tubechallenge.com

The Raven wrote:

Starkey7 wrote:Didn't know you were allowed to take class B drugs while driving.

Well Codeine is also Class B drug technically and I don't think taking some Co-codamol would be an issue!

Also, a "Bonus point" if anyone can guess what my avatar picture is? --------------------------->

Hint: First made by Bayer company on the 6th March 1899

Actually, anything starting with Co is on the banned list at work as are many medicines. Before we take any medicine, they first have to be cleared with the folks up above and if they are on the banned list then you're off track and cannot drive due to the effects they can possibly have on a person.

I come close to hitting someone who decided that trespassing on the railway was a fun thing to do and it really is a scary situation to come across, but at the end of the day, it's not a car, you cannot steer, left with little option but to hit them, thankfully for me they jumped out of the way at the last second.

Suicide on the railway seems to be becoming more and more "popular" lately which is somewhat worrying, I am sure I will hit someone sooner rather than later.

How fast do you drive your train on average?

hakc97 wrote:How fast do you drive your train on average?

I probably average about 45mph because I do suburban London work. I can hit speeds of 90mph at times though, and to be fair you'll do damage hitting someone at 5mph...

Neil how fast do you think you drive your train on average? Also have you ever had any animals in front of your train?

Sam wrote: I probably average about 45mph because I do suburban London work. I can hit speeds of 90mph at times though, and to be fair you'll do damage hitting someone at 5mph...

Have yoy had animals or humans in front your train?

hakc97 wrote:Neil how fast do you think you drive your train on average? Also have you ever had any animals in front of your train?

If you look through the "Tubeguru gets a new job" thread, then somewhere in there is the lovely story of how Neil ran over a dog which ended up doing major damage to his train. I'm sure a lot of train drivers have had animals and small creatures in their times.

Link to page>> http://www.tubeforum.co.uk/forum/index. ... c&start=45

hakc97 wrote:

Sam wrote: I probably average about 45mph because I do suburban London work. I can hit speeds of 90mph at times though, and to be fair you'll do damage hitting someone at 5mph...

Have yoy had animals or humans in front your train?

Pigeons seem pretty suicidal but other than that nope

hakc97 wrote:How fast do you drive your train on average?

Depends where I go.

If we take a routine run to Bristol, that's 118 miles. It takes 1 hours, 40 minutes. So a simple calculation (speed = distance divided by time), we get 118 miles divided by 1.75 hours, which gives us 67mph. So my average would never be over 70mph, as the Bristol journey involves long stretches of 125mph running, and all of the others have more running at lower speeds.

So a run to Swansea takes 3 hours, and it's 191 miles. So that's 191/3 = 63.66mph. A run to Oxford is 63mph (63 miles, one hour).

As for animals in front of my train, I've had loads of pigeons and smaller birds (tits, finches etc.), a buzzard, deer, a dog (Garion has linked to that one) and loads of pheasants and grouse. The pheasants just stand on the rail and let you run them over.

Ah yeah I forgot about pheasants, they do seem to just stand om the running rail and stare at you, dozy things!

You will also notice that one does not often hit crows. They are way too clever.

The Buzzards and Red Kites are only killed because they feed on other rail kill, and are in the four-foot as I approach. They take off very slowly, so they don't get out of the way in time.

I know the rural drivers round our way suffer from cows on the line reasonably often, but normally on slow bits of line so they can stop before hitting them.

tubeguru wrote:Depends where I go.

If we take a routine run to Bristol, that's 118 miles. It takes 1 hours, 40 minutes. So a simple calculation (speed = distance divided by time), we get 118 miles divided by 1.75 hours, which gives us 67mph. So my average would never be over 70mph, as the Bristol journey involves long stretches of 125mph running, and all of the others have more running at lower speeds.

So a run to Swansea takes 3 hours, and it's 191 miles. So that's 191/3 = 63.66mph. A run to Oxford is 63mph (63 miles, one hour).

As for animals in front of my train, I've had loads of pigeons and smaller birds (tits, finches etc.), a buzzard, deer, a dog (Garion has linked to that one) and loads of pheasants and grouse. The pheasants just stand on the rail and let you run them over.

How many stations do you usually stop at on these journeys?

Surely you can find that out by looking at the timetables?

My mum was nearly hit by a pigeon at a set of level crossings! The unfortunate bird had been hit my a passing train and bounced onto the nearby pavement.

Steeevooo wrote:Surely you can find that out by looking at the timetables?

It would be quicker if I just told him ...

Bristol: Reading, Didcot Parkway (most services), Swindon, Chippenham, Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads.

Oxford: Slough (most services), Reading, Didcot Parkway (only a few services), Oxford.

Swansea: Reading, Didcot Parkway (some services), Swindon, Bristol Parkway, Newport, Cardiff Central, Bridgend, Port Talbot Parkway, Neath, Swansea.