Please note this site is to enable people aspiring to be drivers and to give them an idea of what the training is involved. It is not endorsed by South West Trains and all views are my own and not the companies...
Thursday 27 September 2012
Monday 10 September 2012
10-09-2012 Exam coming...
Hi all
I am back to blog! I have been working still towards my final and I finished my hours with my instructor about 4 weeks ago. As there are a lot of trainee drivers at my depot I gave up my instructor for someone else and I have been route learning since.
Route Learning consists of going up the front with another driver and sitting on the non-drivers side. You then look out the window with the aid of a route map and try and take in every aspect of the route as you go along. I have attached a video I made. It shows the route from Queenstown Road to London Waterloo via the Windsor Reversible Line. The talking is the driver and I discussing the route and what to look out for!
This I did for about 3-4 weeks and now I am just two weeks from my final I have again found a DI to just brush up ready.
My final date is 24th September and will last all the week.
During this time I will be driving passenger trains and watched to see how I handle the train, I will be in the simulators at Basingstoke being put through my paces regarding emergencies and dealing with events that would not normally encountered. I will be given a smaller version of the rules exam that I took earlier in the year (and will include the rules changes that happened in between in July!) and also a repeat of the PTS (Personal Track Safety) which I haven't done since week 1!
I will also have a route conducting exercise which will show whether I can give instructions to a driver that doesn't know the route (for example, when there is engineering works).
Finally, I will spend a day in the depot doing slow speed movements, shunting, attaching and detaching units, and also repairing minor faults etc...
All being well come the Friday I will pass and be considered competent to drive a train and will be given my key.
Wish me luck!
I am back to blog! I have been working still towards my final and I finished my hours with my instructor about 4 weeks ago. As there are a lot of trainee drivers at my depot I gave up my instructor for someone else and I have been route learning since.
Route Learning consists of going up the front with another driver and sitting on the non-drivers side. You then look out the window with the aid of a route map and try and take in every aspect of the route as you go along. I have attached a video I made. It shows the route from Queenstown Road to London Waterloo via the Windsor Reversible Line. The talking is the driver and I discussing the route and what to look out for!
This I did for about 3-4 weeks and now I am just two weeks from my final I have again found a DI to just brush up ready.
My final date is 24th September and will last all the week.
During this time I will be driving passenger trains and watched to see how I handle the train, I will be in the simulators at Basingstoke being put through my paces regarding emergencies and dealing with events that would not normally encountered. I will be given a smaller version of the rules exam that I took earlier in the year (and will include the rules changes that happened in between in July!) and also a repeat of the PTS (Personal Track Safety) which I haven't done since week 1!
I will also have a route conducting exercise which will show whether I can give instructions to a driver that doesn't know the route (for example, when there is engineering works).
Finally, I will spend a day in the depot doing slow speed movements, shunting, attaching and detaching units, and also repairing minor faults etc...
All being well come the Friday I will pass and be considered competent to drive a train and will be given my key.
Wish me luck!
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