On Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:52:57 -0800 (PST)
Joe wrote:
On Dec 15, 11:46=A0am, wrote:
So go on , tell us , whats so hard about driving a train?

Do you have to steer? No.

Nope, not as such, but you have to know where you're going, knowing
your route inside out with all possible diversionary routes and be
able to stop and challenge a wrong routing if it happens. The
signallers make mistakes too!

No doubt, but how is that any different to a car driver learning various routes
to work?

Do you have to judge other traffic and react accordingly? No.

Yes you do, if you have a train in the section in front of you, you're
going to bloody well stop! You will react differently approaching a
double yellow, single yellow or red signal.

So you see a yellow you slow, if you see a red you stop. Not rocket science.

Do you have to change gear? No.

Depending on weather conditions, fog, snow, heavy rain, you will use a
different traction power setting accordingly!

And hows that different to doing the same in a car?

It's not a simple case of "sitting on your arse pushing a button",

No, but neither is it the most complex job in the world either. Certainly
driving a tube train is NOT worth 50K, especially an automatic one.

There's also the family life aspect, the shift work can make you miss
your loved ones for more than a week, you come home as they're going
to work or vice versa, ending up tired after a week of early starts
(3am), yet trying to mainting 100% concentration for up to 9 and a

Plenty of people do shift work. They don't earn 50K.

happens on the railway at speed needs to be dealt with ASAP. If you're
trundling along at 90mph and see a cow on the track or a broken rail
or some idiot playing chicken, you have to be on the ball to stop or

If you doing 90mph in a train and there's an obstruction at any visible
distance ahead you're probably screwed so I can't see much point worrying
about it.

B2003