Description
Book SynopsisSteve Davies spent 48 years working in the railway industry from 1969 to 2017. His insider's view of the railways is presented in an easy to read style that will appeal to those in the industry as well as those for whom the jargon would be incomprehensible without Steve's explanations. He started work as a messenger boy and in 1982 he took his first driving turn. He subsequently kept 148 notebooks recording the details of all the trains he had driven including details of trains, times, number of coaches or tonnage of freight hauled. This fascinating insight into the day-to-day workings of the railway industry will be of interest to railway workers, enthusiasts and all of us who have ever wondered "What's it really like to drive a train?".
Table of ContentsIntroduction vii; 1 Early Days 1; 2 Working for a Living 4; 3 Back to Ebbw -Temporarily 12; 4 Redundancy 33; 5 Westbury 41; 6 Driver Training 49; 7 Driver Davies 53; I Miss The Engine & Coaches 65; 8 Train Driving Techniques 71; Aslef Information Paper 96; 9 Bosses, Brothers and Others 100; 10 Passengers Not Customers 159; 11 Overcrowding 168; 12 Instructor Driver 175; Steve's Top Ten Tips 182; 13 Driver Error 184; 14 Alarming Experiences 194; 15 Faults and Failures 219; 16 Danger on the Line 233; Phonetic Family Fun 250; 17 Odd Jobs 251; 18 Winding Down and Retirement 264; Glossary 275
