Uk Down the track .It could be ?????

["TurnTableTed" <thatsmyturnnowurturn@it.net.au>]

Nevil  <nevil>wrote in message
@news2-wintlworld.com...
>
> > >Someone of my acquaintance has recently gone into driver
> training with
> > >Virgin from a desk job with them, which was his first
> National
> > >Railways job.
>
> > Virgin have recruited drivers off the street.
> > They may well have changed their mind about doing so since
> the initial
> > batch were taken on...
>
> Like it, just a subtle hint that perhaps it didn't all go to
> plan!
> It puzzles me that people think anyone can do our job,
> especially those in charge of recruiting us. But then I
> suppose they get away with it just enough, to avoid the
> public scrutiny that might be in order. In fairness though,
> I didn't realise how much there was to it before it was my
> job, but then I wasn't making decisions about training
> demands.
> Nev
>
>Train driving consists of five things: Knowledge of >Rules, knowledge of
>traction, knowledge of routes, train handling and >experience.

>Now I'll tell you why 'people think anyone can do >our job'. Look at that
>list again; the only element that is visible is the >handling, which is
also
>the easiest part, everything else is in your head. >So, when those managers
>who've never driven trains (which is most of them) >take a ride in your cab
>they see the visible bit and think 'Hmm, this is >easy - we can train
monkeys
>to do this in a few weeks'. They don't realise that >this is one of those
>jobs where it isn't what you do that matters, it's >what you have to know
and
>to have experienced in order to do it properly and >safely.

>Consequently they're not fussy about who they >appoint to drivers vacancies
>and, provided you can pass those stupid >psychometric tests and have got
all
>your arms and legs, basically, you're in. We've all >seen people selected
who
>were known (by others if not the selectors) to >have had a drink problem,
>people who are among life's born worriers, >nervous wrecks as conductors -
>never mind as drivers; people who have no ability >to grasp technical
>subjects. We've all seen them nursed thorough >training and just about
scrape
>through the exams. Let's face it, how many >trainees do you know who were
>actually FAILED at the end of the day? Once out >on the track it's not long
>before the pigeons come home to roost - >SPADS, over-runs, nervose
illnesses,
>incident after incident until they have to be taken >off or sacked. Every
>driver at every depot in the country can think of at >least one driver at
his
>own depot who is an accident just waiting to >happen. It's not that that
>individual is a bad person - they just aren't cut out >for driving and
should
>never have got the job in the first place.

>Some conductors who were sent to VT >Millennium for rules training came
back
>so hopeless they had to be effectively re-trained >from scratch in-house by
a
>certain TOC. Traction training on the whole tends >to be skimpy. Route
>learning is regarded by non-driving managers as >virtually a skive - some
of
>them can't see the need for it at all. As the fall-out >from Ladbroke Grove
>revealed, there are next to no proper route >learning resources any more.
>BR's route learning schools were closed down >after privatisation because
no
>one wanted to pay for them. Then to top it all our >newly trained drivers,
no
>matter how well trained and enthusiastic they >might be, are turfed out
onto
>the main line with little real practical experience of >railway operating
at
>all - selling tickets in the train hardly counts. The >first time they come
>across something like assisting a failed train, an >obstruction on the line
>or dealing with engineering work, it will be as >driver in charge, working
>ALONE. The saving grace is not that so many >new drivers are good (and
there
>are good ones), but that most of them simply stay >lucky for long enough to
>build up the experience to become good. Sound >like a TOC near you?

>Regards,
>LM
>uk.railway NG

Well well,
This is what a stiff upper lip will get you,poor buggers..
What goes around comes around see ya around