Re: re why ......

["Graeme" <grimegrime@hotmailnospam.com>]

"Rod [comtrain]" <freight_man@hotmail.com> wrote in message
3a8b25d6$0$6545$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au">news:3a8b25d6$0$6545$7f31c96c@news01.syd.optusnet.com.au...
> Actually My examiner was Gerald Dee, of Victorian Steam fame
> I arrived in Melbourne from Wodonga at 0900, was met at Spencer Street,
and
> the examination started as we left the train walking down to Dynon Loco
> where we occupied the class rooms. We stopped at 1230 for a meal, and
barely
> got back to Spencer Street for my connection back to Wodonga at 1700 hrs
 I
> was both lucky and unlucky as this was Geralds first Enginemans
examination)
> we spent from 0930 to 1230 on signalling and safeworking At lunch Gerald
> told me he would fail me, because I could not give him a correct
> interpretation of the automatic fog signalling machine installed on the
> viaduct between Spencer Street and Flinders Street. I later found out that
> no body at Jolimont had ever seen it being used, some Drivers had never
> heard of it, and they had been Driving since the war!
> After lunch Gerald asked me if under the circumstances, did I want to go
on
> with the exam. I decided to continue, and fully passed another 3 hours of
> Westing house brake and more safeworking.
> None of this was written, it was all oral questions and answers.
> I returned to Dynon 3 months later and repeated the exam and was passed as
> Driver 3 on 17-07-80, again with Gerald.
> This exam took only 3 hours, and Gerald told me that he had been very hard
> on me, the first time. He had since modified the exam to 3 hours, about an
> hour on each subject. We attended Institute Classes held by Keith Moore
> twice a week 2 hours each for at least two years prior to sitting the
> Evaluation Exam, which lasted 2 hours and all this in our own time. After
> passing Evaluation we were allowed to sit the Drivers Exam. All in all I
> spent 4 years as a second man, under the insructions of a driver, who
unpaid
> gave me continuios help, instruction, and by example, taught me the
> responsibilrity I would inherit as a Driver.
> Pass marks for Drivers in Victoria were 100% Signalling {probably because
of
> the incompetence of signalmen, which meant the Driver was the last man who
> could protect the train and the public, in the final annalysis}100%
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!No mention of V.C or trainstops here
> Safeworking
> and 80% Westinghouse Brake.
> Parts of the Brake Exam could not be failed also.
Good yarn Rod especially in the light of Gerald having passed away so
recently.
> This exam contrasted with the guards and Signalmens exams held at the
time,
> usually when the Melbourne Examiner arrived and all went to the Commercial
> Club in Albury to test a few theories over the one armed bandits.
Possitive your not talking about re-examinations here ,which in the traffic
branch were well known to be of the "Have you had any problems,is there
anything you need clarifacation on"?Working on the assumption that if you
had been doing the job for several years(bearing in mind you never got
re-examined right on time)then you had a fair idea of what was required.
Besides which,if my fading memory serves me correctly I spent 4 hours in the
safe working office at Flinders St sweating my Guards Brief.
> If this sounds a little anti Traffic Branch, well it seems that it is
> contagious. Reading between the lines, you seem to promote a similar
apathy
Have to disagree there Rod.The way I read Gregs remarks where that some
blokes who purport to be drivers are taking themselves a tad too
seriously.Its a well known  sign of maturity if you can have a laugh at your
self.True?
> towards the Drivers, without whom you just would not have a job.
Well with a statement like that Im not surprised.
I thought the idea was we all worked in together and got the job done.If
that meant the Guard did the driving,the fireman had a snooz in the van,and
the drive did the shunt,great.Mind you thats going back to the days when we
had branch lines,LCL had not been heard of,road sides and paper trains where
the norm,and Light Bulbs Harris was crash testing Silvers.

> In Victoria 85% of all Signalboxes have been demolished, and without the
> obvious interference of Traffic types
who instituted the pilot working and all the other emergency action plans to
keep the trains running in times of disarangement
, we would have had a electronic
> Safeworking system in place all over the State, which seperates the
trains,
> allows the drivers to set the routes ahead, that is change the roads,
either
> into or out of loops on single lines, and also set up junctions and
platform
> arrival. This system was knocked over by incompitent Train controllers who
> did not want their jobs to go the way of guards and signalmen in thkis
> State.
I guess at some stage in the future ,the natural progression will be to
extend this system to fully automated, and elimination of most drivers.
Adelaide Train Control is now instituting a new similar system which
> will operate Australia wide, in the near future.
> AATC will soon announce a deal to take over all Interstate routes in NSW,
> and this will see the demise of many signalmen in that State also.
>
>
> Now Mr Troll..eh Greg [I just read down through the rest of your answer to
> my post..I am waisting my time I guess]
> my point is you must be a very lonely person indeed. It seems that rather
> than promote good congregation between those that use this group, you
would
> rather annoy good people who would rather just partake of a little
friendly
> chat.
> Well Sir, I am sorry for you.
> Recently I  noticed a few messages under the headings of Guards are c...
or
> something or other.
> please go join that conversation, and I hope you either recover or depart
> real soon,
> cheerfully
> Rod [comtrain]