I'm an ex Chiltern Driver with a 25 year rail career behind me. I always used to say that a Train Driver doesn't get paid for what he does, he gets paid for what he knows.
Ryan Leicester was a driver for chiltern he was a super spader apparently its amazing how far you can go in a railway company if your dad's in management
Moving a train is easy. Driving a train is something different altogether. You've done a great job of explaining the challenges. It's a strange job to try and describe but its it's not for everyone. I've seen plenty of drivers who are great on paper but awful once on the rails. And vice versa for that matter. Only recently had your channel recommended to me and whilst I'm a qualified driver (passemger to freight like yourself) it's enjoyable to listen to you describing the job for those non train drivers out there.
This was highly impressive. The general public does not take in all these factors. I knew a guy that drove the New York City subways and he told me the job was highly stressful. Another factor is the pressure to keep the train on time which in a city like New York could be highly challenging with passengers holding doors etc. Great video. I'm a huge fan of train simulator games and find myself feeling fatigued at times doing that! Lol
This is so useful for my interview prep! I have my final interview (the make or break for a job offer) tomorrow morning and this information is very helpful!
Best of luck with it! You have done well just to get to interview. Top tip for you, research the company you will be working for. find out as much about them as you can, company vision, values ect.
Sounds just like flying. The actual flying is simple. The difficult bit is operating the aircraft. The big difference is that we don’t have to be so precise so often.
Really enjoyed this video, it's great the way you break it all down. Start my driver training with Irish Rail in two weeks and this video has really caught my attention.
Absolutely fantastic video Richard. It's a very similar thing I've had to deal with in the past driving coaches on long distance journeys and even now to some extent since I've switched to local bus work. It can be easy to have your mind wonder or to become distracted briefly during long periods when you are basically driving on autopilot and you miss a sign for a change in speed limit or miss a junction for a road that you should take. Personally I tend not to make many mistakes driving my bus but when I do realise I've done something wrong I will always try to go back and recall my actions to see where and what I did wrong and what action in the future I can do to mitigate the behaviour that instigated it. I do sometimes get comments about why I do go back over a mistake and not to worry about it but I think if I can understand what happened it decreases the chance of a repeat. It does get a few laughs directed my way but I do believe it makes me a better and safer driver. 😀
13:05 as a motorcyclist this has happened to me once about a month ago, I was kind of sleepy, it was cold, all I could think of was going home, there was a very slow moped that I was ready to overtake, clutch in kick it down a gear ready to pin the throttle, just as I was doing that, 2 cars ahead from the moped hit the brakes suddenly because a child was crossing the road, now I was going to crash, but thanks to a wide centre median I just swerved out of the way to have enough stopping distance. It's a shameful mistake but a perfectly human one to make. And honestly, that scare has gotten me on track, I'm now much more used to looking three up to even 10 car lengths ahead before committing to something. I do ambition to become a train driver, and hopefully, I'll have the (demanding) skillset required. P.S.: Cheers from Portugal!
Really good video, very well explained, thank you! I'd always knew it must be hard, but this expkains really well the difficulties of what seems like an easy task...too easy you could say!
Excellent summary. There has been a RAIB report released recently following a collision between an IEP and HST approaching Leeds (Neville Hall) depot. The direct cause was due to distraction due to on-board systems. Another trap to avoid for a driver!
Watching your video makes me more confident to take on a new job as a locomotive engineer Thank you for sharing your thoughts and tips on how to operate a train …I think driving a bus is no different that’s what I do now … But definitely operating a train is a lot more responsibility …Again thank you so much for sharing✝️👍💪❤️
I play train sim 2021 and I have to say I’m actually really good at driving freight trains in scenarios, not so much passenger trains because I always brake too early and coast into the platform at 10mph 😂 I’m 14 and wanna be a driver for GBRF when I’m older, I hope I get the job!
