kentdav1973

Hi everyone. I'm new here so this might be in the wrong section. I'm having a debate with a friend. He says airline cabin crew have more status and are highly skilled than train drivers because they work on aircraft. Is this true ?

Peter47

Well a train driver certainly earns more than a typical cabin crew member (BA WW pursers might give them a run for their money.) Then again you can train to be CC in 6 weeks, it takes nearly a year to be a train driver. (There is a thread on pilots v train drivers.)

The question of status of CC & on board rail staff is another matter. In the early days if its franchise Virgin employed consultants who found that Virgin Trains was paying its on board staff more than Virgin Atlantic was paying its cabin crew. However as someone pointed out stopovers in NYC, LA & HKG might add a bit glamour compared with a day trip to Manchester or Liverpool.

Some on train staff also have safety responsibilities, although on Eurostar as an example this is only true of the train managers. Other catering staff are employed by contractors and do not have safety responsibilities.

The aviation has probably lost some of its glamour over the years, if anything the image of railways has improved. This might affect the relative status of the two groups.

easyflyer83

Not really.... i'd say train drivers are. They also, generally speaking, earn more than cabin crew. That said, train driving isn't particularly skilled either. Basically, with training, most of us would be able to do it unlike a true skill such as joinery where theres probably a good chance that many of us would be truly awful at it and just don't have the 'nak' for it. For that reason I would place train driving in the semi skilled category. Some would argue that cabin crew are in that category too. Interestingly, back in the day the two roles probably earned about the same but now there are an endless supply of people who want to crew.

Junior crew usually earn between £18K-23K whilst a new train driver on local/regional services probably earns around £30K-35K. Interestingly here in Manchester the drivers on the tram network which on many parts of the network operates just like a train and at the moment still uses block signalling like trains do (rather than driving using line of sight), only earn around 20K.

vegasbrian

We have both in our household

I wouldn't want to do my wifes job and she couldn't do mine (eyesight isn't good enough).

The biggest stumbling block to becoming a driver is passing the "Train Drivers Assessment" at one of the regional centres, fail it twice and you can't ever apply again.

Strangely in recent years we have found more and more pilots applying for driver's positions at our depot as they find the fixed rest day pattern attractive, and of course the pay isn't bad either

Of course there is a huge downside to driving trains, which some drivers never recover from.

easyflyer83

Jumpers you mean.

vegasbrian

Well thats one way of putting it, but there are also the ones that slip, trip or fall and of course the trespassers.

Nice to see a lot of ladies driving trains now and very good they are as well, they pick things up a lot quicker than most of the men at our depot .

Its very difficult to compare Train Drivers and Cabin Crew as the roles and skill sets are completely different. Driving trains is not "Glamourous" in any way shape or form but i do get to take people to the Airport several times a week

kentdav1973

Which depot are you at mate? I wish my other half was cabin crew

I guess it depends on the route. Doing Easyjet London to Edinburgh is obviously not as glamourous as London to the Carribean. Then again driving the local train to the airport can be compared with driving Eurostar!

GrahamO

Beings despised by pretty much everyone in London each time you extort huge wage increases and the dawning realisation that you will never get another job as you couldn't afford the pay cut due to the low skill involved, and the reaction of interviewers when they see you job on a CV ?

spottilludrop

Your kidding , how on earth can you compare someone responsible for a train worth god knows how much and scores of lifes, with someone serving drinks/food to passengers on a aircraft

And TBH how much status is attached to being a trolley dolley these days? ..not a lot, most view them as glorified waitresses

Georgeablelovehowindia

spottilludrop: I suggest you search the above name, and that might cause you to reflect on your particularly stupid and offensive posting re air cabin crew. That's not to denigrate train drivers, just a salutory reminder of what the job of cabin crew is really about.

jetset lady

Georgeablelovehowindia, thanks for your post as it's nice to know some people appreciate what we do, but I wouldn't bother with those such as Spottilludrop. He/she is, thankfully, amongst a minority of people that we meet day in, day out. It's amazing how quickly the attitude changes should they or a member of their party become sick in flight or be involved in even the most minor of incidences.

Anyone that appears to take pleasure in sneering at the job of another is really not worth the effort in my book.

vegasbrian

I'm at Manchester Piccadilly,

Eurostar - excellent terms and conditions but a bit repetitive, horses for courses i suppose Its just like the aviation business, some prefer longhaul to there and backs and some like a mixture of both.

Basil

Georgeablelovehowindia,
and another here.

Basil

Anyway, getting back to train driving:
I recollect watching a steam engine driver being interviewed and he explained how he endeavoured to bring his train to a stop in the station so gently that a lady, raising her teacup to her lips, would feel only the slightest of jolts as the train sat back on its brakes.

. . and I thought to myself, 'Well, that's how I do it all the time.'

mad_jock

Train driving!!!

I heard there is a few tower controllers at LHR getting there tickets to drive trains.

Not the Heathrow Express I might add . A beautiful old lady which embodies the skill of craftsmen and engineer's.

So if an ATCO can drive one it must be a piece of piss. You should see the state of the parking in the car parks at most centers/towers.

ottergirl

Online Dating by Uniform Dating - As seen on TV the original Uniform Dating site for women and men in uniform or those looking for a date in uniform

You have to go fishing in the right ponds!

kentdav1973

Ah thank you very much for the site. But i'm wondering now if telling someone you're a train driver is a turn off both for romance and employment prospects ?!!

vegasbrian

I can't see the uniform doing anything for any sane woman but your final salary pension scheme, 4 day 35 hour week, fixed days off, 36 days leave a year and free/discounted travel to Southport/Whitby/Cleethorpes/Skegness/Blackpool/Brighton, striking good looks and sparkling personality etc might tick at least one of their boxes.

My wife loves me knocking her up at 02:30 in the morning

Later on the same morning :-

My wife - i thought you were going to work today ?
Me - i've been darling, go back to sleep.

vegasbrian

Reminds me of when i use to work as cabin crew and i use to enjoy watching pilots trying to reverse park in the staff car park several times and then minutes later they would be asking me how to use the new photocopier in the crew room, and i use to think to myself that these people fly planes

The beauty of steam, I've had several goes and all i can say is i doth my cap to those fellows, a dirty low paid but highly skilfull job not for the feint hearted.

And bearing in mind that this is an International site how about "Railroad Engineers" in America, now they are skilled people, even with my 10 years train driving experience in the UK they wouldn't even consider me for cleaning their locomotives let alone drive one.

mad_jock

photocopiers are bastards of the highest order closely followed by fax machines.

Then when they combine everything into one unit it turns it into a device of satan. The twats even email as well when you don't want them to.

Due to flight safety and CRM issues of loosing your control and swearing at an object its always better to delegate the operation of such devices.

Know what you mean about reverse parking. It was brought up in a couple of CRM meetings about certain Captains powering back aircraft when they had several outstanding hire car insurance claims for damage while reverse parking.

And as for the rail road boys in the US. They have the job of fixing them as well. Much like the armys POM's (plant operator mechanics) Always did think it was a good idea for those that broke it fix it.