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A career as a signaller

Tom Quinne

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8 Jul 2017
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Changeovers and domestic hours are yet another very common source of conflict. The answer from a management point of view is to strictly enforce booked hours but this is a last resort.

Come and go, give and take.

Exactly, no one wins if booked hours is enforced.
 
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High Dyke

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Or confiscating half a bag tea bags (1040 bag)
At one location one of the residents threw away my large pot of yoghurt. I had one portion left in it and was going to finish it during my shift. He did apologise, saying he wasn't certain whether it was his or not, and turned up the following day with a brand new pot for me.
 

LOM

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Been and gone.
I remember when I was in the grade someone poured my full 4 pint bottle of milk down the sink because they “thought it was out of date”. I had only bought it that morning and had one cup of tea out of it. The same guy also managed to eat my dinner one night “by mistake”.

Happy days!
 
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High Dyke

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So much varying info here!
I’ve heard full pay after passing out at least two boxes, but it sounds like that’s not the case? This should definitely be made clearer in the job description or offer stage! I’ve heard I may have to sign off up to 11 boxes! That’s going to be a long wait for full pay for me!
Unless another TU rep knows better than I, then I found this information in the 1997 Conditions of Service book.
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Locomama

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Hello all!
I have been reading through this thread a lot these last few days. Today I received an email to say I have been invited to do the tests. Am I overthinking the tests and stressing myself out? I’ve been doing the practice ones and I nearly run out of time on the maths ! Any help / advice appreciated
 

Tom Quinne

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Thanks. But does that mean I need to sign off all 11 boxes I may eventually cover before getting full pay?

I think the bottom line is get through school, sign your home location as a competent signaller, then speak to your LOM. No good stressing about it the moment.
 

High Dyke

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Thanks. But does that mean I need to sign off all 11 boxes I may eventually cover before getting full pay?
I'm not certain. It's been so long since I've faced that conundrum. I can make enquiries with our resources manager; he's, what is colloquially called by some, one of the 'three amigos' that write the national rostering principles.
 

amanda08

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I'm not certain. It's been so long since I've faced that conundrum. I can make enquiries with our resources manager; he's, what is colloquially called by some, one of the 'three amigos' that write the national rostering principles.
That’s a very kind offer which I really appreciate. However I don’t want to rock the boat
before I even got in lol. As suggested, I’ll crack on with training and passing out my home box for now. I’ll ask my LOM once signalling school is done.
 

Llanigraham

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23 Mar 2013
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Powys
Can somebody clarify the handover period at shift change please. Are you expected to get to your place of work early so the signaller can finish on time. If it is anything like my current job staff stroll in right on shift change time making it difficult at times to get off?

Our Box, and with all the others in our area, the local agreement was that you turned up 30 minutes before due time, and it generally worked well. Since a couple of us had quite long journeys this gave time for traffic delays, and I always phoned the Box if I knew I was delayed on the way in.
The actual handover once in could take anything from 30 seconds to 10 minutes; it depended on what had broken or was happening on the line.
 

Kraken

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22 Mar 2020
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Lincolnshire
Hello all!
I have been reading through this thread a lot these last few days. Today I received an email to say I have been invited to do the tests. Am I overthinking the tests and stressing myself out? I’ve been doing the practice ones and I nearly run out of time on the maths ! Any help / advice appreciated

I did the tests a few months ago and, like you, scared myself with the practise maths tests. I subsequently found the real maths test to be significantly less complex than the practise, to the extent that I wondered if I was missing bits of the question because it was so much simpler in terms of number of steps to complete. I must emphasise that I definitely did not find it easy, just compared to the utterly horrendous practice it was not as bad.
 

crusty

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Kraken, that is very comforting. I’ve been looking at the practise tests and thinking that I need to have a Cambridge maths degree. Going to attempt mine today.
 

Locomama

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I did the tests a few months ago and, like you, scared myself with the practise maths tests. I subsequently found the real maths test to be significantly less complex than the practise, to the extent that I wondered if I was missing bits of the question because it was so much simpler in terms of number of steps to complete. I must emphasise that I definitely did not find it easy, just compared to the utterly horrendous practice it was not as bad.

