Scream if you want to go faster

Apologies for the lack of recent updates. I haven't vanished off the face of the earth (well, not yet anyway).

It would seem that the endless practice that we had earlier this month has stood us in good stead, as we all passed our traction assessments (and not before time). Thanks to the excellent preparation that we had received at Hornsey, the biggest challenge facing us was how to avoid getting sunstroke or, for those who had their assessment on the Friday, getting soaked to the skin.

Unlike all the other assessments we've had so far, the traction assessment is a two part affair with a written and a practical part. The other difference was that, while the written part was administered at the Hornsey training school by our instructor, the practicals take place at the driver depots and are carried out by driver managers. Even so, both parts were fairly relaxed affairs.

Now that the traction course is complete, we have reached the end of the main classroom phase of the training. Although there are a couple more courses that we need to take, the emphasis is now on getting some hands-on experience. For two weeks starting from today we are allowed out with an empty train to play on the mainline between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. At last, we have started to actually drive trains. It was quite a weird experience being able to drive at up to 90mph with other trains around and having to obey signals and speed restrictions when all we've been used to so far is pootling about in the depot.

My own driving turn was fairly unspectacular. Taking over the train at Newport on our way up to Stansted Airport, I was only able to attain a maximum of 70mph. However, I did make a pretty good fist of stopping at the 8 car board at Elsenham and only ran a few feet past the DOO monitors. It's going to take a little while to get used to the way that the train handles and how to control it, but I feel we're well on the way. The only small fly in the ointment was a sour-faced Central Trains driver who was waiting for us to clear Stansted North Junction so that he could get the road up to Cambridge. He couldn't have been there for very long, but he certainly made sure I was aware that he wasn't a happy chap. I shall have to look out for him tomorrow.

At least I don't have to buy the cream cakes tomorrow, unlike two unfortunates who failed to cancel the AWS in time.