Staff Training

[Malcolm]

Hmmmmm........not a lot I can say about this one (except southerners playing trains).

Malcolm

[hq1hitchin]

There was a particularly fine layout in the School of Transport at Derby, dating back to the 1930s, which represtented the line from Derby to Manchester, complete with trains and full block signalling etc - in 0 gauge? - which disappeared sometime in the 1960s. Heaven knows where it went as nobody there in the 1970s seemed to do....

[silver fox]

It could be the one in the NRM warehouse, and sometimes there's a demonstration of it's working.

[hq1hitchin]

It could be the one in the NRM warehouse, and sometimes there's a demonstration of it's working.

Not sure, Silver Fox - is that not the one from the signalling school in Manchester, which was going until at least the 1990s and evidently a much less grand affair?

The school building in Derby still exists as a conference centre - a listed building and a good example of LMS architecture

[52A]

They had an excellent selection of malts in there!

[hq1hitchin]

They had an excellent selection of malts in there!

Malts?? Not for us - the fleshpots of Matlock and Whatstandwell were only a train ride away and I don't recall any lectures in the evenings. Of course, that was long before the silly period at the time of privatisation when it was decided railway staff needed no training at all (or just the very minimum) .....

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

Fancy being paid to play with real trains.Must be great!!Vacancy on the jobcentre plus website today,"Train ticket issuers"(does that mean guard?).Really fancy it,but it's only 20 hours a week.Need more hours than that.Pity,bet the job's interesting.

[Malcolm]

Fancy being paid to play with real trains.Must be great!!Vacancy on the jobcentre plus website today,"Train ticket issuers"(does that mean guard?).Really fancy it,but it's only 20 hours a week.Need more hours than that.Pity,bet the job's interesting.

I think you should have a look at that job. I know you probably need more hours, but it's as good a starting place as any. You never know, it might lead to something else. It doesn't hurt to check it out. In my experience it's much better to have a job you like than the money.

Malcolm

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

I'm mulling it over Malcolm,need to have a word with the missus.

[hq1hitchin]

Give it a try if you can afford it, believe me, a lot of people have started off in ordinary and less than glamorous jobs on the railway and progressed quite quickly to driving or what have you and much higher up the ladder if they fancied it. Although we oldtimers moan and groan about todays railways and all the best staff being down the cemetery (I'll always remember one of the other AYMs at Temple Mills looking at next weeks roster and, upon seeing a certain name saying - ah, Mr T...., he's worth ten men - dead ones!!) there are still good opportunities for advancement if you can get in and the railways are a great life, even today. Good luck

[Bullhead]

There are still good opportunities for advancement if you can get in and the railways are a great life, even today. Good luck

I'd second that. There are disadvantages, certainly - the hours, the weather, the behaviour of the public (trespass, vandalism, fare evasion), political interference - and of course the entire population thinks it could do a better job than you can. But I can't imagine working anywhere else and still genuinely feel that I'm part of a family with a proud heritage and a great future.

[Trestrol]

I quite agree with all the comments above. Its easier to get another job if your in a job already. At least you are on the inside and all it takes is for someone you work with to mention that for example Network Rail are looking for staff and you could beat the rush. There is still a bit of WHO you know not WHAT you know going on. Give it a try.

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

To be honest,with the money being minimum wage-and only 20 hours a week-i hate to say this-but it really won't pay.Plus it's agency work too.No,think i'll have to let this one go.Thanks for the replies though,much appreciated.

[Malcolm]

Found a shot of the GWR signalling school.

Malcolm

[Ferrybridge Flyer]

Ah,semaphore,semaphore,wherefore art thou?