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Well, as many of you are aware, I applied to transfer to Plymouth HSS depot in July 2011. My move was granted in February this year, and in March my wife and I set in motion the process of buying a new house in Plymouth. We moved all our stuff in earlier today and we are now cream crackered!

I was going to provide regular updates in the "Tubeguru gets a new job" thread, but as I thought it was getting a bit long I decided to start a slightly different new one. Also, it's not really a new job - I'm just based at a different location.

My first day at Plymouth is Monday the 28th of May, and between now and then I have 17 days off to sort this house out! I doubt much will happen on that first day, but I am led to believe that the depot manager has planned out all my route and traction learning for me. As a guide, the previous Paddington driver to transfer to Plymouth did so ten months ago and in that time has learned all the extra routes he needed to (I need to learn more), plus the five types of traction he needed. I already sign one of those five, so I only need to do 150s, 153s, Voyagers (for moves on the depot only), and the 57s to add to HSTs and the 08.

Exciting times ahead. Toot toot!

Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the line.

I'll toot as I leave Penzance.

150s? Oh dear.

Do you not have to sign for the 143 Pacer units or is that done from exeter.

nozzacook wrote:Do you not have to sign for the 143 Pacer units or is that done from exeter.

No, only Exeter drivers sign that shit.

John - 150s are better than 153s!

Muchos exciting news - wish you the best of luck with the new house and routes!

Parp at Ealing Broadway! oh - no - you don't do that any more!

I like 150's, better than the 142 and 143's

kateyay wrote:Muchos exciting news - wish you the best of luck with the new house and routes!

Parp at Ealing Broadway! oh - no - you don't do that any more!

Yes I do, you spanner! I still drive up to London.

tubeguru wrote:

kateyay wrote: Parp at Ealing Broadway! oh - no - you don't do that any more!

Yes I do, you spanner! I still drive up to London.

Haha! I don't live there any more though!

Geoff's lives less than a mile from the line, so he can still wave ...

So now all those times wasted looking in the cab of the HST I was about to board at Tiverton... now they'd be 'useful' (I use that term in it's broadest possible sense - despite coming close on the ELL I've yet to be on a train being driven by somebody I know, it'll happen one day firing off new pangs of jealousy).

Unfortunately I don't catch trains from Tiverton much these days...

I'll be sure to look out for you as I come through Tiverton ...

OK, so today is day three of me being a Plymouth driver, and thus far I haven't achieved much.

On day one I filled in loads of forms, got my training plan up to August, and was given a bright orange hi-vis coat (for when you're down Laira depot apparently).
Yesterday, I went to Paddington to pick up some old paperwork. Today I took a trip to Newton Abbot for a safety day. This is where you sit around while a manager briefs you on the latest safety stuff the company think you should know about. You also watch some DVDs on incidents that have happened recently. The incident where the tree went completely through the front of one of our trains near Lavington is featured on the latest DVD.

Tomorrow I'm going to have my first ride up front from Plymouth to Exeter and back, before having my route brief on Friday. I then get ten days to learn the route and sign it before I start on the more intensive route from Exeter to Reading via the Berks and Hants line.

And my rest day is Saturday every week until late August, although I will be route-learning on Sundays too.

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