Its probably harder to stop on TS then it is on a real train as you cant feel the movement of the train. Good Luck with it. GB are a good company to work for
As a bus driver we have much the same issues. Takes a lot of concentration. Need to read the road ahead and deal with all the idiots on the road though. Operate doors safety, stop in the right place, know all the stops and passenger habits too. Accelerate and let the bus run with momentum. Will take off downhill! Plus we have traffic lights too
It used to be said, in the 50s, that the safest way to travel was 3rd class on BR Southern Region. Aviation was less safe back then. I suspect that the safest place is now any Japanese Shinkansen which has never had a fatality. The Japanese use the ‘point and say’ focus/concentration system as a matter of course. Your videos are really interesting and enlightening for someone who is simply a passenger. Many thanks.
People think working in the IT is a hard job but we can in many situations roll back without losing data, recover a backup or dry-run any bigger changes in a testing environment before putting into production. If a train driver makes a bad decision, lives can be lost!
Every job has its challenges, but I particularly believe driving a train is easy. Not because just anyone can do it, but because it's easier to let a computer do it. We're going to have self-driving cars in the near future, but real people are still driving our trains. I guess the real challenge in allowing computers to drive trains is convincing people that it's a good idea.
@@MertNevzatYuksel the problems on mainlines are on one hand there's often no complete surveillance and grade separation over the train route and that train lines are heterogenous and you can't really mix automated and manual with different stock, this currently may lead to problems. On closed systems with homogenous stock like DLR, airport shuttles or metro systems you can do it easily and at least on some Shinkansen route or other islands they could implement it as well, but in Europe it's going to be quite difficult.
Burnham was a pain in the arse. Not because the platform is on the right, but because in the peak, we stopped at the 3 board with a 5. They fixed that by moving the stop board.
Excellent video. Really enjoyed that. I’ve often thought about becoming a train driver. After managing to pass two advanced motorcycle tests over the last few years. I’ve thought about the challenge even more.
Go for it, there’s a large correlation between motorcyclists, scuba divers and train drivers, look online for training aides, company and job information. There are over a thousand applicants for every job but 90% of them have no chance, you have to pass some difficult assessments, interviews and a medical (including drugs/ alcohol tests). I’ve been a train driver for over 20 years and I still love my job.
A lot of a job is auto pilot, I was once asked to give a talk on setting up and running a business as a sole trader to three students who were being mentoured by a friend. I was very reluctant as I thought in 30 mins it would be all over and I would waste their time. Five and a half hours later I was still talking and they were still writing notes ! Yes most jobs can be discribed in basic terms but within them there are many facets that make it all work, one missed can make it fail completely. Great video thanks.
I like to watch the cab vids that go down the Dudding Hill line. Fascinating to see how the TOCs such as Chiltern Railways get their faulty locos to Willesden. Nearly got onto the Chiltern roster 19 years ago but....am mildly colourblind. Thank you for sharing your trade tips!
Thanks for another great video. Very informative. I agree, the difficulty is that trains run on tracks, you don’t even have to steer it! In Australia we have a lot of very straight roads, keeping the concentration up can become a problem, especially if there is not much other traffic around.
it is my dream job to drive a train. and i am sure i can get the job , by following my dreams. you guys should make your dreams come true, because its worth it
It's not as exciting as you think. It's actually quite repetitive and tedious in all honesty. It's the people you work with that makes the job fun, not the driving part.
The sign means contact the signaller within 5 minutes if you find you're at a stand with the signal at danger. Typically with gsmr or via spt if necessary.
Congratulations on passing out! Some folk like RTC and some dont, personally I find it useful. My job puts food on the table and a roof over my head, I will use every tool in my toolkit to mitigate against having and incident.
I know many UK drivers who like the idea, but unless it is ingrained at the start it's not something that you can just start doing. Try it in your car. I'll bet you will have given up after about 7 minutes. UK drivers are pretty good without doing that, I speak from years of experience.
