A career as a signaller

[Tom Quinne]

just to make you aware, the Wembley Mainline position looks like it’s the Suburban desk.

still within Wembley SCC but it is separate from the mainline panels, can be tedious but often used as a stepping stone.

The “DC” between Watford Junction and Primrose Hill/South Hampstead.

You’d get some valuable experience engaging with LU south of Harrow...

 

[nom de guerre]

Wembley Mainline = 8hr EWD

As Sanatogen has subsequently pointed out, the Wembley Mainline jobs are for the (G7) Suburban link, which is 8s on weekdays but 12s at weekends.

It’s the mainline link which is 8s EWD.

 

[Sanatogen]

The mainline is 12’s sat/sun too.

edit; highly likely the whole place will go 12’s in the new year anyway.

 

[nom de guerre]

The mainline is 12’s sat/sun too.

edit; highly likely the whole place will go 12’s in the new year anyway.

Ta...

Bet you can’t wait!

 

[Sanatogen]

I was one of the ones against it

 

[nom de guerre]

My predictometer has gone a bit awry during the last few posts

Have you worked 12s before?

 

[Sanatogen]

Yup when I was younger, got a kid now and a missus who works 12 hours for the NHS, childcare is hard enough now never mind a couple of days a week when we’d both be on 12’s, and the thought of not seeing my son at all for 3-4 days a week isn’t very appealing.

 

[nom de guerre]

Tricky situation. What sort of majority is required?

 

[Sanatogen]

Any majority, which is why it’s highly likely to come in next year.

 

[TRain87]

Good luck! Sounds like you should have plenty of material to use throughout the application process.

Wembley Yard = 12hr
Wembley Mainline = 8hr EWD
Feltham = 8hr EWD

Last I heard Liverpool Street were trialling 12hr rosters on at least some links, but I'm not sure what the outcome was. Sure someone will know...

Pretty sure Feltham is moving to 12hr shifts, very soon

 

[godfreycomplex]

Pretty sure Feltham is moving to 12hr shifts, very soon

An unfortunate negative mon brave xo

 

[TRain87]

An unfortunate negative mon brave xo

You got a more accurate time scale?

 

[godfreycomplex]

You got a more accurate time scale?

When we go in the ROC. Probably

 

[MostlyHarmless]

Pretty sure Feltham is moving to 12hr shifts, very soon

Not that I'm aware of having spoken to the LOM about it and as all the panels are due to move to Basingstoke I wonder if they would bother now. I'm not sure if they have decided on 8s or 12s at Basingstoke yet

 

[nom de guerre]

Are there any ROCs/pseudo-ROCs that don’t work 12s?

 

[Nippy]

The mainline is 12’s sat/sun too.

edit; highly likely the whole place will go 12’s in the new year anyway.

If Wembley ML does go 12s that would really interest me. I have been a Western Signaller for 27 years, but live in Tring, so my commute to Didcot is hefty. Would have looked to move to Wembley when Slough closed 10 years ago if it had been 12s

 

[ROCsteadycrew]

Any majority, which is why it’s highly likely to come in next year.

Interesting, I got told that it had to be a 100% majority to switch from 8s to 12s (or the other way around). Surprised all ROCs aren't 12s if this is the case.

 

[Sanatogen]

That was my understanding too but not what we’ve been told this time.

We’ve got a couple who are seriously considering quitting and my missus may have to give up her job which doesn’t seem right to me.

 

[89jordanbj]

With regards to applying for positions whilst on a 24mth FTC.. Would I still have to wait 12 months before I could apply for a different location or is there no time frame? For example, if a position came up in a completely different part of the country within 3 months of starting, could I still apply for that or would I have to stay at my location for 12 months?

Thanks

Bumping this to see if anybody is able to answer. Thanks

 

[SiggysigAah]

Bumping this to see if anybody is able to answer. Thanks

The impression I got after talking to a LOM about FTC of 12/24 months in March was once you had passed out your box / panel you could look for a permanent position elsewhere if you wanted to.

