GWR Uniform and Plymouth links

[cornishboy23]

Hello,

I’ve just been successful in getting a customer host job. I had my uniform fitting, but I forgot to ask if I will get one of the hi-vis GWR backpacks I’ve seen on the network. Are these only for conductors or everyone? If not, are we permitted our own bag to carry lunch in etc?

Also, can anyone advise what routes Plymouth serves? I assume it’s London Paddington and Penzance but not sure if there is anything else like Cardiff maybe.

Thanks

 

[tiptoptaff]

You'll get a black one with retroreflective strips, and it'll be a choice of either a normal rucksack or a wheelie rucksack - I only ever had a normal orange rucksack, but a lot of guards and hosts had a wheelie one.

The orange ones are for Traincrew grades only

 

[Fermiboson]

Plymouth has direct links to Penzance on one end, and Paddington fasts via Bristol or Newbury. It has local stoppers to Gunnislake and Bristol via Weston-super-Mare, and the Cardiff to Penzance stoppers. XC of course also go to B’ham, Derby, Newcastle, Edinburgh, etc.

 

[tiptoptaff]

Plymouth has direct links to Penzance on one end, and Paddington fasts via Bristol or Newbury. It has local stoppers to Gunnislake and Bristol via Weston-super-Mare, and the Cardiff to Penzance stoppers. XC of course also go to B’ham, Derby, Newcastle, Edinburgh, etc.

Not all of that is applicable to hosts.

Hosts dn't have defined route knowledge, but at Plymouth they mainly do Penzance to Paddington via all ways. No hosts on any of the local trains

 

[Wandering Pom]

Plymouth has direct links to Penzance on one end, and Paddington fasts via Bristol or Newbury. It has local stoppers to Gunnislake and Bristol via Weston-super-Mare, and the Cardiff to Penzance stoppers. XC of course also go to B’ham, Derby, Newcastle, Edinburgh, etc.

Beware of the word "link" here. If I've understood it correctly, it has a specific technical use in terms of UK train crew, meaning a group of train crew (drivers, guards, etc.) at a particular crew depot, and the service or trains that they're allocated to. In the OP's case it's the GWR customer hosts based at Plymouth and the GWR trains that they work on. Historically there could be several links for the same type of crew (e.g. drivers) within a single depot, with promotion involving transfer from one link to another with more prestigious duties (e.g. local stopping services to inter-city).

 

[irish_rail]

The hosts have links based on times of day, I think there's Earlies, Middles and Lates. The vast majority of the work is London and back with some days going down to Penzance. There is also Newquay in the summer on the IETs when they run there. IETs is the only traction you work, although I think there may be one early job that you would work on the sleepers between Plymouth and Penzance first thing in the morning. All of the above is based on what I see and from chatting to Hosts, so it may not be completely conclusive, but I am based at Plymouth as a driver so hopefully is reasonably accurate unless anyone else can add anything?

 

[Fermiboson]

Beware of the word "link" here. If I've understood it correctly, it has a specific technical use in terms of UK train crew, meaning a group of train crew (drivers, guards, etc.) at a particular crew depot, and the service or trains that they're allocated to. In the OP's case it's the GWR customer hosts based at Plymouth and the GWR trains that they work on. Historically there could be several links for the same type of crew (e.g. drivers) within a single depot, with promotion involving transfer from one link to another with more prestigious duties (e.g. local stopping services to inter-city).

I see, thanks for the info.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I see, thanks for the info.

For Link, see Rota