Care to expand? As STA is Stafford and CWD is CreswellIf you use TL trains, it’s worth speaking to drivers in the know that currently on TL north. Spoken to a few STA / CWD drivers in the past few days when heading to / from work. They all say stay put at my current TOC. The work is as they say ‘horrific.’ Constant Sutton loops, minimal route card, lots of time in the seat. All the GTR drivers I’ve spoken to in the past few days state ‘they are both the worst depots to go to’ within TL north. Speaks volumes why GTR are recruiting qualified’s when it’s something that they haven’t done for over 7 years at least.
At a rough guess, I would say St Albans and Cricklewood.Care to expand? As STA is Stafford and CWD is Creswell
Indeed - but forum rules are you must give full-hand the first time you use short-hand, for those that don't know. Especially if you're using CRS codes for the wrong placesAt a rough guess, I would say St Albans and Cricklewood.
Hi, is this the same case for GTR Great Northern depots like Hornsey or KX?If you use TL trains, it’s worth speaking to drivers in the know that currently work on TL north. Spoken to several Cricklewood / St Albans drivers in the past few days both current and recent ex GTR. They all say stay put at my current TOC. The work is as they say ‘horrific.’ Constant Sutton loops, minimal route card, one traction, lots of time in the seat, DOO. All the GTR drivers I’ve spoken to in the past few days state ‘they are both the worst depots to go to’ within TL north. Speaks volumes when GTR are recruiting qualified drivers, when it’s something that they haven’t done for over 8 years at the least.
In all honesty I didn’t ask about the GN route depots although the Cambridge depot was mentioned and favoured for the work content and variety.Hi, is this the same case for GTR Great Northern depots like Hornsey or KX?
Thanks,In all honesty I didn’t ask about the GN route depots although the Cambridge depot was mentioned and favoured for the work content and variety.
Morning, would be interested to see why you come to this conclusion? New to the forum so unable to private message.Thanks to all who have been in touch, think I'm better off sticking where I am!
Reading some of these comments is enough to put you off haha from what I gather the work is not very good and it would also put me offMorning, would be interested to see why you come to this conclusion? New to the forum so unable to private message.
Time in the seat a single loop St Albans to St Alban's is 3hrs 15 minutes so two a day.Thanks for the replies so far. I'm already doing intensive metro work with relatively little variety, so that part of it doesn't faze me.
Re: Time in the seat, what are we talking on an average shift? It's not been uncommon for me to do 7 - 7½ hrs in the seat in recent memory. Bleurgh.
Re: Shifts, I understand there are nights as part of the regular roster? If you wanted to swap these out are there plenty of people keen to take them off of you? Some depots/TOCs night shifts are seen as cushy, others not so much.
Thanks for your help, really appreciate it!
Nights is the killer for me. Currently don't have to do them, would like to keep it that way. Sounds like it's not necessarily easy to swap them. I'm also, controversially, pretty happy with my current TOC. Everyone in the mess room whinges, naturally, but I've found them very reasonable. Whereas I've consistently heard bad things about GTR. The big improvement would have been killing my commute (I detest driving into London), but don't think the trade-off is worth it for me.Morning, would be interested to see why you come to this conclusion? New to the forum so unable to private message.
Hi, is this the same case for GTR Great Northern depots like Hornsey or KX?
Thanks for the replies so far. I'm already doing intensive metro work with relatively little variety, so that part of it doesn't faze me.
Re: Time in the seat, what are we talking on an average shift? It's not been uncommon for me to do 7 - 7½ hrs in the seat in recent memory. Bleurgh.
Re: Shifts, I understand there are nights as part of the regular roster? If you wanted to swap these out are there plenty of people keen to take them off of you? Some depots/TOCs night shifts are seen as cushy, others not so much.
Thanks for your help, really appreciate it!
Yikes! It's swap-central at my current TOC. I'm a swappoholic!Kings Cross used to be a large traincrew depot but was downsized in 2018. There's only about 30-36 drivers there now. They sign to Cambridge and Peterborough on 387s and 700s. All outer suburban work.
