Hi Jason, Many thanks for your comment glad you enjoy the videos! Keep up the good work on your own channel, Im a long time subscriber!

And sadly bus drivers aren't paid as well for having the accept the lifestyle. And they should be paid better

These signs are pretty wide spread now

Good guess it is related to low adhesion

not exactly, but it is to do with low adhesion

Still a great job, but nothing like it use to be. listening to some of the stories the "old boys" tell its remarkable.

@@DadRail I have a good few stories to tell. I have included some in a book I am writing and also put quite a few on the Train Simulator forum (on Steam). Stories include such things as the 'Blind Train Driver', the day I tasted human flesh (accidently!), the dog that I killed, deliberately, with a whack from a short circuit bar, and the day that I 'slid' across an un-gated level crossing with a class 73 and a load of empty wagons - unable to stop and horn screaming (and toes curling up!). Ahh the good old days, gone forever but not forgotten.

Ive worked in retail in the past so I know what you mean!

It is to do with sandite

Thank you

Snow can cause a problem, the biggest being it can get stuck and compact underneath the train. when the drier applies the brakes, any snow on the brake blokes can become compacted and build up. this can effectively render the braking system useless. We combat this by making sure we are applying the brakes frequently 2-5 mins and observe a 10mph decrease in speed. this keeps the brakes clean and gets rid of any buildups before they can cause a problem. Other problems like snow in exhaust inlets, frozen coupler heads (Although some are heated now) Frozen waste and fresh water tanks on toilets. Snow compacting in point blades prevenient them being operated (most are heated now) And then of course there is the obvious snow drifts that can obscure signals and signs and in extreme cases block the lines complete. Ice is also a problem, forming on the conductor rail in 3rd rail areas and preventing trains taking power, again some are heated and SNITTs (Snow and Ice Treatment Trains) are used to apply ant ice chemicals. Interestingly enough snow and ice doesn't really make the track slippery though, it is similar to driving in normal wet conditions, not low adhesion conditions

Thanks Jack

When I was a passenger driver it was pretty much as your saying, now I’m on freight the terms are different, but it still has to comply with the hidden 18 regs

Orientation is actually wrong in my picture!

Our shifts generally are made up of normal driving shifts. We have a team of dedicated drivers known as shunter drivers that move trains around the depot, they do not learn the same rules as drivers and are paid a little less as well, because they have less responsibility. We also have Wait Shits, but they are called cover shifts. typically there will be 1 or 2 drivers per shift who are booked there just in case something goes wrong. We also have spare shifts, this is where you have days that you are not assigned any booked work, and they are there to cover holidays, training courses and sickness.

@@DadRail Your rules there sound more like the same rules that airline pilots have too at least the airline that my friend works for the line pilots do regular shifts and standby shifts, granted they do deliver planes outside the hangar when they are scheduled for maintenance etc but they have other people that actually shunt them around the hangars using tugs when needed. I assume it's probably something similar if a train needs to go back to the depot after the last station call you just deliver it to a siding at the depot and if they need to move it around the depot staff handle that right?

Im here and planning a come back :-)

@@DadRail phew glad you're still around and doing well.

Ask Google

K&ESR is about 20 mins drive from me. And I've never been :-)

@@DadRail In that case I would troll along to Robertsbridge on Sundays - they need someone to make videos. See the RVR website for more info. I think I would only volunteer to be the cameraman. You obviously enjoy this as a hobby!

Thanks Allen, I may just do that. Ive been thinking about volunteering on a preserved railway or a long time now! I will have a look at the website

@@DadRailI think It would be wise to make the videos about a heritage line with a veiled reference to operational conditions on the main line! A change of operator could 'retire' you in which case the K&ESR has a DMU that often needs a driver ....?

@@AllensTrains ....Robertsbridge....in 2004 when our daughter was doing a GAP year at W House school in Tonbridge Wells, we in NZ were offered a place to stay for 3 nights' as it happened across the road from the (something) Halt pub,,,is it still going, I wonder... Lovely old parish church almost beside the house... at the time I knew nothing about the railway further to the..east..but by a pure fluke .. a photo taken from up in Bodiam Castle perfectly framed a steam loco in the window....

One of 3 sandite markers. 3 lines you are approaching a sandite area, 2 start applying and one to stop

I always wondered why it was 3,2,1, and not 1,2,3 :-)

Absolutely! you can be chopping and changing traction all day. As long as your are competent on the traction and route. you could be on a 171 in the morning and then a 377 later and finish on a 455

^^ Sometimes you may also drive trains for other operators. Redhill Southern drivers operate the class 166s for FGW

Hi there James, currently learning to drive the class 378 on the north and west London lines and also the class 710 on the Gospel oak to barking line shortly after. It’s possible yes 👍

No, Clapham (and Hidden Report) are correct. The signal engineer had been hugely overworked and through fatigue caused a fault in the signal wiring.

100% Clapham :-)

Yep signal engineer at claoham - not train driver fatigue 👍 he came round a corner to see a red signal after having clear aspects, apparantly a wire was not cut back properly in a relay room & gave a short across somewhere it shouldnt!

To be seen for sure. the lights you see the triangular arrangement are actually maker lights with only 1 being a head light. Due to the new lighting technology and the triangular lighting arrangement trains are no longer required to have painted yellow fronts. The headlights are there to illuminate signs and HiViz jackets. I would say its like driving a car with parking lights on

Thank you, it so happens that I am a freight driver now!

@@DadRail Did you find transition to freight very difficult? . Daughter started on freight did about 4 years now on passenger. Not driver myself just just maintaining them we are passed yard driver's though. Did loads of technical riding loco,s for faults found driving mainline quite scary not that I officially got in seat lol ..Got few runs out with daughter was impressed how well she handled 3,000 ton train even in thick fog and she was only 23 yo

@@DadRail Hi what F O C you working for if you don't mind me asking

nounoufriend Do you work at Immingham? If so then we have met. He now works for the Blue team.

@@S2RUF Yes work at Immingham on Loco maintenance are you driver working into imm Blue team ? presume that's GBRf

What do you mean PRK?

In the UK, you have to get a special licence to be able to drive a bus, and next to no train drivers in the UK have that licence

I wouldn't mind at all. And lots of our drivers are ex bus drivers! trouble is most of us don't have a PSV License

You get a free cab pass for picking that up :-)...