At 1:24:07 Jacob suddenly realised what we'd already had our attention drawn to quite a long time beforehand by someone controlling the camera zooming in... A thoroughly enjoyable session from which I learned a lot.
Great and interesting video guys, thank you. I was hoping that someone would ask if you had toilet facilities available in the cab? and if so when would you have the chance to use them? as a man with some bladder issues I’m always aware when watching these excellent cab-rides that you seem to be in a trapped situation especially if, as you say, you have to keep your foot on a pedal the whole journey. If you could offer some clarity on this it would be appreciated.
It will show on a download and likely contravenes your professional driver policy which states the horn should only be used as per the rule book. Blowing a horn at spotters isn’t friendly to neighbours of the railway, they bought houses and expect reasonable train noise, which tooting at spotters is not. My intercity operator is hot on this and on downloads it is being spotted.
Ben and Jake, Thankyou both for taking the time to answer my questions. Yes, it makes sense that computers can't control trains as well as skilled humans in many circumstances. I hope you both enjoy long and happy careers driving trains! Unfortunately I'm just reaching retirement age, so I won't be applying to be a trainee driver. It is something I wanted to do years ago, but here in Northern Ireland, where we only have 103 miles of track, driving jobs are as rare as hen's teeth.
How do freight shifts work? Does the company plan for you to return to a depot near your home with freight, or do you drive back without pulling anything, or do they ever expect you to stay in a hotel overnight and return the next morning?
Loved this Video, learnt some useful info from this. Can’t wait till I get into the railway industry, currently waiting for assessment date for a conductor role. Pretty sure I’ve seen you before at Preston. Hopefully I’ll bump into you again in the future. Thanks for the video gents👍
Hi Ben and Jake, it's "DROGE" here... thanks for the shout out at the end :o) You'd just been taking about acronyms, well "DROGE" is an acronym of sorts; from my first name David and Surname Rogers. :o) A fantastic Q&A, enjoyed every minute, educational with good added banter.
Just wanted to ask, you see when you sign in, do you have to remember the stations that you have to stop at or does the train tell you when your approaching the station that you have to stop at? Because I'm gonna join Thameslink when I'm 19 and I dont know if there will be a instructor with me to tell me what to do and how to use the train? Plus how old do you need to be to become a train driver 🤔.
@@beneliastrains Awww shot, well at least I have 4 years to wait to become a train driver I might as well work as a train station stuff if thats better, and then when I reach 21 years old then I start working for Thameslink as a train driver. Thanks for the info 👍 😀.
Another question … Do you liaise with drivers from other countries? E.g. RailCowGirl, Lorirocks etc. Also, are there many female drivers in Britain? Cheers, John
What has happened to your latest cab ride videos from the past year or so? Including Daventry to Ditton etc. Really enjoyed watching them and gutted they're gone!
Very interesting guys … thanks! I live in Melbourne , Australia. Down Under we don’t really have a lot of railways. It is a shame really. I’m not sure how the number of lines is determined but there’s lots of bus routed (boring!) and we Aussies love our cars. As far as becoming a driver, well, I’m pushing 74 so, unless the change the rules about “ageism” I won’t be training anytime soon. Maybe next lifetime. Thanks again!
Ben, I am through to the psychometric stage of my application with trans pennine express. Can you tell me if is it typical, memory, visual and problem solving tests or is there maths involved? Thank you.
There is no way Thameslink Core could be done without ATO at the current capacity, the braking is perfect everytime and the doors open straight away upon stop
@@beneliastrains Thanks for the reply, what do the drivers have to be trained on specifically, is it not a case of operating the ATO control buttons on the desk and maintaining vigilance?
@@ewsclass6679 they have to be trained to drive under ETCS and in how the ATO works and what to do if it doesn't work. It's not as simple as just letting them crack on, fortunately.
Great to see intelligent younger guys with driving positions. It’s so good you appreciate your job and salary and obviously not the striking generation. As a 24/7 London commuter, the automated DLR ride is like whiplash journey. Same with the Jubilee Line, but the benefit is that the trains run literally 50 metres between each other. Regarding drivers, a train carrying several hundred people with all the various challenges, I cannot see a train being operated without a driver or manager. I’ve done 10’s of thousands of journeys in and out of London. As a passenger, I’ve sadly experienced a high speed suicide at Ponders End level crossing. I was right at the front of the train. It knocked me off my seat, I thought we’d hit a car and it was curtains. The mood was really somber experience, especially seeing lads on the trackside with black bags. You guys are doing an amazing job, thank you. I feel safer knowing there’s guys like you at the helm. Your point of being overtired is so so important in a safety critical role. As a manager in Financial Services, I never ask my staff to work excessive hours or stupid amounts of overtime. It’s not worth the risk and I’ve seen the consequences of f*** ups. Enjoy your Scrumpy Jacks and beers lads - well earned 😉
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Im starting training soon and it was good to hear your insights. How about "off the rails" for your beer and train talking vids name? I've ripped that off from WSM but it works.
At 1:24:07 Jacob suddenly realised what we'd already had our attention drawn to quite a long time beforehand by someone controlling the camera zooming in... A thoroughly enjoyable session from which I learned a lot.
Thanks to you both - a very interesting and informative video!
Great and interesting video guys, thank you. I was hoping that someone would ask if you had toilet facilities available in the cab? and if so when would you have the chance to use them? as a man with some bladder issues I’m always aware when watching these excellent cab-rides that you seem to be in a trapped situation especially if, as you say, you have to keep your foot on a pedal the whole journey. If you could offer some clarity on this it would be appreciated.
Just another question, is it frowned upon to horn at Train spotters or against any policies or specifically told not to?
It will show on a download and likely contravenes your professional driver policy which states the horn should only be used as per the rule book.
