Re: NSW CityRail Apprenticeship Info HERE

[pdwyer <pdwyerNOpdSPAM@ecn.net.au.invalid>]

In article <011c5cf8.ed19ae1f@usw-ex0106-044.remarq.com>,
signal_engineer <hayesipNOhaSPAM@hotmail.com.invalid> wrote:

> Hey don't knock the SRA apprentice scheme. I'm a product of that
> scheme (Elec Fitter). Err...maybe that's not a good arguement after
> all.

Sigh, get a good news feed from my ISP (finally), but no right of reply
;-(

Another product of a raiway apprenticeship - elect fitter/mech.

Apparently no more fitters, only mechs. The benefits of progress.

(Fogey mode on) When IO did my apprenticeship with QR, I got four
different areas of work through which I progressed.

Workshops - Motors, Signal repeaters, Line 'phones (what every
trackside person needed), Drills, Grinders, Staff Bells, never got to
do a full instrument overhaul (thank those lucky stars).

Power & Light. - First day , hang off the Indooroopilly bridge to
change a navigation light. Welcome to the wire jerkers.  Seee how the
lovely rail workers spend their time destroying their quarters. Repair
those quarters, smile at the offspring.

Telecoms. Learn the fastest way to the local pub. Spend all day there.
Leave the apprentice to answer the phone.
When the modern marvel of the Commodore 64 enters the diagnostic arena,
scare friends and influemce techs with Leaderboard Golf and the
America's Cup. Be the ony person using these applications when
Engineers pass by.

Signals.

Be the envy of the block. Not only do you comprehend the marvels of
series track circuits (after missing an entire week of courses) you go
on to learn what marvellous acronyms lay before you. Sounds a lot
better than chess, so you stick around to see the latest thing since
the towers of Hanoi.

I mean - Signals

You don't get disappointed, this is much better than chess. You want a 
logic puzzle? Meeet the greatest. People who want to eliminate the
slightest chance of error. Who keep getting taught by Joe Idiot the
best method of getting around the best safeguards.

And by Joe Idiot I mean everyone, even you. You'd be surprised what can
cause an accident. Fortunately by the time you're born most of the
damage you can do has been thought of :-)

Guess where I ended up. I have a job where I can go to work every day
and say I'm doing something. Not everyone can.

I go to work to make sure you can. My job is to ensure that you make
every rail journey you take is one you finish. You can't guarantee that
much about cars as much as you can quantitively state about rail travel
(excepting NSW of course :-) )

The thing about rail apprenticeships is that sometimes you can find
things you never knew existed. Or appreciated.

Seeya.







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