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Great Western Driver Depots at Westbury and Gloucester

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Grid56005

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Hi folks. Is anyone able to provide details on the link structure, diagrams etc at these two depots? PM me if that’s better, thanks for any replies.

Grid56005
 
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tiptoptaff

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Yes but it would take me forever. PM specific questions and I'll answer
 

Class2ldn

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I'd like to know the same about Oxford if possible, also what the parking situation is like there.
Thanks
 

Johncleesefan

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Salary is £48018 per annum

4 day 35 hour week. Long weekend every 3 weeks. 29 days leave a year. 6 months full sick pay then 6 months half sick pay.

Westbury sign 150, 153, 158, 165 and 166 traction.
Westbury sign Portsmouth, Weymouth, Cardiff, Swindon, Bristol parkway and Taunton routes.

Gloucester sign 150, 153, 158, hst and soon turbos.
Gloucester sign Cheltenham, Swindon, westbury, Cardiff and Taunton routes
 

PHILIPE

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Salary is £48018 per annum

4 day 35 hour week. Long weekend every 3 weeks. 29 days leave a year. 6 months full sick pay then 6 months half sick pay.

Westbury sign 150, 153, 158, 165 and 166 traction.
Westbury sign Portsmouth, Weymouth, Cardiff, Swindon, Bristol parkway and Taunton routes.

Gloucester sign 150, 153, 158, hst and soon turbos.
Gloucester sign Cheltenham, Swindon, westbury, Cardiff and Taunton routes

Gloucester have been working Turbos for a while now and don't they sign Great Malvern ? I also have an idea they work to Severn Beach also unless they have lost the work.
 

tiptoptaff

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Gloucester have been working Turbos for a lot longer than Westbury, whom are now begining the traction training in earnest.

Both depots sign 150, 153, 158, 159 and 165/

A small remaining number of Gloucester drivers sign HSTs but I don't know how long that will last with Worcester now open.

Gloucester sign GCR-Malvern, Cardiff, Bristol, Swindon. Bristol-Cardiff, Severn Beach, Taunton and Westbury. Westbury - Warminster and Swindon via Melksham. Swindon - BTM via Box and Hullavington.

Westbury sign Swindon, Bristol, Weymouth, Cardiff, Portsmouth Harbour and Taunton.

Sunday's are outside the week but you must work your booked Sunday's if you cannot find cover, as these are both West depots.
 

Johncleesefan

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Ah, I wasn’t aware Gloucester already signed tubs or the beach. I forgot about the existence of Malvern. To the OP, out of interest, are you a qualified driver looking to transfer to one of these depots? Or just curious?
 

tiptoptaff

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Ah, I wasn’t aware Gloucester already signed tubs or the beach. I forgot about the existence of Malvern.

They've signed them as long as I've been resourcing them - they were the first depot to get Turbo knowledge, because of their historical route knowledge to Didcot which helped in the transfer of units for training

Edit: for clarity, I mean the first depot in the West area
 

Johncleesefan

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Oh fair enough cheers. I don’t know too much about the goings on in Glous as I rarely mingle with their crew.
 

Johncleesefan

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Depends! You in resources? I’m a Westbury driver hence why I can answer more for that depot
 

Class2ldn

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What's the deal with Sundays at Oxford? Is it different to the west depots or do you still need to find cover?
 

tlionhart

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Oxford and Paddington can chuck them in. They have to do it by Wednesday of that week.
 

Johncleesefan

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I believe ltv and west must have the same condition there then. We can chuck ours in as long as we apply for it by the preceding Tuesday
 

Right Away

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Westbury work is split into two links (no seniority differences between the two) with both working the same routes and traction. (There are other small links for part time drivers but these are an aside).

Traction signed is currently 150 (0/1/2), 153, 158, 159, 165, 166 (training currently underway for the 16x classes).

Westbury drivers currently sign the following routes with regular work: Westbury to Weymouth, Westbury to Portsmouth Harbour via Southampton Central, Westbury to Swindon, Westbury to Cardiff West via Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Temple Meads to Taunton, Filton to Bristol Parkway. Diversionary routes and routes with limited work over also signed are: Filton Chord, Bristol East Loop (The Rhubarb), Bristol Parkway to Patchway, Bathampton Junction to Thingley Junction, Castle Cary to Cogload Junction, Romsey to Fareham via Eastleigh and Botley, St Denys to Eastleigh, Cosham Junction/Portcreek Junction to Havant, Weston-super-Mare/Frome/Westbury avoiding lines, Westbury East Loop, Heywood Road Junction to Westbury.

Earliest start time is currently 03:55 (taxi to Weymouth). Next earliest is 04:49. Latest finish (excluding night turns) is normally 00:28. There are two night turns, night shunts (shunting and preparing units for the following day) and night Weymouth (work the last service down, prepare it and then work the first service up the following morning, except for Friday nights where the driver is taxied back with a finish time of 02:30 instead. No depot work as Westbury is only a stabling point. Don't touch St Philip's Marsh, Fratton or Cardiff Canton depots.
 

NewbieDoobie

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Westbury work is split into two links (no seniority differences between the two) with both working the same routes and traction. (There are other small links for part time drivers but these are an aside).

Traction signed is currently 150 (0/1/2), 153, 158, 159, 165, 166 (training currently underway for the 16x classes).

