Russell Burridge, 57
Train Driver
(Locomotive Engineer in US parlance)
What does your work consist of?
I drive (operate) passenger trains worth about $2 million per car/carriage, at speeds of up to 110 mph, along what is now Britain's busiest 4-track mainline railway. We share the tracks with Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Trains franchise which operate tilting Italian-built ‘Pendolino’ trains. At London Midland we operate mostly German-built Desiro trains which can be 4, 8 or 12 cars in length, depending on the service level.
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| Desiro train |
How long have you been a train driver?
Almost 13 years, but I also worked as a Train
Driver/Engineer many years ago in my early 20s for five years. I used to work
on the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales and was a driver there for 10 years from
1978, but only three of them full time, the remainder as a volunteer during
holidays. The trains there are narrow gauge, only 24 inches between the rails
instead of the normal 56 ½," so the engines and carriages are that much
smaller.
“…if we weren’t any good at stopping, then we couldn’t stop a 500-ton, 240 yard-long train within 6 inches of a stop board in a platform…”
What is the most rewarding part of what you do?
Getting a busy commuter train into London on time, or a minute early in the morning rush hour.
When you were a child, did you conceive of doing this sort of thing when you grew up? What did you want to be?
Yes! I always wanted to be a train driver from when I was about four years old. At 21 I was a Train Driver, so you could say I achieved my lifetime ambition a bit too early. However, I came back to the industry after a 20 year gap and had to learn a whole different ball game!
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| Aboard Linda, 1978 |
Where are you from?
I'm originally from Bournemouth, on the UK south coast. It's
a very cosmopolitan town of over 1/4 million.
Where are you located now?
I'm now based in Milton Keynes about half way between London
and Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest City. I operate trains between those
two Cities, plus other routes.
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A tiny bit of North Wales
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Do you work for a company or organization — if so, what?
I work for a Franchised operation, currently 'owned' by GOVIA, a joint French/UK company who also run other UK-based passenger railway franchises.
What other lines of work have you had?
I worked in the IT industry for 19 years until I got bored
of drifting into a Management-only role. I enjoyed designing and programming
various systems with my Team until short-sighted senior management put it out to
(more expensive) third-party contract work. I’ve also worked as a metal
workshop machinist using lathes and milling machines, and also as a
Fabricator/Welder.
What training does someone have to
have to be qualified to drive a train?
You have to pass a series of
aptitude and psychometric tests to even get on the training course, which then
lasts between 10 and 12 months depending on various factors, usually down to
availability of Instructing Drivers. Nearly all training is undertaken by
currently qualified and practicing Train Drivers who all know the trains,
tracks, and station stops inside out. Indeed, after qualification,
newly-qualified Drivers are expected to undertake exactly the same work as a
Driver who might have 40 years’ experience.
What personal attributes must
someone have in order to be able to do this line of work?
You have to like, or put up with,
shift work, including some very early starts and late finishes. Early turns can
start anytime between 04.15 and 11.00 at our Depot. Late turns usually start
after midday and can finish around 01.00 or 02.00 AM. As a Driver you do not
get much chance to interact with others so you have to be good at keeping your
own company, and stay alert for periods of up to two hours at a time. You have
to be able to manage your home and family life around work. It is often looked upon as a vocation
and as such it has its own special considerations.
What lesson was the hardest to
learn about driving a train?
After learning and retaining over
400 different rules and regulations, and with updates to many over the years,
along with changes to train times, signaling, the trains themselves, and new
and improved safety systems, the hardest thing initially is remembering all the
varying places along the line where the brakes are applied. Depending on the
weather conditions, which can vary each day, to enable each train to stop
accurately at each station requires the driver to remember about 8 to 12
‘braking points’ for each station depending on which line and direction is
being used.
What advice would you give someone
interested in being a train driver?
Think long and hard before
deciding, but if you do you will be well paid in an industry where many are
not.
How many hours are in your working
week?
