The FGW Train Simulator
A few Networkers took up FGW's invitation to have a go on the simulator in Reading used for training drivers.
We were met by Elaine Wild of FGW Swindon, Brian, the Simulator Manager from Plymouth and Richard, a Driver Instructor from Swindon. As well as having a go at 'driving' a train they answered a lot of questions about safety etc. I shall leave it to one of the people who went to tell you more about it, but it was a useful exercise for both parties as the FGW people could hear first hand accounts of what it was like for survivors.
They were interested in how people made decisions about what they did once the train had crashed. Just as kind were the train conductors who fed and watered us free of charge when we discovered that some Plymouth trains do not stop at Newbury!
We got home 3 hours late via Taunton and a journey through lovely countryside. For one person, this was their first trip on a FGW train since the crash. We discovered that the new Adelante trains rocked and rolled far more than the older trains. At least what they had just learnt about driving a train helped.
The offer is open to other survivors to use the Simulators in Reading, Exeter or Plymouth. If you need more details about how to fix a visit and what to expect, please e-mail Liz.