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nozzacook wrote:Is that ten work days or ten consecutive days.It seems quite a short time.

Ten days' work. It's not that much of a difficult route to be honest. You get three days to learn Didcot to Oxford, and ONE day to learn the Greenford loop!

I'll get 32 days in total for EXD to RDG plus diversions via Melksham and Bradford-on-Avon. And that IS a lot to take in, so I'll need all of those days.

So finally, my first day out on the front of a train for over three weeks. I didn't drive, although the driver offered me the seat. I declined on the grounds that I don't know the route properly yet, and we'd probably end up running through Ivybridge!

I had my first drive over the Devon banks today, from Plymouth to Exeter. I was a bit tentative into Totnes, as it's at the bottom of a steep bank, and the crossover speed into the platform is 25mph. It didn't help that the brake was quite good. I know I can brake slightly later next time. And lots of people to wave at on the sea wall at Dawlish.

Peep peep!

Whilst out yesterday i noticed they were doing driver training to penzance from plymouth and was wondering when we will see Mr tubeguru driving his train in cornwall.

How did you know it was driver training?

I won't be learning Penzance until later in the year, or even next year.

travelled two HST between St Austell & Penzance both doubled crewed in the cab which Is unusual for the line through Cornwall.

nozzacook wrote:travelled two HST between St Austell & Penzance both doubled crewed in the cab which Is unusual for the line through Cornwall.

That doesn't necessarily mean they were learning the traction. No one at Plymouth depot is currently learning HSTs, not Penzance. Nor is anyone learning the route. I have no idea about Exeter though. It could have been route refreshing. Were both people wearing blue driver's shirts? One of them could have been a manager doing an assessment ride.

The two getting off the train at Penzance were in driver uniform On the train at St Austell as it came in the person in the crew seat looked like they were pointing things out to the driver.

nozzacook wrote:The two getting off the train at Penzance were in driver uniform On the train at St Austell as it came in the person in the crew seat looked like they were pointing things out to the driver.

It could have been a route learner, or maybe someone who's been off for a while and was just going out with someone to ease their way back in. It really could be any number of things. But I doubt it was a driver learning HSTs from scratch.

OK, time for an update of sorts.

Having transferred to Plymouth at the end of May, I have been spending the summer route-learning. You might think that in four months I'd have managed to learn everything, but sadly I am a long way from being full-trained on everything our depot covers.

So, in four months I have managed the learn the following:

Plymouth to Exeter
Exeter to Reading via Westbury
Exeter to Bristol via Weston-super-Mare
Westbury to Bathampton Junction via Bradford-on-Avon (diversion route)
Bradford Junction to Thingley Junctiom via Melksham (diversion route)

Already on my route/traction card (in addition to the above):

Paddington to Bristol via Box
Swindon to Bristol via Hullavingon (diversion route that some Plymouth drivers sign)
HSTs
Class 08

I'm doing my ride assessment for Newton Abbot to Paignton tomorrow, so that will be added to the list too.

Still to learn:

Laira depot
Plymouth to Penzance
Plymouth to Gunnislake
Par to Newquay
Class 150
Class 153
Class 57
Voyagers (depot moves only)

I'm off next week, and then I'm having three weeks out on my own, driving to London and back. Then two more weeks off before the next bit of learning starts. I think my estimate of a year to 18 months is about right for everything.

A short local newspaper article that appeared on the wall in our messroom yesterday. This is the driver who's been route assessing me since I transferred to Plymouth.

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/End-tra ... story.html

The article says "I consider myself lucky that there have been no fatalities, especially since for some people I know they've been in double figures."

Are there really drivers who have been involved in ten or more fatalities, this seems an extraordinarily high figure?

greatkingrat wrote:The article says "I consider myself lucky that there have been no fatalities, especially since for some people I know they've been in double figures."

Are there really drivers who have been involved in ten or more fatalities, this seems an extraordinarily high figure?

There's a Swansea driver who's on number 12 I think. Some people just get the bad luck I suppose.

greatkingrat wrote:The article says "I consider myself lucky that there have been no fatalities, especially since for some people I know they've been in double figures."

Are there really drivers who have been involved in ten or more fatalities, this seems an extraordinarily high figure?

There's a driver at Waterloo who I think is on number 9 so heading for double figures!! Some drivers are lucky and go years without having any and others have loads.

I'm waiting for the day, I know I WILL have one because the fatality rate on the railway is growing rapidly and they seem to love choosing SWT to do so! I have had two near misses in my short career!

Near misses? Do you mean people playing "chicken"?