The High Weald Light Railway (HWLR), ex B&MLR

bessytractor · Post by **bessytractor** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:28 pm

plymouth? I hope not

Best of luck to you mate, the course isn't the best but its not bad either and you won't have any debts at the end. Just remember, the bowling alley has the cheapest drinks and Chicago's isn't worth bothering with. Also, Gunwharf has a proper good Nando's! We're getting three off your intake at my depot, not sure what we're going to do with them team wise. Do I get bungle points now?

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:45 pm

bessytractor:58296 wrote:plymouth? I hope not Best of luck to you mate, the course isn't the best but its not bad either and you won't have any debts at the end. Just remember, the bowling alley has the cheapest drinks and Chicago's isn't worth bothering with. Also, Gunwharf has a proper good Nando's! We're getting three off your intake at my depot, not sure what we're going to do with them team wise. Do I get bungle points now?

HMS Sultan is in Plymouth isnt it? or is it Portsmouth? I cant remember now

Thanks, and its a job for life at the end of the day as the railways will be around for a fair few years yet

I'll remember that, you cant beat a cheap night out drinking

Yeah bungle points for both of us, but oh well, this might be the last bit of action this thread see's for a while!

bessytractor · Post by **bessytractor** » Sat Sep 03, 2011 7:48 am

Tom:58297 wrote:
bessytractor:58296 wrote:plymouth? I hope not Best of luck to you mate, the course isn't the best but its not bad either and you won't have any debts at the end. Just remember, the bowling alley has the cheapest drinks and Chicago's isn't worth bothering with. Also, Gunwharf has a proper good Nando's! We're getting three off your intake at my depot, not sure what we're going to do with them team wise. Do I get bungle points now?
HMS Sultan is in Plymouth isnt it? or is it Portsmouth? I cant remember now :lol: Thanks, and its a job for life at the end of the day as the railways will be around for a fair few years yet :D I'll remember that, you cant beat a cheap night out drinking :lol: Yeah bungle points for both of us, but oh well, this might be the last bit of action this thread see's for a while! :lol:

its in Gosport. Don't believe the job for life stuff, its not as easy as that now. They've just got rid of a load of people but are still taking apprentices. All my mates off my old intake are waiting for jobs that aren't currently there.

Pendo Pilot · Post by **Pendo Pilot** » Sat Sep 03, 2011 10:31 am

Yes Mr BT, but get your foot in the door within the rail industy, get PTS & prove that you can work within the drink & drugs policy, prove that you can handle safety critical work conditions & then take that experience & put in for jobs away from network rail & work for a good company instead..... Having worked for NR (& Railtrack previous) all I can say is I was glad to get out & leave their headless chicken managment system. But don't let me put you off Tom, everyone has to start somewhere (unless you are one of those headless chicken fast track management trainee's that they let loose all over the place). If it's any help I found I didnt like most of the placements I got early on in my rail career & even thought about quitting. But you soon find that things settle down if you keep at it.
Good luck & all the best.

DolwyddelanLightRail · Post by **DolwyddelanLightRail** » Sat Sep 03, 2011 11:01 am

I applied for the NR apprentiship scheme and got absolutely no where

But since applying for Uni to originally do Railway Engineering, which was then withdrawn well after the deadline date, I contacted (well, mum

) all the TOC's about undergraducate engineering schemes. East Midlands Trains were the only ones who got back to me properly and gave me an interview. By this time the uni had offered me a different but as close to the original course as possible which I had accepted, and the head of Engineering for EMT showed me round the HQ and their main depot at Derby, and said if that they're what I'm looking for, give them a call while at Uni and they'll sort me out!

So I'm now much better off that I would have been with the NR stuff! But I agree with what you said PP, once your foot's in the door with a good rep, your pretty much sorted! (I think also the fact that your family also has a big history with British Rail and also having a rare surname does somewhat help!

)

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:04 pm

Thanks for all the advice Fella's

Dont Worry you havent put me off yet! DLR I know what you mean about getting no where, been there and done it before! But this is my start in the big wide world and where it will lead I dont know, I'm just going to approach the Apprenticeship with a positive attitude and try to get as much out of it as I can - (owing to me passing the medical of course) . Don't worry Shane I wont be turning into one of these 'headless chicken managers

And DLR as you say, my next step was to contact my local TOC (Southeastern) to see if they could offer me anything. Im an easy fella and anything goes (to a certain extent) and at the end of the day any job that was offered to me based on, around or with the railway is something that I would definatley look at and think about.

anythingsdr · Post by **anythingsdr** » Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:27 pm

