European Railroad Discussion > Crew Consist

How many people in a Train Crew (On Road) and how many hours could they work?  Also do they pay the workers hourly?

In the UK most freight trains are driver only. Not sure about other countries in Europe. Many, but by no means all passenger trains around London are driver only. Most services outside London have a driver and a guard. All London Underground services (subway) are driver only.

You should specify more closely what you are looking for but in Nordic countires the answer varies. Old companies basically have monthly salaries, younger challenger companies migth have hourly pay plus something. Within Nordic in places like Finland engineers (one needed for each train unless a helping hand is needed for lots of switching) for VR can work 16 hours a day for half a week before they have one week or so off. There really is no strict regulation as long as the rest periods are taken care of and pay dictated by laws are paid. For truckers running 16 hours per day is strictly forbidden and they have their personal digital cards that record all movements of the car(s), maximum is 11,5 hours now, giving some competitive edge to trains. Some passenger trains now have automatic ticket machines instead of conductor(s), I think this must just be an intermediate period before everyone pays travels by phone or smart card / credit card.

NiceHandTick Wrote:
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> How many people in a Train Crew (On Road) and how
> many hours could they work?  Also do they pay the
> workers hourly?

In a picture a typical smart card reader of Helsinki, Finland. This one is in older tram, but similar can be found on Metro platforms, all local and some regional trains, buses, water buses and ferries, ... 

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Oh, one more thing: in Paris and Copenhagen many services are now run without drivers. Plus many airports.

Picture from Paris (of manned service)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/15 03:04 by McKey.

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Traditional UK style crewing (steam days) was as follows.

Driver (engineer) and fireman on the locomotive.  They worked an eight hour day with a scheduled start time. They reported for duty at a "shed" (motive power depot).  Here a "docket clerk" selected engine crews based on seniority and preference of run. An engine crew was called a "link" and with experience and seniority, a driver and fireman worked to achieve the "top kink", the most desired run in the engine terminal.

Most runs involved going to an away from home terminal and back in the same eight hour shift, driving a locomotive. Where there wasn't a return run, the crew "rode the cushions" (deadheaded) back to their home terminal.  There were some 'housing turns" which involved an overnight stay at a crew hostel at the remote terminal.

Engine crews assigned to a motive power depot had to have a thorough knowledge of all routes around their home base, and needed to take "refresher trips" to retain the ability to operate trains over the network.  Some trips involved operating a variety of trains in an eight hour period.

Engine crews are paid by the hour, with overtime after eight hours.

A "Motive Power Inspector" was a company officer who checked up on engine crews and their route knowledge, and also instructed them on new locomotives and train handling practices.

The engine crew's union is the ASLEF (Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) founded in 1893.

The guard was a train crew member travelling in the train (either a seperate compartment in a passenger coach, or in a "guards van" on the rear of a freight train.).  The duty of the guard was to apply handbrakes to control the train, and to flag behind or ahead of the train in emergencies. UK freight equipment remained without air or vacuum brakes well into the 1950's.

Tickets were inspected on passenger trains by a "ticket inspector" who joined the train just long enough to check tickets, and then rode other trains to return to his home station.

Switching (shunting) was performed by "shunters", switchmen assigned to a specific station or yard. Should set offs and pickups be required, the "shunters" carried out this function.

Guards and shunters were considered "railmen" and shared seniority with station staff and signalers . Various crafts within the category had different seniority lists.  Again, they were paid by the hour.

The union for these people was the NUR (National Union of Railways) now merged with truck drivers and short sea mariners as the Railway,Maritime and Transport Union. A difference from North American unionisation policy is that supervisors and middle managers are unionised , in this case as members of TSSA, Transport Salaried Staff Association.

This pattern of staffing was repeated in many parts of the old British Empire, except Canada which adopted US staffing practices, operating rules and shared the same trade unions with the US until very recently.

The staffing practices above have been heavily modified over time, firemen became "second men" with the arrival of diesel traction and in time were eliminated.  Guards are mostly eliminated in train operations.

Railway staff were not well paid in the UK compared to their North American counterparts, and there were migrations overseas for better wages.

 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/04/15 13:32 by eminence_grise.

In the UK there are three trades unions representing railwaymen - as Eminence Gris said two are the RMT and the TSSA but the third, and arguably the most important, is ASLEF - the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen - who represent the majority of engine crews and whose militancy during the 1970s and 80s was the cause of numerous industrial disputes. Today engine crews are much better paid, with the same range of benefits that traditional office based staff enjoy.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/15 09:11 by 86235.

Are you sure it's Associated for ASLEF not Amalgamated?

cricketer8for9 Wrote:
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> Are you sure it's Associated for ASLEF not
> Amalgamated?

19th Century UK law forbid the formation of unions in the US sense of the word.  The term "Associated Society" was used by several early unions in Britain to get around the banned phraseology.

The Law forbade the use of the word "Union', not the unique organizational structures which make unions functional.

The Taff Vale decision, and the subsequent Industrial Disputes Act on 1907 provided the statutory framework for British trades unions.

I stand corrected. Somewhere in my mind I wrongly thought the a stood for amalgamated to reflect engineers AND firemen.