London Banter - View Single Post - There's one line that won't be short of drivers...

Roland Perry · December 9th 20, 12:23 PM posted to uk.railway,uk.transport.london

In message , at 11:03:38 on Wed, 9 Dec
2020, remarked:
On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 10:16:36 +0000
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:43:38 on Wed, 9 Dec
2020, remarked:
On Wed, 9 Dec 2020 08:26:50 +0000 (UTC)
wrote:
On Tue, 8 Dec 2020 21:20:16 -0000 (UTC)
Anna Noyd-Dryver wrote:
wrote:
Most of its above ground. But I suspect any driving job gets boring after
a while regardless of the vehicle, even flying a plane.

That's where having a variety of routes and different traction comes in.

By way of comparison; the gWr drivers who drove what's now Crossrail
Reading/Hayes terminator services would also have signed all the branches,
Bedwyn and Oxford, plus those based at Reading would also have signed
Basingstoke and Gatwick. Plus they would have had some variety of calling
patterns between Padd and Reading.

Something I've wondered occasionally - why can't drivers not signed on a
route drive it at a much reduced speed if some emergency comes up and no
one else can be found? 2000 ton freight trains excepted , surely most EMUs,
HSTs etc can stop quick enough if only doing 20mph for it to be safe for
someone to drive a route if they know where the next signal is?

That should have read DONT know where the next signal is. Or bends etc.

It's just as important to know *which* of the signals (eg on a complex
gantry) is the one that applies to your track.

The one above the track surely.

No, that's where you don't understand how it works.
--
Roland Perry