Thank You Dovetail

Discussion in 'Off Topic' started by rcholmes85, Aug 24, 2022.

  1. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    After driving 8656 miles on TSW2020 and 22,138 miles on TSW2, today I actually started real life train driver training!!

    I started as a conductor in March 2019 and I was never sure if I wanted to be a driver or not. I always said I would be a conductor for 2-years, and then decide If I wanted to persue driving. After enjoying TSW so much I decided to go for it.

    I managed to pass the application stage, assessments, interviews and psychometric testing first time and have just had to wait for a position to come up. Even more exciting is that today I found out, the first train I will learning to drive is the class 150, so thanks to Rivet too, as I will be using that DLC quite a bit over the next few weekends when I can.

    I absolutely love working on the railway and exciting times ahead. Thank you again to all the team, as I probably wouldn't have applied without TSW.
     
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  2. derek#2931

    derek#2931 Well-Known Member

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    Good on you mate I wish you luck with your training!
     
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  3. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Thank you
     
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  4. hibiki

    hibiki Well-Known Member

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    Good luck with your career.

    What you will have to do is a full report on how you find the 150/2 between the game version and the real ones.
     
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  5. Calidore266

    Calidore266 Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations! That's very cool.
     
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  6. Rybnicki

    Rybnicki Well-Known Member

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    Safe travels, driver!
     
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  7. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Good luck with your career and can you tell me if the Class 150/2 runs Calder Valley Line or not? If so then it's a physics package the real-life one should be given to Rivet Games to fix the cornish Mainline St Austell-Penzance route 150/2
     
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  8. SonicScott91

    SonicScott91 Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations and all the best!

    When you’re out on the line, don’t forget to… Put up route maps, place safety warnings, repair broken fences and fill up newspaper stands ;)
     
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  9. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Thank you, and I just had a look. I think its mainly 150/1s & 195s that run on Calder Valley line. Think the 150/2s tend to live on the east side, and I'm on the west side of the Pennies.
     
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  10. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Thank you.

    And, do ya know, I walked upto an empty newspaper stand at Manchester Airport during one of the lockdowns, and It didnt magically fill up. I was disappointed and put it down to an invisible wall in the wrong place :D
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2022
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  11. smugstarlord#4202

    smugstarlord#4202 Well-Known Member

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    Good luck matey, I've tried for 2 years now to become a driver and got nowhere as of yet.
     
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  12. jasonpfc

    jasonpfc Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations on your new career.

    Dont forget to:

    Look up
    Look down
    Look left
    Look right

    Well done, you've just earned some action points!
     
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  13. Pipe

    Pipe Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations! Considering the eliminatory for such position, that´s quite an achievement. Always remember: "Sit down in the driver´s seat, this is where you´ll spend most of your time" ..........or so. ;-)
     
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  14. Good luck, look forward to riding on one of your services in the future.
     
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  15. breblimator

    breblimator Guest

    So cool! Good luck :)
     
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  16. Michael Newbury

    Michael Newbury Well-Known Member

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    That is awesome news, Good Luck with your new future career.
     
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  17. ghall59

    ghall59 Active Member

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    Well done, now try and forget that one door on the platform is OK. Also don't expect a gold medal after every run.
     
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  18. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Ok, then and in normal operation Class 150/1 will run with Class 158 156 sprinters if I'm not mistaken
     
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  19. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Well done. As someone who retired 4 years ago after 40+ years on the railway (mainly in Control), it is a great place to work. Sometimes like being part of a family.

    And just remember, if everyone gets off your train at the first stop, file it as a bug. Oh and it’s ReaLifeV3 so no save and reload!
     
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  20. tehangrybird345

    tehangrybird345 Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations, glad you were able to enjoy it
     
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  21. tft#6439

    tft#6439 Well-Known Member

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    Congrats on the job! Got a joke.
    What do you call a train when practicing? Training!
     
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  22. transport

    transport Active Member

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    I wish you luck, well done on getting this far
     
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  23. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Best of luck with your new career and well done.
     
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  24. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    That's excellent to hear. I never would be a good train driver, but I guess TSW gives a reasonably good impression on what it is like. At least you can test if have enough focus and if you will not get bored too soon by driving the same track over and over.

    I wish you a nice career. We need train drivers!
     
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  25. DTG Jamie

    DTG Jamie Staff Member

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    That's Fantastic, congratulations. Good luck with your training!
     
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  26. tft#6439

    tft#6439 Well-Known Member

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    I agree!
     
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  27. Tomas9970

    Tomas9970 Well-Known Member

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    That's cool. I was trying as well but was met with a "no shame" denial due to age and an option to retry in 2 years, which I absolutely want to do. Unlike you, railway work is in my blood line as my father was working at a train station before moving to something with a more stable work cycle. From that, I always had access to interesting insights as well as got a bunch of other railway related experiences.

