BRITISH RAIL LINE OF EMPLOYMENT 1968 TO 1988

The line of promotion for footplate staff was separate from that of all other BR departments.

For all matters relating to the footplate grades, the seniority date of joining the line of promotion was used. Any other service was ignored, aside for calculating redundancy payments when leaving BR employment.

Drivers Assistants and Drivers had their names placed on a rota/roster, known as a 'link', this was a succession of reporting times for a week's work and day(s) off (Rest Day [RD]).

Dependent on the depot size, and mixture of work at the depot, links could be of varying lengths taking several months, or even a whole year to repeat the rotation. Dependent on the depot's work, links were typically arranged into alternating weeks of am and pm reporting times to provide a level of order in an otherwise very disorderly working life, the links with the most senior drivers often contained the more lucrative duties - routes or additional payments.

Railway timetables are organised into winter and summer schedules, therefore, changes to those links typically occurred twice a year in May and September. This would typically be the time when people progressed upwards from one link to another in accordance with their seniority.

Progression through the line of promotion for footplate staff was subject to retirements, deaths and an increase in work at the depot.

Traction Trainee (TT)

Whether already employed by BR or not, applied directly to local area management.

Candidate eligibility was principally restricted to age, i.e. not have attained 23 years at time of appointment, minimum age was regulated by school leaving age, i.e. 15/16 years old. Divisional / regional management could evaluate an individual on their merits, to join above 23 years of age was unusual, aside from instances where the candidate had been removed from the line of promotion due to redundancy.

Line of promotion under 18-year-olds on most divisions had a derivation that permitted them to work nights

Interviewed with a set of locally approved tests to demonstrate a candidate's suitability for the role, and the further training to becoming a driver.

Medical to ascertain medical fitness to meet the role's requirements, notably eyesight meeting a minimum of 20-20 vision unaided and no colour blindness, plus meeting the minimum height requirement of at least 5'4" (or likely to meet it at the age of 18 if below 18 at the time of the medical) - height was not an absolute bar to joining the line of promotion, each case could be approved on individual merits.

Successful candidates would undertake a short training course, of around 6 weeks, either carried out at the appointed depot, or at a site within the division.

On completion of the training course, the Traction Trainee was either promoted to a Driver's Assistant (DA) position; or if there were no DA vacancies at the time the training was completed, they were promoted to Relief Driver's Assistant (RDA), and placed in a separate link pending a DA vacancy at the depot for which their seniority date was senior to any other TT or RDA waiting promotion, or existing DA applying to transfer to the same depot.

Despite being recruited for existing or anticipated vacancies at a depot, the nature of the all-line promotion, transfer and redundancy [PT&R] agreements meant that another more senior TT, RDA, or DA could transfer from another depot and would take precedence.

Relief Driver's Assistant (RDA)

The RDA role was an 'interim' position. When a newly qualified TT found themselves at their depot of appointment without an opportunity to be placed in the DA's link, they were appointed RDAs and placed in a separate link of reporting times. As an RDA, they would be constantly 'spare' waiting to fill any gaps in the DA links, perhaps on a daily basis covering sickness absence, or have their name placed in a DA link against a DA that was on a planned week's absence, e.g. annual leave or training.

RDAs had a lower rate of pay than DAs, but when carrying out DA duties, they would receive the DA's rate of pay. After completing 100 turns of duty as a DA, the RDA's rate of pay was increased to that equal to a DA.

Driver's Assistant (DA)

Most TTs would progress directly to DA after completing their TT course.

DAs carried out a number of duties, although these were frequently varied by regional and local agreements, such as coupling and uncoupling to trains, operating steam heating boilers etc.

A DA would essentially learn much of the role of a driver, and would informally carry out driving duties under the supervision of a driver - should the driver be so minded.

After completing 500 DA duties and reaching 21 years of age, if a DA wished, they could apply to transfer to another depot for a driver's position on the all-line vacancy list which was published every 2-months.

Relief Driver (RIfD)

If a person remained a DA, once they had completed 5 years, (or earlier if authorised by divisional management), and being at least 20.5 years of age, the formal 6-month driver training programme (known as MP12) would be made available.

A DA (or a DA who had been appointed Driver) was given three opportunities to successfully complete their training. In the event of failing the examinations on a third occasion, they would be removed from the line of promotion.

The examinations were conducted over 3 days and consisted of assessing the person on: Rules and Regulations; knowledge of Locomotive or traction unit; practical handling of a train.

Having qualified as a driver, they were qualified to operate on one type of traction (locomotive [diesel or electric], or multiple units). Depending on the type of work at the depot, additional traction may have been learnt as a conversion from the basic traction already learned, taking days or a few weeks dependent on its complexity and variance from the person's basic (default) traction type.

In addition to being qualified on the different types of traction, a driver needed to be familiar with the route, and would also be required to maintain a 'route knowledge card', which the RIfD or Driver would sign to confirm their competency to operate over specific routes.

RlfDs remained in the DA link, but in a similar manner to RDAs, could perform Driver duties when there was insufficient driver cover. They received a modest increase of basic pay, but received a day's pay at driver's rate whenever they carried out driving duties (even for the shortest of activities). After completing 100 driving turns, their rate of pay increased more significantly, but still below that of a Driver's. However, a RlfD at a depot with long-distance work would likely earn more than a driver in the lower driving links.

Driver

Once a person had obtained a Driver position, either at their original depot, or as a result of transferring to another depot where their footplate seniority date was sufficiently senior, they had reached the end of the progression within the footplate.

Any driver wishing to progress their career further had access to the salaried vacancy list and could transfer to another department, however, all other transfers and promotions would be subject to 'suitability', unlike the footplate where after gaining the TT position, all further transfers and promotions were based purely on their seniority date.

Common opportunities for Drivers (and DAs or RIfD) to progress their careers (subject to suitability) whilst remaining in the locomotive department were: Instructor; Footplate Inspector (Driver Standards Manager); Traincrew Supervisor; Depot Manager.