Thank you! Eased my mind :)
 

89jordanbj

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16 Dec 2019
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Newport
I see the x5 Westbury positions have gone back on the external list with a new closing date. Is this likely to be due to not having enough quality applications first time round or could it be another reason? Doesn't fill me with confidence in my application if it is the former o_O
 

High Dyke

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Thank you. Ill have a go.
To save you the search. It's mentioned here:
Westbury is very juicy indeed, definitely put an app in for that !
Grade 6, 12hrs double manned on days and single on nights I believe.

Fringes with five other SB/Workstations, nice mix of express, regional and local passenger, plenty of freight traffic and some tricky Class 7 freights upto London from the quarries. Two single lines with acceptance slots, station and yard areas at Westbury to manage - very interesting location.

Almost tempted myself !
 

89jordanbj

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16 Dec 2019
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208
Location
Newport
As the relisted Westbury position has the same IRC number as when previously listed do I need to apply again or will my original application be sent through along with new applications?

I can't seem to find the 'apply now' button on the new listing.

Thanks
 

Habitat

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17 Nov 2016
Messages
88
Signal box cuisine.

Bacon n egg toasted sarnie for lunch.

Oven baked potato with salad for dinner.

One of the guys on my line cooks a weekly roast dinner.

How creative are you with signal box scran?
 

High Dyke

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Signal box cuisine.

Bacon n egg toasted sarnie for lunch.

Oven baked potato with salad for dinner.

One of the guys on my line cooks a weekly roast dinner.

How creative are you with signal box scran?
Just grilled some sausages accompanied by boiled potatoes and carrots.

I seem to recall that the breakfasts at Walsall PSB were rather notable. I know one of my colleagues used to bake cakes at work.
 

LOM

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Amazing what you can rustle up with a Baby Belling. Back when I was in the grade I nearly burnt the box down when I was doing a fry up for breakfast and got distracted with dealing with a train.
 

Qball

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5 Sep 2018
Messages
105
Signal box cuisine.

Bacon n egg toasted sarnie for lunch.

Oven baked potato with salad for dinner.

One of the guys on my line cooks a weekly roast dinner.

How creative are you with signal box scran?

Signaller on my line makes cookies and sends them down the line with the drivers for other signallers.
 

Llanigraham

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23 Mar 2013
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6,073
Location
Powys
Signal box cuisine.

Bacon n egg toasted sarnie for lunch.

Oven baked potato with salad for dinner.

One of the guys on my line cooks a weekly roast dinner.

How creative are you with signal box scran?

Days, (0600 - 1800)
Breakfast, normally yoghurt, toast and marmalade and perhaps porridge in the winter, except Sundays when it was generally a full English.
Lunch, sandwiches brought from home and perhaps a Cuppa Soup.
Lots of tea and coffee

Nights, (1800 - 0600)
Often a snack around 1900 and then cook when the line quietened down after 2100, and that was generally something to put in the microwave, often a home made meal that had been frozen, like chilli, stew, fish pie or something. Occasionally stopped at the chippy on the way in for pie or fish and chips.

And then the diet goes out of the window because crisps and snacks in the middle of night to keep awake if there was little running.

We had one resident who regularly cooked a joint in the Belling on a Sunday day shift and took it home wrapped in foil; he lived near-by!

And there are plenty of urban Boxes that arrange deliveries from the various take-aways.
 

LOM

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26 Dec 2019
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Location
Been and gone.
Signaller on my line makes cookies and sends them down the line with the drivers for other signallers.

Once got a delay allocated to one of my guys who stopped a train out of course so he could send a packet of fags up to his mate at the next box who had run out. Nice gesture but....
 
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67016

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24 Nov 2016
Messages
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Location
Torbay
Signal box cuisine.

Bacon n egg toasted sarnie for lunch.

Oven baked potato with salad for dinner.

One of the guys on my line cooks a weekly roast dinner.

How creative are you with signal box scran?

Dominos deliver.....
 

Cjbennett10

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2 Jun 2020
Messages
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Location
NN18
Hi All,
I recieved a letter to say that I didn’t hit the required benchmark after the test having applied for one of the vacant Oakham posistions. Frustratingly I thought I did well - however Im worried one of the test didn’t submit correctly due to some technical issues I was having at the time. Would receiving that response regarding the bench mark score suggest I failed the tests or that I didn’t recieved a high enough score to be taken to interview.. I’m concerned that I won’t be able to apply for any other positions that become available. I see this as the perfect career choice for me and hoping to be able to re test due to the issues I faced. Thanks in advance :)
 

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