Rapido is hiring!

[rapidotrains]

They were locally manufactured, didnt really bother with much structural integrity, plagued with build quality issues and a political nightmare. 

 

That sounds like our Canadian Renaissance trains and they were even built "locally" for most of the people on this forum, i.e. in the UK.

 

They have cost us a mint in upgrades (including new roofs to keep the water on the OUTSIDE of the bedroom walls rather than the INSIDE where it was streaming down) and now the side sheets are rusting off.  Woo-hoo!   And any car left out of the shade for too long sees its paint fade from two-tone green to two-tone beige on the side facing the sun.

 

Evidently Alstom's designers thought the Channel Tunnel Night Stock would only be operated INDOORS.

 

-Jason

[Derekstuart]

How different to that is a British recruitment ad?

- No need to speak fluent anything as the interviewer probably doesn't have a clue either. It's so like, you know, innit.

- Good telephone manners are not required here- if you are fortunate to find the elusive job, the telephone part of it will be in Bombay

- You don't really need any common sense here- in fact, in many cases it is positively frowned upon.

- Being available at weekends? Have you heard of the eu's working time directive of "thou shall have lots of time of, never work more than absolutely neccessary and shall have thou's employer prosecuted if I am asked to do overtime"

- Having a sexy voice- well, we're British and don't really go in for all that sort of thing. Try Italy or France.

- As for "Must be British"- if we were to recruit on that point, we'd be locked up for a very long time.

- And finally- the idea that we could ever MAKE anything here again? Wow- what a bizarre idea.

 

Yes, Canada is very different to Britain.

 

 

Jason, you do make me laugh though. You sound like you really know what you're doing. Perhaps when you've finished building the APT and then that new model (what was it again, you were going to tell us today?) perhaps you could come over here and teach certain model makers how to do it properly.

[Gerald Henriksen]

How different to that is a British recruitment ad

 

Well, it is also very different to your typical Canadian ad.  Jason is unique.

 

- No need to speak fluent anything as the interviewer probably doesn't have a clue either. It's so like, you know, innit.

 

Being an officially bilingual country, and supporting the market in the other language, does lead to unique job requirements.

 

- Good telephone manners are not required here- if you are fortunate to find the elusive job, the telephone part of it will be in Bombay

 

Plenty of that happening here to.

 

 

- As for "Must be British"- if we were to recruit on that point, we'd be locked up for a very long time.

But you are also part of the European Union, which means you have a lot of people who are non-British who are legally able to work in the UK.

 

This is not true for Canada, and in particular there have been some scandals of late that have the current government spooked on the letting outsiders in to work idea.

[Derekstuart]

Hi Gerald

 

I was being facetious more than anything (some might say fatuous)

 

We are indeed- for the moment- a subsidiary of the eu- and I personally employ a number of Europeans (note I use the word "European" rather than "member of the eu"). All of them (Polish bar one) have learned to speak English off their own backs or by taking advantage of company offered language courses.

 

But the point being if i insisted "must be British" (or even "must be British OR European") I'd be locked up. It wasn't in any way a criticism of Canada or Jason/Rapido. Just an observation.

 

I know Canada has its own peculiarities in laws between the English speaking side and the French side. We often get odd stories in the papers about Canadians suing other Canadians because the spoke to them in the wrong language at the wrong time in the wrong place (probably badly reported by the papers it has to be said).

 

Anyway this is going o/t. Sorry Jason.


PS as for your comment about Jason being "unique".... No arguments there!

[Gerald Henriksen]

 

But the point being if i insisted "must be British" (or even "must be British OR European") I'd be locked up. It wasn't in any way a criticism of Canada or Jason/Rapido. Just an observation.

 

 

I guess a better way to have put it is this, given it really isn't Canadian specific.

 

If you were posting a job on a site like this (perhaps based in the US or Asia, so the audience was biased towards those areas), you would likely have included the condition must be able to legally work in either the UK or Europe simply to prevent applications from people who you couldn't hire anyway.

 

You personally might have found the idea of such a restriction strange, but it certainly is quite common in certain kinds of job postings where the best way to reach those who are qualified for the job also includes a significant percentage of people who live outside the area the job is based, and thus are unable to be considered for the job regardless of their qualifications.

 

Jason simply lightens things up by mentioning yaks...

[Andy Reichert]

Sorry, I'm not available. I'm too busy continuously improving the #2 Switch Machine.

 

Andy

[The Stationmaster]

That sounds like our Canadian Renaissance trains and they were even built "locally" for most of the people on this forum, i.e. in the UK.

 

They have cost us a mint in upgrades (including new roofs to keep the water on the OUTSIDE of the bedroom walls rather than the INSIDE where it was streaming down) and now the side sheets are rusting off.  Woo-hoo!   And any car left out of the shade for too long sees its paint fade from two-tone green to two-tone beige on the side facing the sun.