    Just curious, why did you pick passenger instead of freight? I personally always had the appeal for heavy machinery so that's what I was drawn to but would like to see the opposite perspective as well.
     
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  28. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    Good luck!
     
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  29. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Didnt have much choice really. Only 1 TOC operates from where I live. Very scenic routes though that I'll work on, and only part of my routes are stoppers, so i do get decent drives at maximum line speeds too. Good variety of routes I'll be driving with different challenges too, so shouldnt ever get boring.
     
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  30. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    How does the job work. Do you get a timetable showing the different train you will drive on the various routes or do you just turn up and drive a train that needs a driver?
     
  31. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    At each big timetable change (December and May), i'll get a 28 week rota (i'll work alongside 27 other drivers), so i can see in advance all of my booked jobs upto the next timetable change. In between those booked jobs, we have what are called spare turns. For the spare turns, i will cover other drivers jobs who maybe on holidays, doing training, or other duties, or are off sick. I might also cover work for other depots to cover their drivers work, as long as i sign the routes and type of train.

    Every driver has to be qualified to drive a specific train and a specific route to be able to drive on it to ensure absolute safety for everyone. Its easy to stop a car but a bit different stopping a 240 ton train with 600+ people on.

    Its all planned out long term, but engineering works can lead to short term planning, and even that can be weeks of planning behind the scenes.
     
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  32. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    Very interesting, thank you!
     
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  33. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    What rail company are you working for?
     
  34. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Done 5 weeks of my real life driver training already! Friday was my first day in a real life driving cab! Just looking out the front window and looking for signals, signs, aws/tpws and all manner of things we've been learning about.

    A driver asked me if it was what I expected? I didn't mention the hundreds of hours I've spent in all manner of different driving cabs virtually on TSW :D

    Next week we start looking at all the rules associated with passing signals at danger (with authority). I know what happens when you pass signals at danger without authority... the world goes black and says "service failed: Signal passed at danger" in front of you, and that's it... the end!! ;)
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2022
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  35. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    A blue one, in the North :) Been with them over 3.5 years as a guard.
     
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  36. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    Scotrail, Northern, whats the name of the company?
    Surely you can't have worked for a company that you don't even know the name of?
     
  37. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    Lol, can't wait to hear more.
     
  38. matt#4801

    matt#4801 Well-Known Member

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    Due to various complicated reasons within companies, to keep out of trouble you can't go around on public forums or platforms shouting about the company you work for. Also I would assume the answer to your question is in his profile picture.
     
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  39. TSW Nathan

    TSW Nathan Well-Known Member

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    Okay, thank you. I did not know that
     
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  40. matt#4801

    matt#4801 Well-Known Member

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    Your alright mate, we're all here to learn.
     
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  41. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Haven't posted in a long time as I've been quite busy with my training.

    After completing all of my rules & regulations training, then learning all about class 150s, and then doing the practical training at depot, I began driving trains with my instructor in February. After 260 hours driving trains around the north west, 2-weeks ago I "passed out" as a qualified train driver!!

    Last week I drove my first 8 passenger services on my own!! Had an interesting moment leaving Piccadilly too, as i looked over to my left and seen a class 323 leaving at the same time, heading towards the Glossop line!! Train Sim World Real Life version!!

    Thank you again Dovetail because again, not sure I would have put myself forward for driving trains without all the hours I put into driving trains on my xbox :D:D:D
     
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  42. matt#4801

    matt#4801 Well-Known Member

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    Well done mate, have you had any Friday evenings yet?
     
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  43. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Had quite a few late weekend shifts since February. Had a pass-com pulled just as i was taking power on my last shift with my instructor! Wasn't amused as next station was the last station too.
     
  44. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    We need that as a random event in TSW, though maybe not having to wade through puddles of hurl on a late night service to reset it! :)
     
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  45. rcholmes85

    rcholmes85 Active Member

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    Yeah i agree we should have the rare random event every now and then. Passing a signal at danger because of a signal failure, passing through a section at 20mph because of a suspected track defect, or a temporary speed restiction.
     
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  46. tft#6439

    tft#6439 Well-Known Member

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    Congrats mate!! Hope all goes well!
     
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  47. matt#4801

    matt#4801 Well-Known Member

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    If you've survived a late weekend shift you will survive anything mate!
     
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  48. mgbgt

    mgbgt Well-Known Member

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    Well done rcholmes85 !!! Are you enjoying it?

    Also matt#4801 I think I have eventually worked out which company you work for after reading this thread. Is it the same as rcholmes?
     
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  49. pessitheghost

    pessitheghost Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations
     
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  50. Pipe

    Pipe Well-Known Member

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    Congratulations, well done and always stay safe!

    ("Coasting is a method ..............." :))
     
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