• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Are these really network rail personnel?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Bungle73

On Moderation
Joined
19 Aug 2011
Messages
3,040
Location
Kent
Having read my post again, I still cannot see what gives you that impression. My sentence started with ''if.''

How do you know what is and isn't in their employee database if you don't have access to it? You suggested using what was in it as a method of determining who was a legitimate employee of NR and who isn't.
 

ole man

Member
Joined
6 Jul 2011
Messages
739
Location
LEC5
Every person on Network Rail infrastructure has to have there sponsor/company on there Hi-Viz clothing, that is fact.
Although these days agency staff work for that many different agencies they could put anything on
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
How do you know what is and isn't in their employee database if you don't have access to it?
I don't. Hence the use of the word ''if.'' If I did know, I would have left that word out.
You suggested using what was in it as a method of determining who was a legitimate employee of NR and who isn't.
No I didn't! The OP stated ''Do Network Rail employ eastern Europeans?'' Seems like me a reasonable way to check this fact would be to see what records they hold on their employees.
 

Bungle73

On Moderation
Joined
19 Aug 2011
Messages
3,040
Location
Kent
I don't. Hence the use of the word ''if.'' If I did know, I would have left that word out.

No I didn't! The OP stated ''Do Network Rail employ eastern Europeans?'' Seems like me a reasonable way to check this fact would be to see what records they hold on their employees.
The conversation went like this:

Because by the same virtue I might be suspicious that Network Rail employ old people to carry out manual labour, I might also be suspicious that they employ people from certain countries.

Why would you be suspicious as to whether NR employ people from "certain countries".

Because if their employee database shows they employ 0 people from country X then I would be suspect if someone from that country was wondering around the trackside.

It seems perfectly clear what you said to me.

If you want to try and pretend that you didn't say what you did then so be it.
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
It seems perfectly clear what you said to me.

If you want to try and pretend that you didn't say what you did then so be it.
Well it's not clear exactly what you are implying I said, and what's wrong with saying what I supposedly said!

If an employee database shows they employ 0 people from country X then I cannot see how you would not be suspicious that someone from that country was purporting to work for that company.

Unfortunately the OP hasn't come back with further details (probably because of the ridiculous comments made here) so it's hard to comment any further, but my comment was made from a general point of view.
 

Bungle73

On Moderation
Joined
19 Aug 2011
Messages
3,040
Location
Kent
Well it's not clear exactly what you are implying I said, and what's wrong with saying what I supposedly said!

If their employee database shows they employ 0 people from country X then I cannot see how you would not be suspicious that someone from that country was purporting to work for that company.

How are you going to know who they employ, if you don't have access to the database, in order to know whether to be suspicious or not?
 
Joined
2 May 2011
Messages
287
Location
Nowhere
Now now ladies, I can see why the word "Pedant" was invented.

What a tedious way to spend time, lol.

Not a jibe by the way, just my observation that we can all (me included) take ourselves a little too seriously sometimes. ;)
 

Mojo

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
7 Aug 2005
Messages
20,382
Location
0035
How are you going to know who they employ, if you don't have access to the database, in order to know whether to be suspicious or not?
What has this got to do with me, and whether I have access to a database that may or may not have the data required?
 

Maxfly

Member
Joined
9 Mar 2010
Messages
269
Location
Scotland
This is just a massive wind up isn't it?

Possible, just please tell me it is you that is on the wind up as if your not, well how you cannot get what mojo was saying is beyond me :)

BRX, you seem to be a racism hunter tbh, even when it is not there you will find it:|
 

caliwag

Member
Joined
29 Mar 2009
Messages
608
Location
York
Haven't read the whole thread, but I have a couple of Romanian Buddies that work for NR...One guy has been with them for years, I'm sure he's a design engineer on trackwork. (actually he's seriously interested in local railway history too, which is more what we talk about). I suspect if he's out with his Romanian colleague they drop in and out of their natural language...they certainly do in the pub...Romanian peppered with English: fascinating.
Around 2001 I worked with an Indian NR engineer on some West coast improvements...good man.
 

