From “DP” Club to “EP” Club by Alan Nichols Part Two

Posted in News/interest Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

This is part two that follows on from the blog entitled “A NEW OLD railwayman“. I explained what D.P. and E.P. stand for at the end of part one. Alan uses these initials to explain his move from  one exclusive club to another one.

Alan Nichols joined the Westminster Bank at Mincing Lane Branch on 13^th September, 1965, moving to Lothbury Office at the time of the merger and, after 10 years in the City and 23 in the West End, including 13 as a Saturday Manager at Camberley Branch, he took an early retirement package from his final post at Victoria Management Suite, as a Personal Relationship Manager, on 30^th September, 1998. After two years as Bursar of a girls’ prep school in Woking, he saw an advertisement which led to the opportunity to realise a boyhood dream and many, who worked with him, will know of his detailed knowledge of timetables and railway operation!

South West Trains were advertising for trainee drivers and, then aged 55, Alan applied not even expecting to be offered an interview, as the maximum age for new drivers was 45 when he retired. After a complex selection process, when over 2,500 applicants were whittled down to just 144, and almost two years later, he began the learning process, at the training school in Basingstoke. This involved Personal Track Safety, Traction (how the various types of train to be driven, work and how faults and failures of electrical and braking systems can be repaired) and the complete digestion of the 600+ page Rule Book. Having passed each element of the training course with distinction, he was ready for his first 20 hours driving mainline trains in passenger service, with an instructor from the school. Again, this was a gruelling challenge with the responsibility of both cross country services and a rush hour train from Portsmouth Harbour to Waterloo – with 12 coaches, 3,000 horsepower 500 tons behind, including around 1,000 passengers, with excellent brakes, as long as the rails are not encrusted with leaves or ice.

The next part of the process was, undeniably, the most fun and rewarding, a minimum of 225 hours driving a mixture of mainline and suburban trains out of Waterloo to such places as Reading, Basingstoke, Alton, Portsmouth Harbour and a host of outer London commuter routes. The most difficult element to achieve was a minimum of 40 dark hours, at a time of year when the sun hardly goes down. However, 9 months after embarking upon the course, the time arrived for the three day final assessment which involved 2 ½ days driving different types of train, coupling and uncoupling and a half day refresher exam on rules. Alan was presented with his EP key and driving licence on Thursday, 7^th August, thus joining the EP Club. This key is the equivalent of a car’s ignition key.

The final stage was route learning, a vital element considering that South West Trains’ territory is one of the most complex and busiest commuter networks in the country. A driver in the London Region will stop at some 16,000 stations and comply with around 54,000 signals every year and the travelling public can have every confidence in an extremely high level of professionalism in the person at the front of their train. The word “person” is used advisedly as, of Woking’s 70+ drivers, 7 are female.

Commenting on the change in lifestyle, Alan made the following observations:- “Having crashed through the 50 years glass ceiling in the bank, I was delighted to find that South West Trains, and other operators, have a more enlightened attitude towards ageism and has actively recruited new employees with a service culture background, each of whom is able to bring different skills to the railway. As for the exams and physical requirements, no allowance is made for age; we all have to achieve the same high standards. I think it is fair to say that I worked harder during the first three months’ initial training, than for ‘O’ levels, ‘A’ levels, the Institute exams and my degree.  I expected to meet a level of antipathy from some of the old stagers but, having proved myself, I am now Hon. Treasurer of the Depot’s Social Accounts and have encountered nothing other than friendship and encouragement. As for the hours, yes there are shifts but these are not too onerous, not usually earlier than 04.44 or later than 01.15 and with a maximum working week of 37 hours, which includes paid meal breaks and travel time, this beats 55 hours in an office plus commuting time, as well as seeing customers in their own homes at evenings and weekends!”

“I get home tired as a result of the concentration required during the day but at the end of the turn, once the key is off, I can go home and relax without worrying about targets etc… Our children having flown the nest, my wife, Susan, appreciates the benefits of a well paid job and the basic salary of some £38,000 enables us to enjoy what the banking industry refers to as a “Holiday of a lifetime” every other year. Job satisfaction means a lot to me as does the social contact with my colleagues for whom I organise get-togethers from time to time.. I am still Chairman of the Institute of Financial Services (formerly The Chartered Institute of Bankers), London West End Centre, and meet old colleagues who are members of the ‘Caxton Curry Club’ (ex Caxton House, Westminster) 4/5 times a year.”

For the benefit of readers,  members, the DP Club was an institution enjoyed by NatWest managers that met in the City once a month to listen to high profile speakers from the world of finance, commerce and government ministers, DP relating to their discretionary powers for lending purposes.