Least your there mate

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:52 pm

Hi All,

for those of you that have been following the thread in recent weeks, I can announce that I have gained a place on N*t**rk R**ls Advanced Aprrenticeship Scheme :D ( I hope you'll forgive me :lol: ). So I have put my modelling efforts on hold as I start getting ready for my departure further south to Portsmouth next Saturday (17th) for a years worth of Training :? :lol:

LMS-Jools · Post by **LMS-Jools** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 6:53 pm

Good Luck

bessytractor · Post by **bessytractor** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 11:55 pm

Pendo Pilot:58320 wrote:Yes Mr BT, but get your foot in the door within the rail industy, get PTS & prove that you can work within the drink & drugs policy, prove that you can handle safety critical work conditions & then take that experience & put in for jobs away from network rail & work for a good company instead..... Having worked for NR (& Railtrack previous) all I can say is I was glad to get out & leave their headless chicken managment system. But don't let me put you off Tom, everyone has to start somewhere (unless you are one of those headless chicken fast track management trainee's that they let loose all over the place). If it's any help I found I didnt like most of the placements I got early on in my rail career & even thought about quitting. But you soon find that things settle down if you keep at it.
Good luck & all the best.

exactly right, the plan is to eventually get up the front of a yinger, but for now S&T has my interest (which I didn't think it would). Fast track management = ugh

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 5:01 pm

Hi All,

I just thought that I'd rub off over a month and a halfs worth of dust from this thread by updating it with what I've been up to as I'm back home from Fareham on a long weekend

The course with NR is going really well, but its nice to be back home around all the home comforts and good food

We've seen some nice gruesome and shocking (excuse the pun) videos in Elf and Safety over the last week, but that just goes to show how dangerous the job is

Anyway, The project I set out to complete was to re-liver the 2 existing slate wagons and the flat wagon I already owned, and paint 3 new slate wagons which I brought before just before I got the call out of the blue about getting a place on the course.

So here are the pictures:

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:33 pm

Hi All!

Just another quick update whilst I'm back home and keeping busy

I'm just working my way through a small amount of CC kits that I've started but never finished, but also doing re-livering where required.

So first up is this flatbed which is made from the unsucessful motorised slate wagon that I had bodged up a while back which sadly had a terrible end, which includes a shelf, a 6ft drop, the floor, my foot and some pain and many pieces

(The hole in the floor is where the motor went) I will most probably find a figure to cover it up

Next up is the 1 Plank open wagon which has been a re-livered from the quarries old bright blue to its new dark grey and black.

Next up is 3 CC Slate Wagons (Build+Paint) , 1 CC 1 Plank Wagon (Re-Livery), 1 CC LNWR Coal Wagon (Re-Livery) and a CC Iron Sided Wagon (Build+Paint)

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:15 pm

Hi All,

3 more wagons emerged from the workshops today

and I just managed to get a few shots before the light started to fade.

2 Slate Wagons:

and a Creosor Iron Sided Wagon (which I need to make a load for)

That now leaves a 1 Slate Wagon, a 1 Plank and a Coal Wagon

along with a couple more bits......

I will try and get a picture of the whole fleet tomorrow

SapperAnt · Post by **SapperAnt** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 4:56 pm

NICe kits!
CC=Cooper Craft???

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Thu Dec 29, 2011 5:13 pm

Thankyou! Yeah CC + Coopercraft it just saves me typing it out all the time

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 2:06 pm

HI All,

Heres just a quick pic of the fleet all lined up

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 5:11 pm

Hi All

Well after 9 months its finally over!! (Where has all that time gone?) Im back home now ready to start at the Depot on Monday morning

Which also means I'm back to doing some modelling...

I haven't done alot since I got back last night due to lots of unpacking, but one idea I did have a a few weeks back was to knock pins into the blank laser cut rivet holes on the WHR Van 2 kit that I had started already before I left. I'm hoping that they will stand out and add that rivet effect a bit better once they've been painted.

Any comments welcome

anythingsdr · Post by **anythingsdr** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 7:41 pm

Haha, good to see you back, i startled full time last wednesday

Stewart Gethin · Post by **Stewart Gethin** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 7:58 am

Nice fleet of stock there

I'm starting the apprenticeship scheme with NR in september. O.o

Stew

Tom · Post by **Tom** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:40 am

Nice fleet of stock there

I'm starting the apprenticeship scheme with NR in september. O.o

Hi Stew, Thanks for the comment and Congratulations on gaining a place on the course! What discipline are you doing?

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