any idea of when you're likely to start training or even have the medical?
 

Dunc7615

Member
Joined
1 Apr 2020
Messages
10
Location
Barrow-in-Furness
You may have already come across it but this is a good link to CV writing provided by NWR themselves. As mentioned it encourages you NOT to include your age

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Redeployment-Services-CV-writing-.pdf

hopefully your test results expire soon so you can practice them and be sure they’re spot on!
Thanks for that. I’m pretty sure my age is not stated on my C.V. but my first job was an apprentice plater started in 1980 you don’t have to be a genius to work out how old I am.
 
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ljmac

Member
Joined
13 Feb 2019
Messages
36
Question for some of the experienced guys...

I'm newly passed out and have been asked if I want lrop or hrop for bank hols.
I know it's been touched on within this thread, but I was under the impression hrop was 200%?
I have been told 250%

Opinions welcome. Cheers
 

Mikesig

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2015
Messages
53
Location
York
Question for some of the experienced guys...

I'm newly passed out and have been asked if I want lrop or hrop for bank hols.
I know it's been touched on within this thread, but I was under the impression hrop was 200%?
I have been told 250%

Opinions welcome. Cheers
If you are rostered to work on a Bank Holiday you have a choice, 250% of your normal shift pay (HROP), or 150% of your normal shift pay plus a day off in lieu (LROP).
Personally I always take the LROP as they don't take 40% of your lieu day off you in tax!!
 

amanda08

Guest
Joined
19 Oct 2019
Messages
304
I’ve had the same email today. I did wonder about that advert though, because as it said Appleby - Scunthorpe it also said North West. So I wasn’t sure if it was listed as the correct Appleby (Lincolnshire or Cumbria). I would be surprised if Appleby Lincolnshire needed 3 positions filling at once
Looks like you were right about Appleby - new vacancy for Appleby, Cumbria has just come up
 
Joined
1 Mar 2018
Messages
988
Have they given you any idea of when you're likely to start training or even have the medical?

No, I've had an email this evening to say they are processing all the paperwork but there's no mention of any dates at all. I'm in no immediate hurry as I've got to give 6 weeks notice and I have a holiday booked in August, although whether that happens is anyones guess!
 

High Dyke

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Joined
1 Jan 2013
Messages
4,267
Location
Yellabelly Country
One thing that I’m interested is how signallers maintain their attention and diligence is situations of extended routine running.
I’ve read a few reports and watched a video or two about signallers causing fatalities on level crossings or SPADs where the signal is changed to Danger immediately in front of a train. It must be highly challenging not to slip into ‘Autopilot’ and that is something I find a bit worrying. What techniques do people in the job use to maintain their concentration?
People will have different ways of dealing with maintaining attention. One of the questions that used to be on an application form was something like how would you deal with the time between trains and maintaining that attention span? Depending on the amount of traffic on a route that may differ from box to box. Some may read a book, but that isn't without its pitfalls...you may get a bit engrossed and delay a train or panic and think you've not done something. And yes, I've done that before.

There used to be a poster in the boxes advising to keep away from levers and buttons, in order to not replace signals in error. Don't forget there are times when a signal needs to be replaced in front of a train, but those circumstances are readily explained, or catered for in the rules and regulations.

That said we are all human and it has to be accepted that mistakes occur, and sadly people have been killed or injured as a result of this. Equally the signal(wo)man involved has probably lost their job and may have faced a court appearance.
 

Tom Quinne

On Moderation
Joined
8 Jul 2017
Messages
2,225
Moreton on Lugg accident was as result of the level crossing barriers not being interlocked with the signalling.

The signaller was busy managing a farmer using a UWC, misremembered a train passing over the level crossing (outside the box) raised the barriers but saldy the train stuck a car on the crossing killing those inside.

NWR where fined, I don’t know what happened to the signaller in the end though.
 

Llanigraham

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Joined
23 Mar 2013
Messages
6,074
Location
Powys
Moreton on Lugg accident was as result of the level crossing barriers not being interlocked with the signalling.

The signaller was busy managing a farmer using a UWC, misremembered a train passing over the level crossing (outside the box) raised the barriers but saldy the train stuck a car on the crossing killing those inside.

NWR where fined, I don’t know what happened to the signaller in the end though.

He was prosecuted under H & S Regulations and was found guilty and fined.
 

nom de guerre

Member
Joined
24 Nov 2015
Messages
774
Moreton on Lugg accident was as result of the level crossing barriers not being interlocked with the signalling.

The signaller was busy managing a farmer using a UWC, misremembered a train passing over the level crossing (outside the box) raised the barriers but saldy the train stuck a car on the crossing killing those inside.

NWR where fined, I don’t know what happened to the signaller in the end though.

I was under the impression he’d received a custodial sentence, but having just googled, it seems I also remembered incorrectly: £1750 fine and 270 hours community service.

NR were fined £450K plus £33K costs.
 

Tom Quinne

On Moderation
Joined
8 Jul 2017
Messages
2,225
I was under the impression he’d received a custodial sentence, but having just googled, it seems I also remembered incorrectly: £1750 fine and 270 hours community service.

NR were fined £450K plus £33K costs.

I wonder if he kept his job, I personally don’t think he was totally at fault - even maybe at fault at all....
 

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