So you want to be a train driver

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After a career spanning 34 years with Qantas and rising from Cadet Engineer to General Manager Component Maintenance, Geoff took a redundancy package at age 54 and thought he was set to enjoy retirement. Two months later, he was bored out of his brain.

This book initially gives a brief history of the author's early years and his career at Qantas, and then goes on in detail to describe his efforts, frustrations and finally elation at establishing a new career he had always wanted from childhood - to be a train driver.

Included are many brief stories of events, both humorous and serious, that occurred along the way. Also there is an addendum which the more technically minded readers will enjoy. It briefly covers the basics of how a diesel-electric locomotive powers and brakes and a description of how it is controlled; the different types of braking systems used on freight trains; basic trackside equipment, signage and signals and the interpretation of same; train drivers' formal and slang terminology; the systems of safe working used by railways; and how train drivers prepare their locomotives and train for service.

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Geoff grew up in Sydney Australia, attending Sydney Boys High School and then Sydney University, completing an Electrical Engineering degree. During his final year of study he took a cadetship with Qantas Airways and in the following 34 years he initially was employed as a Technical Services Engineer, then spent time at Boeing in Seattle USA as Qantas Technical Representative working on the purchase of new aircraft, on return managed the aircraft avionics servicing and heavy maintenance groups, thereafter the flight simulator department and finally was made General Manager Component Maintenance where he had responsibility for the maintenance of components removed from Qantas aircraft, maintenance of all ground support equipment (trucks, tractor tugs, cargo loaders etc) as well as the flight simulators. Leaving Qantas in 2001 after disagreements with upper management regarding maintenance standards, he finally took up a new career he had always dreamt of - driving freight trains.