Westbury drivers currently sign the following routes with regular work: Westbury to Weymouth, Westbury to Portsmouth Harbour via Southampton Central, Westbury to Swindon, Westbury to Cardiff West via Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Temple Meads to Taunton, Filton to Bristol Parkway. Diversionary routes and routes with limited work over also signed are: Filton Chord, Bristol East Loop (The Rhubarb), Bristol Parkway to Patchway, Bathampton Junction to Thingley Junction, Castle Cary to Cogload Junction, Romsey to Fareham via Eastleigh and Botley, St Denys to Eastleigh, Cosham Junction/Portcreek Junction to Havant, Weston-super-Mare/Frome/Westbury avoiding lines, Westbury East Loop, Heywood Road Junction to Westbury.

Earliest start time is currently 03:55 (taxi to Weymouth). Next earliest is 04:49. Latest finish (excluding night turns) is normally 00:28. There are two night turns, night shunts (shunting and preparing units for the following day) and night Weymouth (work the last service down, prepare it and then work the first service up the following morning, except for Friday nights where the driver is taxied back with a finish time of 02:30 instead. No depot work as Westbury is only a stabling point. Don't touch St Philip's Marsh, Fratton or Cardiff Canton depots.
Hey Right Away!

So I know I’m dragging up an old thread, apologies for that. Was wondering if any of the info you gave in Westbury last year has since altered much? I’m due to start training for Westbury in July. What now is the earliest and latest start? And how do shift patterns generally run at this depot?

Thanks!! :D
 

Numbnuts846

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Hey Right Away!

So I know I’m dragging up an old thread, apologies for that. Was wondering if any of the info you gave in Westbury last year has since altered much? I’m due to start training for Westbury in July. What now is the earliest and latest start? And how do shift patterns generally run at this depot?

Thanks!! :D
No 153s any more on Westburys traction card as gwr don't have any they will be removed. Also Westbury only go as far as weston super mare as they have no work past weston super mare and I believe castle Cary to taunton is being removed from routes signed now .
 

Right Away

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No 153s any more on Westburys traction card as gwr don't have any they will be removed. Also Westbury only go as far as weston super mare as they have no work past weston super mare and I believe castle Cary to taunton is being removed from routes signed now .
As mentioned the 153s have now gone, as have the 150/1s. Weston-super-Mare to Taunton and Castle Cary to Taunton were taken away from Westbury last year and the routes removed from the driver licence counterpart. Although Westbury guards are being trained on the short HST sets, there are currently no plans for the drivers there to be trained on them.

Earliest start time is currently 04:39 (morning cover driver) with the taxi to Weymouth turn now booking on at a similar time. The rest is pretty much the same.

With the new GWR driver grade, I wouldn't be surprised to see the depot eventually signing class 80x traction, with the possibility of gaining Taunton/Exeter in one direction and Newbury/Reading in the other.

Shift patterns are based on a 35 hour 4 day week (Monday to Saturday), with 1 additional committed Sunday per every 3 weeks. Rest days are Monday and Tuesday one week, Wednesday and Thursday the next with Friday and Saturday the next. This gives you a long weekend off (Friday to Tuesday) every three weeks.

Regards.
RA.
 
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NewbieDoobie

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As mentioned the 153s have now gone, as have the 150/1s. Weston-super-Mare to Taunton and Castle Cary to Taunton were taken away from Westbury last year and the routes removed from the driver licence counterpart. Although Westbury guards are being trained on the short HST sets, there are currently no plans for the drivers there to be trained on them.

Earliest start time is currently 04:39 (morning cover driver) with the taxi to Weymouth turn now booking on at a similar time. The rest is pretty much the same.

With the new GWR driver grade, I wouldn't be surprised to see the depot eventually signing class 80x traction, with the possibility of gaining Taunton/Exeter in one direction and Newbury/Reading in the other.

Shift patterns are based on a 35 hour 4 day week (Monday to Saturday), with 1 additional committed Sunday per every 3 weeks. Rest days are Monday and Tuesday one week, Wednesday and Thursday the next with Friday and Saturday the next. This gives you a long weekend off (Friday to Tuesday) every three weeks.

Regards.
RA.
That’s fab thank you so much! Are Sundays in the working week as far as pay rates go, assuming you can throw in rostered Sundays bar 1 each month then?

The 80x traction is promising! Would certainly change up the working patterns!
 

Class2ldn

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Sundays will be outside if they are committed otherwise they'd just be part of the working week anyway
 

Right Away

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That’s fab thank you so much! Are Sundays in the working week as far as pay rates go, assuming you can throw in rostered Sundays bar 1 each month then?

The 80x traction is promising! Would certainly change up the working patterns!
Sundays are outside of the working week and are worked as overtime, however as a legacy from Wessex Trains days, there are 2 committed Sundays in a six week period. You are expected to work these unless you can find cover. You can apply to make yourself unavailable, however this will be declined by rosters if there are not enough volunteers available to cover. The exception is if you have a block week of leave, where you are allowed to make yourself unavailable for a Sunday turn at either end of the week of leave.
 

irish_rail

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That’s fab thank you so much! Are Sundays in the working week as far as pay rates go, assuming you can throw in rostered Sundays bar 1 each month then?

The 80x traction is promising! Would certainly change up the working patterns!
I don't want to disappoint but I really can't see Westbury learning 80x traction there would be no advantage to it, none are stabled there overnight it really would not make any sense however I guess stranger things have happened
 

CharlesR

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I’ve seen on twitter a Gloucester based driver taking his “first 800 to Paddington” and attached an image. Do some of Gloucesters now take Paddington?
 

Grid56005

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Dragging up an old thread.
Has there been any changes at Westbury, driver wise, routes and traction. I’m hopefully starting there in August so any info would be appreciated. Thanks
 

tiptoptaff

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Dragging up an old thread.
Has there been any changes at Westbury, driver wise, routes and traction. I’m hopefully starting there in August so any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Routes still the same but they're having a faff about with the core routes
 
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