Even though it’s not possible to introduce level 4 UTO on mainlines at the moment, but installation of driver assist systems (a bit like the gui of a train simulator game) would certainly be helpful
It will happen eventually. we already have ATO through the thameslink core section in London. I think it is a fare few years away. We still have semaphore signals and block bells where I am based :-)
Really interesting video! Just a question for you , if you are taking over from a crew in, say, a remote siding, how would you get there? And, if driving a train, say, from Margam to Round Oak, and that is your only booked working for the day, how would you get back to where you parked your car? Would you hitch a lift in a returning train? Or am I missing something?
It depends. most companies have a fleet of vans, or use hire cars or taxis. The reliving crew would bring transport, and you would take that same transport back again.
@@XPlaneAviation unless it's an automatic signal, then it depends on the sectional appendix. Certainly in Scotland I believe you can pass automatic signals after a certain time has elapsed, and if you cannot contact the signaller via GSMR
Your comments re attention keeping are good but have you watched any of the videos that show the Japanese drivers. They have to respond physically to EVERY thing they see, whethet they are solo manned or have company in the cab. What happens is that the driver will raise their right index finger to their right eye /temple to indicate they have seen something then point to the thing they have seen then say the name of that thing whatever it may be, another passing train,working party,lineside signal etc etc. They say this keeps the driver awake and attentive because failure to respond once is a monitary penalty failure to respond twice within a given period (I think it is three months) is loss of job and NO REEMPLOYMENT EVER.
In India, there are two drivers in the cab and they shout out the signal aspects to each other. Usually the assistant driver calls out the signal aspect and the driver yelling out "Right". Except when signal set as "Danger" where both of them yell "Danger" and driver starts braking.
Really enjoy your videos. Two questions about driving... 1 When you're speed restricted for a junction, how do you know when the last carriage is clear? 2 Is there any aid for remembering the current speed limit? Thanks.
Hi Thanks for your comment I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Generally speaking it is down to the drivers judgement as to when the last carriage has cleared any speed restriction before accelerating. I know some locos such as the class 66 has a train length counter on it and will inform the driver when clear. With regard to speed limits, it comes down to your route knowledge as a driver. The speeds are normally sign posted but you are still expected to know them. A lot of trains were fitted with a speed set device, similar to cruise control in cars but this has been disabled on most trains now. In cab signalling that is used on HS1 and will soon be on the mainline in places tells the driver what speed to proceed at on the in cab display.
When you mentioned about forgetting to use the break. I wanna be a train driver once I am out of education. Right now I do a paper round and when I lose concentration, I might completely pass another house. But then I think straight away, oh crap. But I know I can't afford to do that if I'm a train driver. I do play Train Simulator all the time so I should be fine. 😂
I'm interested. I plan to visit Portugal in the future for touring Level Crossings. We've been on holiday there several times: and again, I plan to visit long-term in the future.
Signal telephone - wait [x] (in this case 5) mins before phoning the signalman that you are standing at the signal (though that's also obsolete since GSM-R also allows you to contact the signalman anyway?)
I’ve understood the challenges drivers faced for years - now I find myself about to start as a trainee driver for an intercity TOC and this video has made it all very real. I know, well assume based on how safe our railways are, the training is incredibly structured and in-depth to get people to the high standards. Were you daunted when you got that job offer to start training as a driver? Once you started training were you put at ease because you knew you were in good hands?
All the railway training I’ve experienced has been excellent. There is a lot to learn but nothing that is overly complicated. It’s more about developing the right mindset and look for and mitigating against potential risks. When you have done your rules and you start your practical handling hours that is when you will start to actually learn the job and learn to identify risk.
As an engineer iv also worked on the autumn rail head cleaning treatment project removing leaves with HP pump pulled by water wagons just doing the maintenance of the the rolling stock and the rhtt wheel exams etc etc
Certainly relate to this. Years ago I went for driving test at London Bridge. Breezed through all the tests ....except 1! Responding to pictures on screens in quick time. Failed miserably which basically showed I have a concentration span of nowt! Just the opposite of what's needed.
