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Post by tattoodal on Feb 4, 2008 14:50:30 GMT
hi i am starting my stock training next month and have been given acton as my depot this gives me a long journey to work from my home in romford but i know barking and upminster never come up so what id like to know is is this a good depot and does it have a mafia as id struggle to do earlies and lates as ive been told there is no cab from acton to the upminster end of the district any info would be great guys thanks
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Colin
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Post by Colin on Feb 4, 2008 15:30:00 GMT
There's a choice of at least two cabs to & from Acton & Upminster in the morning/evening - get yourself a copy of the taxi schedules (or it should be on the intranet)  Are you going to Acton Picc or Acton District? Acton Picc has the mafia system; Acton District has "family freindly rostering" - basically there's a mixed roster, fixed earlies or fixed lates. With regard to transfers, I wouldn't bother with Barking - it's full of middle aged drivers & given the current waiting list, you've got more chance of meeting the pope than getting in there before you retire. Upminster does have a loonnngggg waiting list, but there is hope. As you live in Romford, perhaps the upcoming Stratford re-opening on the Jubilee may suit you - or of course there is Hainult, leytonstone, loughton, etc on the Central.................mind you that depends if you want to be in tube tunnels all day  Best of luck anyway |
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Post by District Dave on Feb 4, 2008 15:52:10 GMT
I assume as you've posted in this section you mean Acton Town (District) as opposed to Acton Town (Piccadilly).
As Acton Town (D) is my home depot I think I can answer a few questions here!
Firstly, you will find that there are already a fairly high number of staff at Acton who come from your part of the world; some are either already waiting to go to an east end depot (whether it be on the District or elsewhere), but probably just as many like the depot more than their desire to work nearer to home.
There is no mafia at Acton Town and (even if you can find someone to change duties with) there are very few 'middle' turns - either 'late earlies' or 'early lates'. So I'm afraid that you'd best brace yourself for a lot of cab rides.
As Colin said there is a variety of rostering systems - however, I can tell you that the early turns has a long waiting list and there are people on that list with a bout ten years depot seniority, so you'll have a long wait for that.
If you want lates the waiting list for this is much shorter; there tends to be quite a lot of movement on it.
The mixed roster is what is 'normal' at most depots - a mix of earlies and lates, one week of each; there are no nights at Acton Town.
There most certainly are cabs that serve the length of the line (my last trainee lives at Hornchurch and uses them for both earlies and lates); I suggest you get hold of the relevant cab timetable - and have a chat with staff at the depot for advice.
As Colin says the waiting list for most of the east end depots (and not just the District) are always oversubscribed - I think you'll find that the majority (if not all your fellow trainees) will have been allocated to more westerly depots on their respective lines.
Sorry if that sounds a bit negative, but that's how it is I'm afraid.
But it is a very friendly depot - quite small (a little over 100 or so) and pretty well evryone gets on with everyone else. I think the best thing for you to do is get through your training, and once you settle see how you find things before rushing into a decision prematurely.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2008 23:11:06 GMT
Is there a staff car parking at Acton or Ealing Common ?
I know some drivers park in "the Museum" that may be on certain shifts only though.
It may be possible for some of your training to be carried out with East End based instructors if the Line Standards Manager who allocates Instructors knows where you live. But that only helps for a short while !!
GOOD LUCK with the training ;D
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Colin
Advisor
My preserved fire engine!
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Post by Colin on Feb 5, 2008 2:25:43 GMT
The staff parking is indeed in the Musuem - but you need a permit, and I believe, a special card to get past the gates; both of those are, again I believe, limited in numbers though. If you don't mind a short walk, free parking is available in Bollo Lane (or at least it was when I worked there.............blimey, I just realised that was three years ago now  ;D ;D). |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2008 2:31:06 GMT
The staff parking is indeed in the Musuem - but you need a permit, and I believe, a special card to get past the gates; both of those are, again I believe, limited in numbers though. If you don't mind a short walk, free parking is available in Bollo Lane (or at least it was when I worked there....... We don't realise how much we are spoilt at Upminster, do we |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2008 9:19:16 GMT
The staff parking is indeed in the Musuem - but you need a permit, and I believe, a special card to get past the gates; both of those are, again I believe, limited in numbers though. Yes, and apparently the permits can't be given to Earls Court I/Os - even when training an Acton driver!  Gunnersbury Crescent, almost opposite Acton Town station, is free all weekend, and on weekdays except 9am-10am and 3pm-4pm. |
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Post by District Dave on Feb 5, 2008 9:48:21 GMT
The problem with the parking in the Museum Depot is that there is a degree of 'tension' between LU (who the building was originally built for) and the Museum (who now of course have custody of it) about 'our' use of it.
I believe a truce has effectively been called in that those of us who still hold the necessary card and pass may continue to use it, but that no new passes/cards will be issued for that area; holding a car park pass for the rest of Acton Town does not entitle parking in the Museum depot even if you were to get in there.
However not all is lost; there are numbered bays along the service road which runs towards the Training Centre and these are for the exclusive use of District line train staff; IIRC there are about a dozen spaces. The rest is double yellow lined - though I have to say many staff displaying passes park on them as AFAIK there's never been a problem - don't forget you get large lorries going down that road so use common sense.
I can't comment as to the reasons why ECT I/O's aren't permitted parking permits; however there are a few temporary passes at ACT - perhaps if you were to ask a DMT nicely in advance one could be made available?
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Post by c5 on Feb 5, 2008 9:57:25 GMT
Can you not park in Bollo House car park or in the bays at the back of your crew depot?
Not that it is any use to me! I'm just wondering!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 5, 2008 10:07:01 GMT
I can't comment as to the reasons why ECT I/O's aren't permitted parking permits; however there are a few temporary passes at ACT - perhaps if you were to ask a DMT nicely in advance one could be made available? No, tried that - one DMT told me there weren't any temporary passes, another said there were but he couldn't give one to an Earls Court I/O. Simple solution - if I'm doing a dead early at Acton for road training then I have to finish by 9am! |
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Post by District Dave on Feb 5, 2008 10:22:27 GMT
Can you not park in Bollo House car park or in the bays at the back of your crew depot? Not that it is any use to me! I'm just wondering! Bollo House is Picc country and guarded jealosly by them. I mentioned the bays adjacent to our depot above . |
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Post by railtechnician on Feb 5, 2008 15:52:10 GMT
Can you not park in Bollo House car park or in the bays at the back of your crew depot? Not that it is any use to me! I'm just wondering! Bollo House is Piccadilly Line and Tube Lines territory and parking there has been extremely tight especially on days. Sometimes following a nightshift and attendance to an early morning failure I would struggle to park a company van back in its space and sometimes getting my car out was a problem too. Of course none of this was helped by the fact that the residents from the flats across the road used to help themselves to the spaces especially at night and even dump vehicles there. At least one LU DMT was assaulted there after he went to investigate what the local residents were up to in a supposedly secure car park! |
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;D ;D).