35 hrs in a 4-day week, but the
hours differ each day, with an average of 8 ¾ hrs per shift. Some are less (6+
hrs) or more (up to 10 hrs). It’s a full time job with approx seven weeks (28 days) off per annum.
Would you consider this a job, a
vocation, or a sideline?
It’s a vocation for some, simply a
job to others. Anyone who treats it as a sideline wouldn’t last long in the
grade – it has to be taken very seriously, but it does have its light-hearted
moments.
Where is your work located? One
place or various locations?
Between London and Birmingham, but
I always start and finish work at Bletchley Station, just across the road from
the famous wartime Enigma code-breaking centre at Bletchley Park!
Do you have to travel as part of
this work?
Sometimes we travel as a passenger
to another station before starting driving, but we are on duty for all hours,
traveling or driving.
Do you work alone or as part of a
team?
I work alone, but am part of a
‘link’, a team of about 30 who work similar rosters, hours, routes. There are
other links at the same location, so in total I work with about 200 others.
Added to that number are another 140 Train Guards/Conductors.
Do you listen to music while you
work? If so, what?
It’s forbidden, and is a sackable
offence, as is using a mobile/cell phone.
If you could change one thing about
your work environment, what would it be?
The early starts – why do folk want
to travel so early in the morning?
What do you typically wear to work?
A uniform, but it varies between a
two-piece suit type to a more casual Harrington jacket with polo-neck shirts.
Safety shoes are de-rigueur.
What raw materials do you work
with?
Electricity! Usually supplied at
25,000 volts A.C.
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| At the mobile office |
How does technology impact train driving?
Our latest trains, like modern
aircraft, are fly-by-wire, so there are computers on board that we interact
with via various cab-based controls, such as a combined Power/Brake controller.
Each train of 4 cars is a Unit, and as such has its own on-board Ethernet
network to connect all the equipment. When another Unit is coupled to the
first, that Unit’s network connects to the first Unit’s network, and so on, up
to 3 Units coupled. So, when the Driver calls for power to be applied via
motors to the wheels to move the train, all Units move together.
Do you use any particular tools
specific to this work?
Not really, but we do have some
specially-shaped ‘keys’ which are used exclusively on UK trains for unlocking
the control desk, and hence operating the train.
What are the biggest misconceptions people have about what you do?
Have you received any injuries
connected to your work? If so, what?
No, not yet, and I hope not to,
although if you are not careful you can trip over obstacles, or fall off the
cab access steps whilst climbing up or down from your cab when not next to a
platform.
Are there any words or terms used
in your line of work that you could share and explain?
The UK Railway scene is full of
acronyms. If it wasn’t then you’d take all day explaining something to a
colleague. So terms get shortened, and 3 and 4-letter acronyms are the
norm. A few examples are OHLE, Overhead
Line Equipment; GMRS-R, Global Mobile Radio System – Rail; HST, High Speed
Train; We also use the Phonetic Alphabet for all spoken communications.
Accuracy of comms is very important on the railway, especially in a emergency
situation.
What is the hardest part of beign a train driver?
Staying as alert at the end of a 10
hour shift as at the beginning.
What is the most mundane part of being a train driver?
Sitting around when you are a
‘spare’ driver. Spare drivers are always needed to cover for sudden or
unplanned absence or sickness.
What is it you love about what you
do?
Not sure, but changing scenery, the
fact that it isn’t a typical desk job, and that every day is different, might
be contributing factors.
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| The age of steam! |
Can you please share an anecdote
about driving a train?
Always have a spare set of keys
with you. When you drop your only Driver’s Key on the track in the rain at
night you don’t really want to go searching for it amongst the filthy, wet
ballast.
Where can you be found online?
My work doesn't appear on-line, and as it is a safety-critical occupation we are not normally allowed to have anyone with us in our Driver’s Cab unless they are our own management, or railway infrastructure engineers. Bit like today's airline cockpit protocols as regards visits, security, etc.
People would be surprised to know that:
You don’t end up taking your work home with you. All there is to worry about is what day and time you are next at work.
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