Right track forward for a full life on the rails; CAREER MAIL. - Daily Mail (London)

Byline: LINDA WHITNEY

THERE was a time when every young boy wanted to be a train driver.

But did all those childhood dreams evaporate with the age of steam?

Not at all. Men - and women - still hanker after a life driving trains.

The lure of the open track means competition can be fierce, especially for long-haul and freight-driving jobs.

Many drivers start on commuter trains, where there are more vacancies, and then change to long-distance and freight driving.

Requirements for driver trainees vary among train-operating companies but, generally, you must be fit with sound hearing and vision, reliable, safety conscious, and happy working alone, especially for long-distance work. You don"t

need paper qualifications, but entrance tests include maths, English, mechanical understanding, geography, reaction times, concentration and co-ordination.

There are thorough medical, alcohol and drugs tests.

After training of up to a year - which includes how trains work, routes, signalling systems, safety regulations and driving - you have to pass searching competency tests to drive alone.

Some companies recruit only from within, so you may have to do other jobs, such as shunting trains in depots, before becoming a driver.

It"s usually shift work, but commuter train drivers may not need to work through the night.

InterCity drivers must be prepared to spend nights away from home.

Pay varies among companies. Great North Eastern Railway, which runs InterCity services between King"s Cross, London, and Scotland, pays trainees from [pounds sterling]12,000 upwards. However, salaries can rise to around [pounds sterling]30,000, including allowances, with experience.

NATIONAL freight operator EWS pays a qualified driver about [pounds sterling]23,000, but you have to work your way up from rail operator doing shunting and maintenance, which pays [pounds sterling]9,476 to start.

LTS, which runs commuter services from south Essex into London, offers salaries starting at [pounds sterling]16,000, rising to [pounds sterling]22,000 with experience.

FROM TRAINEE TO TRAIN INSTRUCTOR

PETER ARMSTRONG, 33 (left), a train driver for ten years, is a driving instructor for freight service EWS at Tyne Yard near Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, earning about [pounds sterling]29,000 a year.

"I never dreamed of being a train driver as a child, but I was working in a warehouse and wanted outside work with a bit more variety, so I decided to try it," he says.

"I started as a train driver"s assistant and then took a six-month course to qualify as a driver. The training was intensive but I liked the challenge of being responsible for a whole train.

"I like the variety - you could be carrying minerals, steel, or the post.

Each train varies, so you have to know about loads and braking distances, especially if the weather is bad.

"We go to Scotland, west to Cumbria, south into Yorkshire and east to Teesside, so you see different places.

"The only drawback is working shifts, which affects your social life - and you need an understanding family because any delays mean you finish late.

And however long you work, you have to be constantly alert, with split-second reactions.

"But it"s very satisfying to get a train to its destination safely and on time."

RON CARDY, 62 (above), drives to Newcastle and Leeds from King"s Cross for Great North Eastern Railway. "I wanted to be a train driver as a boy because I fancied the outdoor life, and I still enjoy seeing the seasons change as I pass through the countryside," he says. "It can be a solitary life, but like the fact that there"s no one looking over my shoulder telling me what to do.

It"s changed a lot since I started in 1952. High-speed trains mean driving is now better, and it can be a job for life."