Just spotted 2 jobs come up at Peterborough a grade 6 & a grade 3 position.
I applied for a grade 3 position a couple of weeks ago but the job was withdrawn.
Two questions:
Can I apply for both grades?
The advert says 12 month fixed term, this is a worry, is there a good chance of getting another position at the end of the 12 months or could it even be extended?
Thanks
Dean.
Hi,
I had the same experience as you with the grade 3 position and was about to ask the exact same question. I can't believe Network Rail would potentially invest all that time and money in training someone up for just a 1 year contract. Saying that I would definitely want some reassurance that it would lead to long term employment. Hopefully the other answers above are confirmation.
As you said the Grade 3 at Peterborough Power signal box came up before and was not a fixed term, they removed it from external networkrail careers site and relisted it as 1 year postition along with a job on the main panel, the grade 6.
Are you off the street, ie. not currently with Network Rail?
The grade 3 job is a CCTV crossing camera panel, nx panel which is the same buttons and look/feel as the infamous 'gatestown' panel you will train on at signal school, unless you somehow do the older absoloute block lever simulator or the later westcad computer signalling. The buttons will feel the same and familar to you. Its fast and furious in terms of trains at times, you will be keeping your wits about you and trains coming from all over at peak moments, being aware of cars and people skipping the red lights at barrier CCTV crossings but the job is an easy 30k+ your sundays, bank holidays and night shift premiums on top. Sometimes crossings will fail and you'll get S+ T signalling techs calling you up to test things, Mobile operation managers switching in the panels of the old signal boxes that are still there, used when taking local control at possessions at night, you'll get the odd annoyed motorist who thinks the road came first and asking you to raise the barriers when you've already signalled anoter train across the panel, but thats about it. Most of the time you press the picture button to get the camera on the screen of one of the 6 crossings it deals with, press lower, wait till their down and you've got a flashing indication, then press the green crossing clear button, then you press the sginall button to clear the signal on the ground out there. That's it. At times you won't get a call on the phones for like 6 days in a row.
When line blockages are taken or T3 possessions from workers like S+T, MOMS or contracters its the big main panel (Grade 6 south and north (P'Boro station) panel) who deals with it, going through the long form, protecting signals with plastic reminds over the buttons to prevent pressing, and you'll just write the details of such, ie the limits of the line or signal numbers in your occurance book, you may, if you have the protecting signal, have to put your reminder on and confirm in person, verbally that you've done so. The night shift is your biggest involvment phone wise, you get called up asking if they can take local control of a crossing, see the rule book TS9 which you can download from RSBB site. Its easy once you've done it and used ot it, they call up as for local, you repeat back if its ok, give them permsssion to take it, give them a time when its over to them, out of your control and write it in the crossing phone recrods book.
The roster is a 6 man roster, including you, 6 weeks,, there is 1 hard week of earlys 0600- 1400, 7 days in a row, every six week, 1 week of 7 days in a row night shift 2200 - 0600, and the rest is a few lates 1400 - 2200, with some 'spare' days where you could be doing just 4 hours a day relieving your signaller, good times, or you could get lumbered with someones sickenss or anual leave, so you do their shift, probaly nights lol. When it works out its great, sometimes you'll curse. 1 week is an easy week of monday off, tuesday off, wed spare so potentially 4hrs day, thurday safety brief day in the office with other signallers so quick day and then back on it. You always get 1 week, 7 days of rest days every 6 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The grade 6 job is the main panel, its a huge long electronic panel from the 70's-80's which is standing up signalling, not sitting down in a chair like the NXP crossing panel. The crossing panel sits at the back of the box and almost has its own cubicle feel to it, the SSM shift signal manager sits in the midle futher back but not as far back as the grade 3 crossing panel. The main panel, is the south from London Kings Cross, through to the Peterbough main station, 7 platforms, which goes on to Doncaster and Lincoln etc. Helpston is another box under the Peterbough LOM local operations mangers which is an old school level looking box from afar but is 6 crossings again, 5 remote on the panel and one at the location, if you get that job you'll deal with them on the phone. The roster for that job is 15 man, so you only get your week of 7 rest days every 15 weeks, BUT you don't have to plow through 7 days of earlys or 7 days of nights, its more split up, more consistent 3-4 days off together. The main grade 6 panel is older tech, still push button panel signalling BUT actually looks more futuristic than the newer NXP crossing panel but there are issues with it, ie buttons that don't press so well or things taken out of use or anomolies, quirks you get used to.
On the main panel a good relief is about 20 mins before shift time, with the worst arriving at 10 to the hour. The grade 3 crossing panel is different and their reliefs get in a half past the hour or qaurter to, to let you go home. All the people are fairly good, they'll help you out and are a decent bunch, good laugh etc etc. You get the odd moaner or doom and gloom merchant but even they have things to offer. They'll help you out when learning. The current manager is decent. The PSB is on the second tier, second floor, so you're elevant above the track and can see the station and all trains passing by etc, you're right there in the action. The flooring in the box creek like hell though so you'll love the ones who pace around, you'll get used to fading that out though. Main panel you'll deal with line blockages, t3 at night shift, passing signal at danger, track circuit issues, S+T wanting things, drivers calling up on the GSMR radio and having to use the walkie talkie radio to contact platform staff about changes. The grade 6 is 37k plus your sundays, banks and night shifts as detailed before. South pannel has very little to do and is called a grade 4 by the signallers, its the north side which is more work, its known as grade 7, hence the grade 6 overall. Some love it as it makes the shift move quick, others like the south panel and always ask what side they're on when offered a rest day work or sunday overtime.
I've not proof read this, so if it reads a bit wonky then I don't really care, lol, but saw your posts and hope this helps. If you don't get in, then just keep hammering out the applications. Once in you get to see the internal jobs site and you're laughing, plus you have the experience for the next interviews. Good luck.