Wanted to be a train driver but became a school teacher. Bumped into one of my boys years later who said he'd become a train driver! Now I drive trains professionally in Canada. Well OO gauge actually. To see our tourist attraction click on the logo - especially recommend the disco vid. Philip
9:14 I check the mirrors all the time on a train. I check the pantographs or if there isn't any sparking or fire when dark for security and mostly for the sake of keeping myself concentrated on the driving. Great videos. I'm really enjoying them so far though i'm a train driver myself :D
i play train simulator and i always zone out whilst flying to the next station i sometimes notice the station too late and overshoot it or i overspeed alot too and then fly past a red signal 🤣 sometimes i even end up falling asleep for a few seconds before remembering the train is breaking the speed limit and abruptly waking up
Really interesting! Thanks. It strikes me that train drivers face similar issues to Airline pilots, long periods of inactivity, concentration etc. I suppose the difference is commercial aircraft have two people in the cockpit although there are still well documented incidents of course. Do you think there is technology that would help? For example, not being able to open doors on non platform side. I do realise tech isn't fool proof but even something that says "are you sure you want to perform that action? " and not just a single button press. I may well be showing my ignorance of trains but I am interested in what you think would help you in the future. Thanks!
Door opening is a two button press process. There is technology available to prevent wrong side door release that if a wrong side release is initiated it would ask you if you're sure. This will be installed in the new crossrail class 345 trains. It may become standard in new trains but don't think it'll ever be retro fitted into existing rolling stock.
This is the 2nd time I've watched this informative video. I think you have done an excellent job in giving a succinct overview in the time you had available. Your wry sense of humour comes across well. ...now that you've seen the English girls win their soccer,,,, their is hope yet :-)...After all,,, the NZ women turned round and won their bronze .
@@DadRail agreed I'm moving onto a driving course very soon I for one used to doo on supertram in Sheffield It isn't easy doo that's for sure and I would prefer my current company not to adopt it , the infrastructure is nowhere near what it should be for doo plenty of rural stations not setup right for it.
Talking about speeding, I was ECS from Bedwyn to Reading one night, amongst many. It being the weekend, I had a few sleepers on board. I called the signaller to reclass as a 2 and ran fast with the lights on. When I arrived, some twit was on the phone to the Civi police reporting me for speeding. From then on, they all got off at Bedwyn. With a white mans promise of picking them up on the other platform. I did wave as I went by. I am not that heartless.
I find myself in my simulator sometimes just day dreaming and forgetting a signal or something. It is interesting hearing about that happen in real life.
Very interesting insight as ever! I’ve been on a train where the doors were opened on the wrong side! Oddly not a driver issue… a guard one (South West Trains as it was at the time) - I’m sure someone got a telling off that day! Other than that I don’t think I’ve ever been on a train where I’ve knowingly witnessed a driver error which emphasises the low error rates you mentioned 🙂
Just finished my first week of rules and regs for conductor and we've only spent what felt like 5 mins on technical skills. The rest of the week has been focused on NTS which has been an eye opener....best bit though was the training on GSMR radio as i got to drive the driver simulator into New street Sign is signal post phone. Not sure what the 5 means though, guessing its a local instruction as it certainly wasnt in my rules this week when we covered communications
I found NTS to be really useful and an interesting subject. Its good to know that conductors are being trained on GSMR hopefully you will never have to use it but 11 years on the railway has taught me to never say never. Best of luck with the training and enjoy your new career.
@@DadRail only trained on how to use the red button. Done a lot more now and can't understand how DOO is considered safe but thats a whole other discussion lol
The mental challenge train drivers must go through on a regular basis is seriously obscurred from the public eye. I've recently gotten into Train Simulator on PC, and much of what you've described here rings true in my brief experience - controls are simple, but the difficulty comes in managing the terrain and environment, looking out for and responding to signals, speeding, keeping to timetables, maintaining concentration, etc. And yet, there is a nigh-indescribable sense of satisfaction when you meet those checkpoints, arrive at the platform safely and punctually, shunt rolling stock into the correct sidings. I imagine that must also be true for the real thing.
