Current NR Employee advice how to gain track experience.

[BucketofSpoons]

Currently I work as a Crossing Keeper, the goal is to gain experience and work towards getting a job as a Mobile Operations Manager in the near future.

I understand in the past the more traditional route would be to work as a Signaller first and then later on in your career (should you wish to/your box closes) you then would look to work as a MOM.

My patch has several MOM’s that previously were not Signallers. I also understand from reading on here that others, from different patches, also have no Signalling experience.

I’m actively trying to get myself on a PTS course and hopefully then to do my COSS with the view to help out with any ground frame shifts.

The issue is there isn’t any rush to get me on these courses. It would only benefit myself and not necessarily my LOM.

What are some other ways that I could gain track experience, or anything that would help me to get an interview for a MOM role?

 

[PF19]

Currently I work as a Crossing Keeper, the goal is to gain experience and work towards getting a job as a Mobile Operations Manager in the near future.

I understand in the past the more traditional route would be to work as a Signaller first and then later on in your career (should you wish to/your box closes) you then would look to work as a MOM.

My patch has several MOM’s that previously were not Signallers. I also understand from reading on here that others, from different patches, also have no Signalling experience.

I’m actively trying to get myself on a PTS course and hopefully then to do my COSS with the view to help out with any ground frame shifts.

The issue is there isn’t any rush to get me on these courses. It would only benefit myself and not necessarily my LOM.

What are some other ways that I could gain track experience, or anything that would help me to get an interview for a MOM role?

Unfortunately, its a difficult one - Your LOM will be very reluctant to fund those courses, especially COSS as you will need multiple days out each year and recerts just to remain competent for the foreseeable furture... the courses are also expensive so that doesn't help.
I've personally had to surrender my COSS/PTS/Various other valuable tickets, since switching to OPs opposed to PWay ... which sucked as I had everything (except Pilot and IST training) that a MOM required... so would have made sense to keep hold of them.
There are not many ways around it, even if you asked a local PWAY to use a TVP, its not really track experience.
For the MOM role, show willingness more than anything, ask your LOM if you can spend a couple of shifts shadowing a MOM, although you couldn't really go trackside without a TVP, at least you can see a "day in the life"... they are an extremely sought after job, I am aiming to get there myself.

 

[BucketofSpoons]

Unfortunately, its a difficult one - Your LOM will be very reluctant to fund those courses, especially COSS as you will need multiple days out each year and recerts just to remain competent for the foreseeable furture... the courses are also expensive so that doesn't help.
I've personally had to surrender my COSS/PTS/Various other valuable tickets, since switching to OPs opposed to PWay ... which sucked as I had everything (except Pilot and IST training) that a MOM required... so would have made sense to keep hold of them.
There are not many ways around it, even if you asked a local PWAY to use a TVP, its not really track experience.
For the MOM role, show willingness more than anything, ask your LOM if you can spend a couple of shifts shadowing a MOM, although you couldn't really go trackside without a TVP, at least you can see a "day in the life"... they are an extremely sought after job, I am aiming to get there myself.

Thanks for the reply, I’ve had a day out with a MOM in the past. You make a good point about not being able to go trackside without TVP so days of shadowing probably wouldn’t help too much in terms of gaining experience trackside. On top of this there’s pretty much no red zone working now for MOM’s so any trackside experience would require blocks something that obviously Signallers aren’t keen to grant just to show a crossing keeper how something is done.

I think I was looking to see if anyone had any suggestions that are thinking outside the box a bit. Potentially training or the like, which I could take upon myself on rest days etc?

However, it may just be wishful thinking that anything exists other than the ‘traditional’ route in.