If you visited us on Saturday 12th September, you will have noticed that preserved 121 Class Locomotive 124 was sporting L-plates front and rear. You might have wondered what was going on.
It was exam day for driver Des Sage. Des had completed two years of intensive training to get to this stage. This included passing out as shunter and guard along the way. The final stage consisted of a written rules exam, verbal rules follow-up, and an intensive day of train operations including shunting, passenger trains, both air and vacuum-braked stock.
The path to becoming a fully qualified driver was a long, hard slog for Des, like all of our new drivers, but his hard work and determination paid off in the end. He can now drive all of our GM locomotives without an instructor looking over his shoulder.
He was even visited in the cab by his daughters, Emer and Ella. They told our photographer that their dad was super-cool. We have to agree!
Find out more about how you can volunteer and train to be a driver.