trainophile

Established Member
Joined
28 Oct 2010
Messages
6,182
Location
Wherever I lay my hat
If the OP did phone BTP, and BTP said "can you give us a description of the men?", would it be racist to mention that they were talking in a language other than English? I don't see why a line has to be drawn between mentioning it initially or waiting until asked for further details.
 

dcd

Member
Joined
28 Jan 2011
Messages
536
Location
Romsey
Every person on Network Rail infrastructure has to have there sponsor/company on there Hi-Viz clothing, that is fact.
Although these days agency staff work for that many different agencies they could put anything on

As in this photo - one at least does not appear to have any logo on their hi-viz

attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 2011-02-24_14.28.29_DSCF0529.jpg
    2011-02-24_14.28.29_DSCF0529.jpg
    113.2 KB · Views: 275

asylumxl

Established Member
Joined
12 Feb 2009
Messages
4,260
Location
Hiding in your shadow
I'm going to make a return to this thread. I'm not going to get into any debates though.

In reality, these people were probably just NR employees or contractors, most likely surveyors, and if they were looking at the houses it will probably have been something to do with fencing or foliage.

NR has been conducting surveys of foliage for about a year and a bit now in order to identify what needs cutting back to reduce problems due to leaf fall.
 

Maxfly

Member
Joined
9 Mar 2010
Messages
269
Location
Scotland
Haven't read the whole thread, but I have a couple of Romanian Buddies that work for NR...One guy has been with them for years, I'm sure he's a design engineer on trackwork. (actually he's seriously interested in local railway history too, which is more what we talk about). I suspect if he's out with his Romanian colleague they drop in and out of their natural language...they certainly do in the pub...Romanian peppered with English: fascinating.
Around 2001 I worked with an Indian NR engineer on some West coast improvements...good man.

There was a Romanian fella that worked on the project for Lugton dynamic loop, very clever bloke actually spoke with a slight kind of Yorkshire accent too which threw me at first lol. Very interested in what he was doing and could tell he enjoyed his job, seemed quite impressed by the way the Scottish tokenless blocks worked. Wonder if he was one of your mates? :)
 

Maxfly

Member
Joined
9 Mar 2010
Messages
269
Location
Scotland
Would you have been suspicious if you hadn't thought they were "Eastern Europeans"?

If by this reply and subsequent ones you were not insinuating that the op had racist overtones in his post then I apologise and retract my post :)
 

caliwag

Member
Joined
29 Mar 2009
Messages
608
Location
York
There was a Romanian fella that worked on the project for Lugton dynamic loop, very clever bloke actually spoke with a slight kind of Yorkshire accent too which threw me at first lol. Very interested in what he was doing and could tell he enjoyed his job, seemed quite impressed by the way the Scottish tokenless blocks worked. Wonder if he was one of your mates? :)

Aye, I'll ask him if he was on that job...I think he tends to be more West Coast and Northern england, could be his mate though! Cheers, Jim
 

12CSVT

Established Member
Joined
18 Aug 2010
Messages
2,612
If I saw an old granny wondering around the side of the line in a HiVi then I'd be asking questions too. Doesn't mean I'm ageist.

On the other hand she could be fully PTS trained and a few weeks / months away from retirement age.
 

Smudger105e

Member
Joined
5 Jan 2010
Messages
1,012
Location
N 52° 53.492 W 001° 15.493
If the OP did phone BTP, and BTP said "can you give us a description of the men?", would it be racist to mention that they were talking in a language other than English? I don't see why a line has to be drawn between mentioning it initially or waiting until asked for further details.

No, that would be no more racist than the Police describing someone as a IC1 male with ginger hair, would it? As detailed a description as possible is most important, and that does not just include their appearance, it includes accents, their (possibly suspicious) activites, their location etc. etc...
 

LCC106

Established Member
Joined
16 Nov 2011
Messages
1,301
Hi all, I watched a couple of railway workers today near my house and a couple of things seemed a bit off to me. Any info anybody could supply would be much appreciated. I'll just ask direct questions rather than write a giant explanation....

I know I sound a bit over-cautious but I trust my gut and this was strange.

Thanks.