That may just be one LOM attitude and not representative of other LOM.

 

[MEG]

Hi and hoping some of you would kindly help with my questions?

Are all Signaller roles moving over to 12 hour shifts please? How does that shift pattern work please? It is set shifts, or a moving shift rota? Does the same person do the same shift each week? Or is it mostly 8 hour shifts and what does a normal shift pattern look like for that please?

Systems are being updated and made more efficient. Are the traditional Signaller roles all eventually going to be streamlined into larger control centres, infront of computer screens no way near the tracks?

Are there many females doing the job?

Many thanks for taking the time to read my post.

 

[ShaneAllen]

It's been good reading through all of this thread. A lot of good information.
Submitted my application for the Stoke jobs, hit the benchmarks for each test and now just waiting to see if I get picked out for an interview!

Be interesting see whether they're face to face or over video call. Hopefully don't wait too long anyway but you never know..
Just wanted say thanks for all the info you lot put

 

[amanda08]

eek! My start date as been bought forward by a week 3 days out and about at a few boxes with my LOM, then two days doing apprenticeship induction. I'm really happy to be able to have a visit of a few boxes before training. Hopefully this will help with it all making sense!
Getting very excited now

 

[MEG]

eek! My start date as been bought forward by a week 3 days out and about at a few boxes with my LOM, then two days doing apprenticeship induction. I'm really happy to be able to have a visit of a few boxes before training. Hopefully this will help with it all making sense!
Getting very excited now

Hi Amanda, sorry I'm new to the thread, are you about to start training? I have just got interested in possibly applying for a signaller's role. Do you know if there are many female Signallers? Great news you are about to start. What is a LOM please? Where will you be based when trained up?

 

[Tom Quinne]

That was my understanding too but not what we’ve been told this time.

We’ve got a couple who are seriously considering quitting and my missus may have to give up her job which doesn’t seem right to me.

Packing in the job over a 12hr roster?!
Three day weeks, no stupidly long 6/7/8/9 or 10 days on the bounce runs.

Seems like a drastic move over an 4hrs per day which you’ll more than get back in your rest days.

 

[Tom Quinne]

Hi and hoping some of you would kindly help with my questions?

Are all Signaller roles moving over to 12 hour shifts please? How does that shift pattern work please? It is set shifts, or a moving shift rota? Does the same person do the same shift each week? Or is it mostly 8 hour shifts and what does a normal shift pattern look like for that please?

Systems are being updated and made more efficient. Are the traditional Signaller roles all eventually going to be streamlined into larger control centres, infront of computer screens no way near the tracks?

Are there many females doing the job?

Many thanks for taking the time to read my post.

All those have been answered over the last half a dozen pages, especially the roster one.

@Amanda is a new signaller I’m sure she won’t mind crossing off any concerns you have about being the lone girl on the link.

 

[Tom Quinne]

eek! My start date as been bought forward by a week 3 days out and about at a few boxes with my LOM, then two days doing apprenticeship induction. I'm really happy to be able to have a visit of a few boxes before training. Hopefully this will help with it all making sense!
Getting very excited now

I thought the apprenticeship had been binned off?

 

[Tom Quinne]

Hi Amanda, sorry I'm new to the thread, are you about to start training? I have just got interested in possibly applying for a signaller's role. Do you know if there are many female Signallers? Great news you are about to start. What is a LOM please? Where will you be based when trained up?

LOM - local operations manager aka your direct line manager as a signaller.

 

[Sanatogen]

Packing in the job over a 12hr roster?!
Three day weeks, no stupidly long 6/7/8/9 or 10 days on the bounce runs.

Seems like a drastic move over an 4hrs per day which you’ll more than get back in your rest days.

One of them has an hour and a half commute at the moment outside of the rush hour so now looking at 15 hour plus days, the other doesn’t really need to work so may just jack it in.

 

[amanda08]

I thought the apprenticeship had been binned off?

I’d read that too, buts it was in the email I received today so ?