Bashir Romeo Toure was the appointed Train Master on the 27th of May 2023 for Train 570. Train 570 was published to run on the Central Line between Debden and Buckhurst Hill, on the Westbound Road.

As usual, Bashir got to the station very early and prepared all his paperwork meticulously to ensure he is fully prepared when booking with the Track Access Controller (TAC).

Train 570 was confirmed to have arrived at approximately 01:34 and the traction current was switched off at 01:45. Mr. Toure immediately contacted the limit definer at Buckhurst Hill to inform him that Train 570 is on-site, and he (Mr. Toure has contacted the line controller to switch off the late current published for 570 and permission is now granted (to him the limit definer) to test the traction current and define the limits as per briefing issued. It was then Mr. Toure learned that he (the limit definer) was denied access to the station by the station supervisor due to an issue raised.

Mr. Toure (as per the normal process) contacted and informed the EWM regarding the situation. He was told to await further instructions. The EWM’s got back to Mr. Toure a short while after, advising that Mr. Toure should book the limit at Buckhurst Hill. Mr. Toure advised him that it would not be realistic, as the train is supposed to start and finish at different locations (stations). Mr Toure proposed sending a replacement but by this time it was 02:49 and he was told by the EWM that it was too late to resource a PWT to get to Buckhurst Hill to do the limit.

This was when Mr. Toure took the initiative (with the agreement of Protection Services), from the knowledge, experience, and familiarity from working with the train staff, the work itself, and within the current location. Mr. Toure quickly identified a member within the work group who he knew would have the right knowledge and capability to take on the additional role and responsibility of defining the limit along with his current tasks.

The individual agreed and he was briefed thoroughly. The necessary booking was completed with the TAC and the individual was taken to Buckhurst Hill to define the limit with confirmation issued to Mr Toure upon completion.

The job (albeit a little later than planned) went ahead smoothly thereafter and without any cost (supplying additional staff) to Protection Service. Needless to say, this planned work could have been cancelled and would have been a very costly and unproductive shift if it wasn’t for the quick thinking and Mr Toure's initiative and desire to ensure the earlier issue didn’t impact the planned work.

The custom playing card decks were developed in partnership with the charity to encourage open and honest conversations and as the centrepiece of the first official ANDYSMANCLUB #ItsOkToTalk week.

Although it hasn’t really felt like it from the weather we have had so far this year, summer is actually here!

Remember that when the temperature does start to rise to take the following precautions:

The Morson Canning Town office are getting back in the saddle.

Taking place on Friday 15^th September '23 we plan to set off from Newlands Corner (South East from Guildford) at 10:30 to Shoreham by Sea. The Downs Link route is circa 38 miles. There will be vehicles to take riders and their bikes from our Canning Town facility to the start line.

Following a disused railway line, we'll pass through Blackheath, The Wey and Arun Canal, Bramley and Coombes, plus other nice villages and the occasional stop.

After lunch, and if anyone is feeling brave enough, a quick dip in the sea at Shoreham by the Sea, then we will head back to London via minibus.

If that wasn’t challenging enough, a proposal has been made for some people to start the bike ride from Trafalgar Square, cycle circa 35 miles to Newlands Corner and join the rest of the group along the Downs Link path – will anyone do the add-on journey? It’s quite possible…

Fancy joining us? Email getinvolved-london@morson.com

Students from the University of Salford enjoyed a challenging, demanding and bittersweet weekend at Silverstone, while taking part in the IMechE Formula Student competition with their custom-designed racing car.

Europe’s most established educational engineering competition, Formula Student, sees university teams from all over the world produce a prototype for a single-seat race car, which is put through its paces on the Silverstone Circuit to discern a winner.

Watch the story of their weekend >>>

We all know we should be doing our bit to help the planet, encourage each other to reduce, reuse and repurpose and in doing so reduce the amount of waste that is going to landfills.

The more you recycle, the better it is for the environment and the better it is for your pocket. Even if you do recycle your waste, there’s probably still more items that you can recycle or reuse than you realise.

Below are 5 tips to help you recycle at home

1. Have a system: Keep a recycling bag, box, or bin next to your rubbish bin as a reminder for everyone in your house to recycle.

2. Flatten cardboard boxes: You can fit more into your recycling box or bin that way

3. Recycle plastic bottles: Don’t forget items like shampoo and mouthwash bottles. Most councils will accept most types of plastic in recycling, though if in doubt, the label on the bottle should tell you it is recyclable.

4. Recycle all paper and cardboard: It’s not just newspapers that you can recycle; envelopes, wrapping paper, birthday cards (as long as they don’t contain glitter) and phone books can all be recycled. All types of cardboard can be recycled, so don’t forget the toilet roll tubes and drink cartons.

5. Most metals can be recycled: items like aerosols and kitchen foil can be recycled, as well as your tins and cans.

I found out about this job through the ‘Back to Work Scheme’ in 2021. After Covid 19 I wanted to start something brand new and start a career in a whole new sector. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do so began the job search. I came across an advert from Morson looking for platelayers and was instantly intrigued.

I sent through my CV to Morson and they got back to me quickly with a date for an interview with management. In my interview, I was told exactly what the job entailed and what they were looking for. The interview just made me even for intrigued about the rail industry and the possibility of working for Morson. Thankfully not long after, Morson got back to me with the good news that I had been successful with the interview and they were willing to give me the job.

I was then scheduled in to start my training at the Morson Canning Town office. The training ran from Monday through to Friday, where we were taken through all the tools that we were going to be using on site and the trainer ensured that we was competent in using these tools from small hand tools to bigger bits of plant like cembre drills and stressing kits.

All training was carried out at Canning Town where they have a test track set up so all training can be related to the rail environment itself . We all left the training feeling confident that we could all use the tools to the best of our abilities within the track environment.

Over the next few months I was working alongside PWT’s and Hand-Backs on track, soaking up all the information they was giving me from basic track components to more technical stuff like gauging track and what the certain measurements are for certain areas of track. I was fortunate enough to work with a very skilled Hand-back and PWT’s who  took the time out of their evening on track to teach me and get me more confident and competent with the tack environment and everything it entailed.

There are endless ways to up skill yourself with Morson and to gain more certification / competencies. For example, I was put through a CAT scan course which taught me how to carry out surveys on track of any potential buried electrical services which may be in the area that we work on a daily basis. I was also put through a Fire Watchperson course which meant when hot works are being performed on track, such as welding, I would need to be there to monitor the risk of any potential fires and liaise with the Station Supervisor and PWT’s.

After a year of being on track I was approached by my Manager and asked if I wanted to be put through my PWT-EH course which came as a surprise to me as I had only been on track for a short amount of time but I was told by my manager that my Supervisors on site believed I was competent enough to take the next step and progress to be a Supervisor on site myself. This to me was a massive privilege and I was very thankful for even being considered let alone being offered the opportunity.

I was then sent loads of information to prep and get ready for the course that I was about to take to become a PWT-EH. It was a lot of information to take in and study but again the PWT’s on site were very helpful with putting the information from the booklets into context and real life examples. My trainer for the course was Daniela and with her years of experience and professionalism I was able to complete the course, passing all elements that were involved. 

If you join the rail industry you will soon become passionate about it and it won’t be a chore to come to work. You will want to come to work because you enjoy it and of course if you show willingness and hard work there is definitely room for progression within Morson.