Just wondering what the outcome of the phone call was? Personally I think you did the right thing - despite all being blown out of proportion on here.
 

BRX

Established Member
Joined
20 Oct 2008
Messages
3,599
The point is not about whether the language they seemed to be speaking is a potentially useful piece of information to give the police if you make the call.

The point is about whether their supposed nationality is in fact relevant to determining the likelihood that they are up to no good.

Being suspicious about people based on their nationality/appearance/whatever has consequences for people of that nationality/appearance whatever. Not theoretical consequences - real consequences. If there is an air of suspicion about "eastern Europeans" because people hear rumours that there are loads of eastern Europeans perpetrating cable thefts, this affects the way eastern Europeans are treated in their day-to-day lives.

So, each time this rumour is mentioned, say by the OP of this thread, it is reinforced. Hence why I feel it is important that it is questioned.
 

Trog

Established Member
Joined
30 Oct 2009
Messages
1,546
Location
In Retirement.
...and while you're at it, what proportion of genuine railway workers are "Eastern Europeans"?



I have seen an old black BR rule book printed in Polish.

So there must have been quite a few then.
 

Maxfly

Member
Joined
9 Mar 2010
Messages
269
Location
Scotland
The point is not about whether the language they seemed to be speaking is a potentially useful piece of information to give the police if you make the call.

The point is about whether their supposed nationality is in fact relevant to determining the likelihood that they are up to no good.

Being suspicious about people based on their nationality/appearance/whatever has consequences for people of that nationality/appearance whatever. Not theoretical consequences - real consequences. If there is an air of suspicion about "eastern Europeans" because people hear rumours that there are loads of eastern Europeans perpetrating cable thefts, this affects the way eastern Europeans are treated in their day-to-day lives.

So, each time this rumour is mentioned, say by the OP of this thread, it is reinforced. Hence why I feel it is important that it is questioned.



Nope it is only important to be questioned if racism was inferred by the op in his original post. As it was not and his post was quite clear about why foreign accents etc were mentioned then your subsequent racism hunting was neither required or welcome. In fact your postings are the more likely to invoke sour feelings against eastern Europeans as they are what is stirring up any racial tension etc, not the op!
 

Old Timer

Established Member
Joined
24 Aug 2009
Messages
3,703
Location
On a plane somewhere at 35,000
The point is not about whether the language they seemed to be speaking is a potentially useful piece of information to give the police if you make the call.

The point is about whether their supposed nationality is in fact relevant to determining the likelihood that they are up to no good.

Being suspicious about people based on their nationality/appearance/whatever has consequences for people of that nationality/appearance whatever. Not theoretical consequences - real consequences. If there is an air of suspicion about "eastern Europeans" because people hear rumours that there are loads of eastern Europeans perpetrating cable thefts, this affects the way eastern Europeans are treated in their day-to-day lives.

So, each time this rumour is mentioned, say by the OP of this thread, it is reinforced. Hence why I feel it is important that it is questioned.
I suggest you stop trying to infer "Racism" where there clearly is none intended.

It is a fact that there are a considerable number of Eastern European criminals in the UK, many from Romania for example, were prisoners who were released by the Government and effectively deported to the UK.

There is a serious and growing issue with criminal gangs made up from Eastern Europeans. This is a fact and stating this does not constitute "Racism" in any way whatsoever. What I find deeply worrying is your rush to play the race card.

Whilst there are certainly a good percentage of Eastern Europeans who contribute to the UK, it is a fact that there is still a large group who are engaged in Criminality on a serious scale.

The OP was quite right to have been suspicious about people on and about the line who were seemingly more interested in the house alongside rather than the actual railway. I would have expected the OP to have reported boviously English speaking people who were acting in the same manner.

Oh and before you try to play the race card against me, I spend most of my time working outside the UK, where I am the foreigner.

I also speak at least one foreign language.
 

12CSVT

Established Member
Joined
18 Aug 2010
Messages
2,612
I don't think it is racist to be suspicious of people on non-public areas of Network Rail property speaking in a foreign language. It is my understanding that any safety critical communication should be not only in English but should also use the correct railway terminology at all times.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top