Women freight drivers

[NorthernTech]

Wee jelly…

 

[Dunnideer]

Wee jelly…

It’s what they have for pudding in scotland.

 

[FlyingVixen]

Nasty! Haha!

 

[Eddie77]

It’s what they have for pudding in scotland.

After we deep fry it of course

 

[busken]

Hey, I’d be very happy to use them if it allows me to ‘release’ when I need to! Not health to hold in your urine for too long!

They certainly allow you to release when you need to, and hold a surprising amount too. Sorry if this is too much information

 

[LowLevel]

What do Signallers do in a busy box?

Bigger boxes have meal/personal needs reliefs/other people to help cover a quick break.

The number of constantly busy small boxes is reducing, but there are exceptions - places like Whittlesea which works absolute block both ways with heavy passenger and freight traffic as well as crossings must be quite hard to squeeze a break in.

I remember one day I was running 2 large shunts around a passenger service in a mechanical box and for at least 4 hours could not get 3 minutes to leg it to the bog. Eventually I tried to create my own gap, and in my rather desperate state slung the wrong signal back in front of a train, which luckily didn't have a SPAD, instead stopping at it and coming on the phone.

This kind of workload management is a serious issue and one that has been picked up on - you can only cross your legs for so long and it's not the kind of distraction you can ignore - if you gotta go, you gotta go.

Some drivers I know go to the toilet to squeeze something out at every reasonable opportunity whether they feel the need or not.

 

[Towers]

Not on my network, we don't. Given how often we are stranded on units with no facilities, or at unstaffed stations with... No facilities.

We have also had guards Clause 9'd over an emergency PNB to use the toilet.

Trust me when I say that a Costa coffee cup and a Shewee has been my best friend, when in a bind.

Is that not illegal?! I would hope that there was appropriate intervention from whichever union was applicable?!

 

[mmh]

I have never been in a signal box with only one signaller in it, but maybe that's just my Network.

There must be loads, surely. I live close to one, and now I'm considering a trivia thread about the signal box with the most attractive view for the signaller between having to do stuff. I think this one might win.

 

[FlyingVixen]

They certainly allow you to release when you need to, and hold a surprising amount too. Sorry if this is too much information

Haha not at all when you are speaking to a health professional!

 

[Shunted]

The windscreen washer plastic chambers in cabs is a favourite on certain locomotives when drivers are desperate (apparently)

 

[NorthernTech]

I think we have definitely covered the pnb info now.

Are there any other issues regarding freight driving that are not a problem with toc driving?

The windscreen washer plastic chambers in cabs is a favourite on certain locomotives when drivers are desperate (apparently)

Interesting washer additive you have there..

 

[Nuttygooner]

Is that not illegal?! I would hope that there was appropriate intervention from whichever union was appropriate?

From what I understand, they had booked themself on as fit for duty, and about half way through, they had an urgent need, so to speak.

There was uproar in my depot, at the time. It was successfully appealed.

 

[Towers]

From what I understand, they had booked themself on as fit for duty, and about half way through, they had an urgent need, so to speak.

There was uproar in my depot, at the time. It was successfully appealed.

Being 'fit for duty' categorically does not imply that an individual will not require use of the lav at some point during their shift! Yikes!

 

[66701GBRF]

I hope the manager that instigated the discipline proceedings is no longer a manager!

 

[greatkingrat]

From what I understand, they had booked themself on as fit for duty, and about half way through, they had an urgent need, so to speak.

There was uproar in my depot, at the time. It was successfully appealed.

Should have got everyone in the depot to say they are unfit for duty the following day, as they might need to go to the toilet at some point!

 

[PaulJ]

Perhaps follow @bessbbe on Twitter. Bessie was a Greater Anglia guard, moved to South West Trains to become a driver and has been with Freightliner for the last year and very much enjoys it.

 

[Elecman]

Haha I’m glad that she liked it!


Hey, I’d be very happy to use them if it allows me to ‘release’ when I need to! Not health to hold in your urine for too long!


I’m going to check them out for sure!!

There are a couple of other too

 

[FlyingVixen]

Give me all the female train drivers! I hope to join them as a train driver on Twitter sometime soon!

 

[NorthernTech]

You sound determined and no doubt got much/all of the non technical skills from your background. I think you’ll get there when the next stages become available to you.

 

[PupCuff]

From what I understand, they had booked themself on as fit for duty, and about half way through, they had an urgent need, so to speak.

There was uproar in my depot, at the time. It was successfully appealed.

This is what does my head in about the rail industry. People put blood sweat and tears into building a positive safety culture with trust and engagement. Then all it takes is one manager to do something like that and it's round the company by Tuesday and the entire positive work is undone.

 

[godfreycomplex]

This is what does my head in about the rail industry. People put blood sweat and tears into building a positive safety culture with trust and engagement. Then all it takes is one manager to do something like that and it's round the company by Tuesday and the entire positive work is undone.

Exactly

Train managers
Empower managers
Stop hiring and enabling bad managers

 

[357]

This is what does my head in about the rail industry. People put blood sweat and tears into building a positive safety culture with trust and engagement. Then all it takes is one manager to do something like that and it's round the company by Tuesday and the entire positive work is undone.

Yep. Totally agree

I delayed my train recently to go and use a toilet as none on my train were working. A manager later said to me "don't you carry an empty bottle in your bag?"

I actually asked him if he would have said that to a female driver and got the reply "that's different"!

 

[Carl98k]

Yep. Totally agree

I delayed my train recently to go and use a toilet as none on my train were working. A manager later said to me "don't you carry an empty bottle in your bag?"

I actually asked him if he would have said that to a female driver and got the reply "that's different"!

I’d have asked if he’d use a bottle in his office rather than go to the toilet.

 

[NorthernTech]

Yep. Totally agree

I delayed my train recently to go and use a toilet as none on my train were working. A manager later said to me "don't you carry an empty bottle in your bag?"

I actually asked him if he would have said that to a female driver and got the reply "that's different"!

You should have asked him for the order code for the company issue Wee bottle

 

[Nuttygooner]

You should have asked him for the order code for the company issue Wee bottle

Only company branded ones that can be flogged on e-Bay will suffice!

 

[NorthernTech]

Only company branded ones that can be flogged on e-Bay will suffice!

 

[Stigy]

Not on my network, we don't. Given how often we are stranded on units with no facilities, or at unstaffed stations with... No facilities.

We have also had guards Clause 9'd over an emergency PNB to use the toilet.

Trust me when I say that a Costa coffee cup and a Shewee has been my best friend, when in a bind.

To potentially sanction someone for Gross Misconduct for taking a much needed emergency PNB certainly wouldn’t result in dismissal. Unless there’s more to it?

 

[godfreycomplex]

To potentially sanction someone for Gross Misconduct for taking a much needed emergency PNB certainly wouldn’t result in dismissal. Unless there’s more to it?

If there’s a company in the industry that wouldn’t laugh such a sanction out of “court”, quite frankly they should be named and shamed

 

[FlyingVixen]

You sound determined and no doubt got much/all of the non technical skills from your background. I think you’ll get there when the next stages become available to you.

Thank you! I really hope so! My fingers are crossed all the time!!