There is a waiting list to get there.
Hornsey traincrew depot opened in 2018 with most of Kings Cross displaced there.
it now has three links:
Inner Suburban - about 70 drivers. 717s only. Kings Cross/Moorgate to Baldock via Welwyn and Hertford.
Outer Suburban. 700s only. Kings Cross to Cambridge. About 15-18 drivers.
Fleet moves (nicknamed 'Martini link'!) 12 or so drivers. Do inner suburban duties on 717s, outer suburban duties on 700s to Cambridge and Peterborough. Sign to Three Bridges depot for fleet moves between there and Hornsey.
You'll start in Inner Suburban link if you go there, which is all 717 mostly all stations work.
Because of how the roster works on Thameslink, you are limited with the people you can swap with.
The roster is:
Monday Tuesday off week 1,
Wednesday Thursday off week 2
Friday Saturday off week 3
But, unlike other TOCs like Southern, the switch from lates to earlies takes place at the midweek rest days instead of at the end of the week.
So - you'd be lates Wednesday week 1 to Tuesday week 2, then earlies Friday week 2 to Thursday week 3.
If you're nights, you can only really swap with someone on your shift (Red,blue or black) with the same rest days as you. And you'd only get lates in return on your swap. So you can only swap with a third of the depot.
If there's 36 drivers, you are blue shift - there's only 12 of you. One of them's you, so there's 11 you can swap with. One or maybe two will be nights as well, so that leaves 9. Sickness and holidays leaves... not many!
The Great Northern depots (like Hornsey) are on a different roster, which alternates earlies, lates each week, so it's easier to swap. People have regular swaps there, and people can have earlies or lates if they get rid of their nights.
Avoid all these depots the work is pure garbage minimum turn around time and you will be worked like a dog. I was at Hornsey for 3.6 years and I hated every minute of it, plus it is a hard depot to get to. St Albans is pure Wimbeldon loops nothing else Cricklewood is not any better why do you think they are advertising for qualified drivers for the first time in many years.
That’s 3 points against EMR then for me, 1. going in as a depot driver, 2. Sundays in, 3. Mostly nights if I chose to accept their offer. Only comparison now is GTR and WMR, thanks for that and sorry for diverting the chat.Very few diagrams go to orpington so you wouldn't be driving there very often. EMR have Sundays in where as WMR don't and a very similar salary. Obviously plenty of factors to take into account before selecting which TOC you would like to work for
So from what I’m reading here, if I had a choice, say between GTR, West Midlands Railway, and East Midlands Railway, I should avoid GTR at all cost? (Welwyn Garden City)
Thanks for that, will take whichever comes first then. EMR June training, (provisional), other 2 on DMI stage.As a trainee, go where you can get a key.
As a qualified driver either WMR or EMR would be better, with both offering fully guarded limited stops work. Between those two EMR pay a little better (certainly in London), stop a little less and do some true Intercity work, whereas WMR is all outer suburban EMU work. WMR also don’t have a London depot.
EDIT: Re. your last post EMR Kettering do take on trainees, and do mostly Corby electrics, so would be similar to WMR Bletchley in some ways (albeit with less variety.)
Thanks for that, will take whichever comes first then. EMR June training, (provisional), other 2 on DMI stage.
At EMR you will be a depot driver at either Nottingham or Derby. Kettering will be mainline and so would st pancras. Nights for mainline are four every two to three months and you can swap them out. Not too sure about the Kettering roster but st pancras have around 16 Sundays and after block leave you will be doing a few less and you can book off ad hoc. I do probably between 5 and 10 a year. Also the nights aren't passenger work so just fuel or prep . All RDW is time and a half.That’s 3 points against EMR then for me, 1. going in as a depot driver, 2. Sundays in, 3. Mostly nights if I chose to accept their offer. Only comparison now is GTR and WMR, thanks for that and sorry for diverting the chat.