Anyone a train driver or married to one?

[Tamarasnotmyname]

DH is seriously thinking of retraining to be a train driver and I wondered what the realities of the job really are because at the moment it almost sounds too good to be true.

He currently has his own very successful business but he works incredibly long hours, is very stressed all the time and he has absolutely no life outside of work. Unfortunately the nature of the business means it won’t change so he’s looking at a total career change. A friend of a friend is a train driver and was telling him how good the job is - 60k for 35 hours a week and a relatively easy life. DH is sold but I just want to be sure this is right before he folds his business and starts again.

So anyone a train driver or has a parter who is a train driver please spill the beans

@AlwaysCheddar what should they be paid then?

Are you responsible for thousands of tonnes that could kill people?.

Have you had bits of brain and body stuck to the front of something you have been driving?

Utter drivel as usual.

There's always one, and will probably be more, like @AlwaysCheddae, who come along and make proclamations about how we're overpaid. Invariably they don't know anything much about the job. What usually happens next is they come back and ask whether we really think it's right for us to be paid X while nurses are paid y and then we have to point out that thinking nurses are underpaid isn't the same as thinking we're overpaid, that's it's not a race to the bottom etc but it'll go in one ear and out the other.

I don't think Simple Simons exist any more

I used to love that game. It's got to be available as an app now?

Well, clearly fatigue had the better of me there, I meant, of course, @AlwaysCheddar

My dads one, 25+ years no suicides but a friend took over train for someone to got to the loo and next station someone jumped... it's random luck. I've been on a train, totally different network and someone jumped and the driver was the wife of my dads friend, it's a small world and it's weirdly in-bread-y.

I know there's a married couple with kids who work opposite shifts to cover childcare but they probably don't see much of each other.

A lot of his colleagues are so unhealthy because of shift work and proximity to junk food.

Would you say the same about a pilot AlwaysCheddar?

While the Simple Simon might be an app, the computer test consist of a modified keyboard and pedals.

The OP's husband would be better off ensuring his hearing, eyesight and literacy standards are up to scratch and getting a some sort of game that makes him move. Quickly.

Depending on the TOC you might find that unqualified drivers positions don't come up very often as well. Both myself and dp are ticket office staff, sil is a train manager for a different TOC to us. But neither advertise unqualified positions often.

It's funny what you click on! I woke up randomly early this morning and thought mn and and a cuppa sounded nice. Saw this thread and thought what a unique topic, clicked, and here I am now educated abut the role of train driver. I never knew, how interesting! So train drivers have to be car drivers?

It may not be 60k, so check carefully. I have known two people who have and are very happy to do have done so. If you are OK with shifts seven days a week and have no expectations of promotion or advancement, then it may be a good option for your DH.

I know someone married to a train driver, she loves being a train driver.
I used to work with someone who was a train driver and he did have two suicides, he didn’t seem that affected or he had dealt with it. There is even a film about someone who is hoping to get suicides in front of his train to get paid off it’s called three and out.

Very interesting thread as a pp said. The hours, training and testing sound a lot. And the suicides. 😔
It certainly doesn’t sound the easy life like your husband seems to think OP. It also doesn’t sound like they’re overpaid like someone suggested.

I'm not very good with directions so dont think I'd be able to find my way to the right stations, also the steering would be difficult I'd imagine. Other than that it seems straightforward

I am glad they get paid well, it is a big responsibility and should be compensated accordingly. I worked at Pizza Express when in college and I recall a couple of the waiters were hoping to apply and they told me how hard the tests are- and it was very well paid 20 years ago.
It should be- it is a skilled job.

I wonder if the OP's husband is a train driver now...

Trains differ in the type of locomotive (diesel locomotive/electric locomotive), as well as in the range and purpose of their routes. For example, long-distance trains can carry freight and passengers for thousands of kilometers, while commuter trains do not leave the region and make several trips a day. Large industrial enterprises (factories, mines, mines) have their own railroads and trains - the routes of such trains are even shorter. And each type of train requires special training from the driver, such as this German platform - dbfahrplan.com
The driver must drive the train exactly according to the schedule, observing traffic rules, semaphore signals, etc. The route of the train is almost invariable. However, the situation on the road is constantly changing. It may depend on the weather, the loading of the train, and other participants in the movement. For example, a truck stuck on the tracks requires an immediate response.