Blowing a horn at spotters isn’t friendly to neighbours of the railway, they bought houses and expect reasonable train noise, which tooting at spotters is not.
My intercity operator is hot on this and on downloads it is being spotted.
Ben and Jake,
Thankyou both for taking the time to answer my questions. Yes, it makes sense that computers can't control trains as well as skilled humans in many circumstances. I hope you both enjoy long and happy careers driving trains!
Unfortunately I'm just reaching retirement age, so I won't be applying to be a trainee driver. It is something I wanted to do years ago, but here in Northern Ireland, where we only have 103 miles of track, driving jobs are as rare as hen's teeth.
How do freight shifts work? Does the company plan for you to return to a depot near your home with freight, or do you drive back without pulling anything, or do they ever expect you to stay in a hotel overnight and return the next morning?
Loved this Video, learnt some useful info from this. Can’t wait till I get into the railway industry, currently waiting for assessment date for a conductor role. Pretty sure I’ve seen you before at Preston. Hopefully I’ll bump into you again in the future. Thanks for the video gents👍
Both young drivers. When I was their age, train drivers always seemed like well over 50 !
U look different since your footy days
Happy to say I've probably signalled you both at some time in your careers 👍
I'll guess you're either WH, VC, VS or T based then? 🙂
(or possibly TVC or TVS)
Excellent broadcast, thank you🎉
I would drive 500 miles and I would drive 500 more
You may be entitled to compensation. Ring the Pro Claimers now !
This broadcast is very informative
I watch far too many railway videos, this one is very informative and interesting
Hi Ben and Jake, it's "DROGE" here... thanks for the shout out at the end :o) You'd just been taking about acronyms, well "DROGE" is an acronym of sorts; from my first name David and Surname Rogers. :o) A fantastic Q&A, enjoyed every minute, educational with good added banter.
is the Class 70 crew comfort as bad as some drivers say,and is it a good loco.
Just wanted to ask, you see when you sign in, do you have to remember the stations that you have to stop at or does the train tell you when your approaching the station that you have to stop at? Because I'm gonna join Thameslink when I'm 19 and I dont know if there will be a instructor with me to tell me what to do and how to use the train? Plus how old do you need to be to become a train driver 🤔.
You get a paper diagram every day with your station stops on
You have to be 21 to qualify as a driver.
@@beneliastrains Awww shot, well at least I have 4 years to wait to become a train driver I might as well work as a train station stuff if thats better, and then when I reach 21 years old then I start working for Thameslink as a train driver. Thanks for the info 👍 😀.
Another question … Do you liaise with drivers from other countries? E.g. RailCowGirl, Lorirocks etc. Also, are there many female drivers in Britain? Cheers, John
What has happened to your latest cab ride videos from the past year or so? Including Daventry to Ditton etc. Really enjoyed watching them and gutted they're gone!
Very interesting guys … thanks! I live in Melbourne , Australia. Down Under we don’t really have a lot of railways. It is a shame really. I’m not sure how the number of lines is determined but there’s lots of bus routed (boring!) and we Aussies love our cars. As far as becoming a driver, well, I’m pushing 74 so, unless the change the rules about “ageism” I won’t be training anytime soon. Maybe next lifetime. Thanks again!
I was a driver from 1974 to 1983
are you going to do more route leaning videos?
Ben, I am through to the psychometric stage of my application with trans pennine express.
Can you tell me if is it typical, memory, visual and problem solving tests or is there maths involved? Thank you.
The maths part I would struggle with unless its simple :D
Always been a bit of a train nut, in year one of uni in Bath and hate it. Never been more tempted to drop out and just start driver training.
I would highly recommend it as a career, apply and see where it gets you!
Very interesting thank you
There is no way Thameslink Core could be done without ATO at the current capacity, the braking is perfect everytime and the doors open straight away upon stop
I can assure you, ATO is not in use in the Thameslink core.
@@beneliastrains Oh my bad, when I last travelled on Thameslink it was probably in 2018 during the testing phase then
@@ewsclass6679 yeah, there was some ATO running around then and may still be the occasional run with the testing and commissioning drivers
@@beneliastrains Thanks for the reply, what do the drivers have to be trained on specifically, is it not a case of operating the ATO control buttons on the desk and maintaining vigilance?
@@ewsclass6679 they have to be trained to drive under ETCS and in how the ATO works and what to do if it doesn't work. It's not as simple as just letting them crack on, fortunately.
Great to see intelligent younger guys with driving positions. It’s so good you appreciate your job and salary and obviously not the striking generation.
As a 24/7 London commuter, the automated DLR ride is like whiplash journey. Same with the Jubilee Line, but the benefit is that the trains run literally 50 metres between each other. Regarding drivers, a train carrying several hundred people with all the various challenges, I cannot see a train being operated without a driver or manager.
I’ve done 10’s of thousands of journeys in and out of London. As a passenger, I’ve sadly experienced a high speed suicide at Ponders End level crossing. I was right at the front of the train. It knocked me off my seat, I thought we’d hit a car and it was curtains. The mood was really somber experience, especially seeing lads on the trackside with black bags.
You guys are doing an amazing job, thank you. I feel safer knowing there’s guys like you at the helm.
Your point of being overtired is so so important in a safety critical role. As a manager in Financial Services, I never ask my staff to work excessive hours or stupid amounts of overtime. It’s not worth the risk and I’ve seen the consequences of f*** ups.
Enjoy your Scrumpy Jacks and beers lads - well earned 😉
This Q/a is very long, very informative and find out anything here. Nicely done video
U look about 12, are u talking about model railways?
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Im starting training soon and it was good to hear your insights. How about "off the rails" for your beer and train talking vids name? I've ripped that off from WSM but it works.