I've just subscribed to your vlog :) Why? Well I've applied to be a Trainee locomotive engineer here in New Zealand! I've been working IT all my working life, so time to sidestep to a different path :)
I like this man. He loves to daydream the most ridiculous things like England winning the world cup. I didn't realize that opening doors on the wrong side is considered a severe incident. I mean, the train is stationary. And it is easily correctable mistake.
trouble is some passengers may have disabilities or be complete idiots, and they hear the door alarm and open the door. Without looking they step out expecting there to be a platform. You can see where I am going with this
I've just applied to do work experience as a trainee train driver for Govia Thameslink Railway right before watching this, I hope this stuff is useful :D
Well the sign is on an SPT (Signal Post Telephone) and it means if at red signal, wait 5 minutes before contacting the signaller :) Also, just to let you know, your driving in the real world is excellent and you always keep to time nicely! Thanks Richard :D
When I play on TS, I drive both freight and passenger trains and I have gotten used to knowing when to break, I use step 1 or 2, higher if have to but I usually stop in the right place like at a stop marker and able to keep on time and I try to drive like how an actual driver would with all the safety systems on
@@DadRail I have a FB Friend who resides in the States that drives Locomotives there but used to drive in the UK during the BR Era, I sometimes ask her for tips or advice etc.
How long before trains are fully automated in the UK? In Denmark our underground trains are now fully automated with no crew onboard. Above ground commuter trains will run without crew in perhaps 10 years from now and then the rest will follow. There will be very few jobs as a traindriver in the future...
I agree with you. I actually covered this in my video “how to become a train driver” small parts of the network are already automated such as the Thameslink Core. I agree it’s only a matter of time before the rest follow.
Also one of the hardest things I imagine is learning the route. You have to learn where all the speed limits and signals and stations are, otherwise you risk speeding or overshooting stations or running a red signal. I imagine the real test of a train driver is driving at night in thick fog with leaves on the line. Must be a real challenge then.
Exactly. I would say route knowledge is 70% of the job. You need that route knowledge to be able to drive safely and efficiently. Stop and go on a flat bit of track in a yard is totally different to doing 60+ mph in the dark and fog on a greasy rail heading towards a red light and an open level crossing.
@@DadRail yes and during the rail strikes I saw a lot of people saying it’s really easy job and train drivers are paid way too much. But I think most people don’t realise just how difficult it is, simulation games like train sim world make it look much easier than it is.
I'm a woman and just got called for in person assessment. Super video. Really informative 👏 Have always wanted to drive a train. Hope being a woman doesn't go against me.
Ah, that doors issue. On the lightrail in my city, not only can the platforms be either left or right, they also can be high or low - the low ones being relics from the time when the lightrail was just a plain old tram network. For those the trains have folding stairs on their doors which need to be enabled or disabled accordingly. So what I once saw was, the stations all were left-high, left-high, left-high, left-high, then the next one was right-low. The driver did open the doors on the right side, but sure enough forgot to engage the stairs. Shut happens I guess. :D
Well TECHNICHALLY you're right, but we're talking about Germany. Our reputaion for being super-innovative ist nowhere near justified as soon as computers are involved. Also, the oldest of these trains are from the late 1970's, that tech just didn't exist back then. @@r.h.8754
Nope, it’s really easy until things go wrong and then it becomes very demanding, you have to have tremendous knowledge about the train, the route and the rules and you have to make the correct decision every time under pressure, if you get it wrong you can go to gaol. We are paid for what we know, not what we do and we have to prove that knowledge every year, usually in a simulator where they throw dozens of problems at you in the equivalent of a nightmare trip.
I’m interested to know is it a different set of skills required to Drive a freight train rather than a passenger train I am currently training to be a steam train driver on a preservation Railway and loving it
Thanks for the video it was really interesting, I’m curious as to how you deal with yellow signals. How much do you slow between double yellow & yellow? Do you know why the signals are yellow I.E following a freight train and does that affect how much you slow? What happens if you slow too much and lose time/end up running late?
