Hi Windows (Tosh)
Where I worked was not an inter city depot. Inter City conductors used to cover extremely large area and for them to know platforms is unlikely to say the least. Having said that, there is no excuse. If I didn't know I would say so politely. Even if I had to repeat myself 20 times and the person wouldn't understand I couldn't 'just go' and find out.
As far as my experience goes of being a conductor down here way down south is that most tried to do a good job and most were more than tolerant.
Untill privatisation that is and for some time before as the whole thing started to affect the industry before the dreaded 'P' word became fact - maybe around 1986 .... when the back biting started and the threat of 'after privatisation YOU will not be employed'.
Then after privatisation, because of appauling treatment and constant threats by bad managers who were crawling over each others backs to get on, most conductors ended up not giving a sh*t. By that time I was driving so I was out of it. Untill restructuring for train drivers meant even longer hours and more unsocial hours don't worry about safety along with the threats of 'if you can't do you job then we'll find someone who can'.
Tiredness is a killer on the motorways but not if you are a train driver, you are just threatened with loosing your job and stuff safety and the lives that could be lost as a result.
The old BR rule was that if you are uncertain, don't do it and no one will take you to task, its best you do that, but after privatisation it was 'you are trained to do that so if you value your job then do it' otherwise you will be disciplined in a most unfair manner with all types of trivia taken into account.
I left the job because my conscience got so strong that I could kill people that I was not prepared to carry on. I only now go by train as a last resort.
There were some real Hitler type conductors and ticket inspectors who got off being as stroppy as they could be for no reason but most of them would pack the job in after being beaten up for the umpteenth time.
My only real problem I had as a conductor with squaddies when drunk was them finding what pocket the warrant for travel was in. We got 5% commission and a lot of warrants did not specify routes or type of tickets so me being mercanary, would issue the most expensive ticket permitted on the warrant. Sometimes I would make an 'accidental' mistake and issue 1st class tickets.
Anyway, by the time I left the railways I did not give a hoot either because of the constant bullying, threats, and being expected to work and not get paid for it while my boss did not work week ends, banks holidays or unsocial hours, had never ever driven a train, only cared about how he looked in front of his managers and who was a total idiot anyway.
But ............. window cleaning. No nutters, no idiots, no yobs, no having to deal with druggies, fights, threats, real abuse, unsocial hours, over long hours, being jet lagged every day, being shattered from the hours, and above all, no having to deal with all that on your own with no back up and with a company who did not give a da*m.
Give me window cleaning any day. I enjoy my work now.
Cheers