 

Evidently Alstom's designers thought the Channel Tunnel Night Stock would only be operated INDOORS.

 

-Jason

The vehicle bodies were built and painted in Spain and only fitted-out internally out in the old Metcam plant in Birmingham - so blame Spanish welders and painters for that (apart from, maybe, design errors).

 

- Being available at weekends? Have you heard of the eu's working time directive of "thou shall have lots of time of, never work more than absolutely neccessary and shall have thou's employer prosecuted if I am asked to do overtime"

 

I agree with most of what you wrote but not the bit I have quoted - for an interesting time just compare an official English language EU version of the Working Time Directive with the version issued in the UK and purporting to be the same document.  If you can find anything more than a passing resemblance you deserve a prize - as an example of the way UK Civil Servants take an official EU document and turn it into over-wordy, hyper extended, and often completely different in meaning, piece of nonsense this one is one of the leading contenders  (I had to go through both in great detail in a former life and the official EU version was a doddle compared with the garbage uttered forth from our government).

[Joseph_Pestell]

How different to that is a British recruitment ad?

 

- No need to speak fluent anything as the interviewer probably doesn't have a clue either. It's so like, you know, innit.

- Good telephone manners are not required here- if you are fortunate to find the elusive job, the telephone part of it will be in Bombay

- You don't really need any common sense here- in fact, in many cases it is positively frowned upon.

- Being available at weekends? Have you heard of the eu's working time directive of "thou shall have lots of time of, never work more than absolutely neccessary and shall have thou's employer prosecuted if I am asked to do overtime"

- Having a sexy voice- well, we're British and don't really go in for all that sort of thing. Try Italy or France.

- As for "Must be British"- if we were to recruit on that point, we'd be locked up for a very long time.

- And finally- the idea that we could ever MAKE anything here again? Wow- what a bizarre idea.

 

Yes, Canada is very different to Britain.

 

 

Jason, you do make me laugh though. You sound like you really know what you're doing. Perhaps when you've finished building the APT and then that new model (what was it again, you were going to tell us today?) perhaps you could come over here and teach certain model makers how to do it properly.

 

The language problem is not recent.

 

Way back in 1976, my first job was working for an accountancy firm. They had been charged with recruiting a very senior bod for a finance job in Switzerland. In a firm with several hundred partners and staff, only two people could be found with the necessary language skills to test the candidates. One of them was me, aged 19. I could not get a word of French out of one of the candidates. I think he probably had the language skills but was embarrassed at  being tested/interviewed by someone so junior. I did think that he would open up in German given that the German-speaker was a very attractive young lady. But she had no more success than I had.

[Adrian Wintle]

That sounds like our Canadian Renaissance trains and they were even built "locally" for most of the people on this forum, i.e. in the UK.

 

They have cost us a mint in upgrades (including new roofs to keep the water on the OUTSIDE of the bedroom walls rather than the INSIDE where it was streaming down) and now the side sheets are rusting off.  Woo-hoo!   And any car left out of the shade for too long sees its paint fade from two-tone green to two-tone beige on the side facing the sun.

 

 

But they were cheap!   Or, at least, the capital cost was low. We could say that about some submarines too...

 

Maybe if our procurement processes would take life-cycle costs into account* we wouldn't keep ending up with white (or in this case, green) elephants.

 

*Of course, that would make everything too expensive.

 

Adrian

[The Stationmaster]

But they were cheap!   Or, at least, the capital cost was low. We could say that about some submarines too...

 

Maybe if our procurement processes would take life-cycle costs into account* we wouldn't keep ending up with white (or in this case, green) elephants.

 

*Of course, that would make everything too expensive.

 

Adrian

Via Rail got them at a bargain basement price if the information on Wiki is correct (and that is a very big IF as some of the so-called 'Nightstar' information on its site is a load of nonsense).

[dibber25]

But they were cheap!   Or, at least, the capital cost was low. We could say that about some submarines too...

 

Maybe if our procurement processes would take life-cycle costs into account* we wouldn't keep ending up with white (or in this case, green) elephants.

 

*Of course, that would make everything too expensive.

 

Adrian

I see that the big boss at VIA has - at last - recognised that ALL VIA rolling stock is going to need replacing, and soon. The Nightstar stock is the newest and, to be fair to the builders, was not intended for use in Canadian conditions and some of it was heavily altered by the Canadians before use. That said, the ride quality in the Ren sleepers on The Ocean in 2012 was WAY better than in a Manor class sleeper (Budd, 1955) on No. 2 in 2013. It should be, of course. The fact that VIA has no plans to replace cars which are 60 years old and operate its flagship service suggests to me that the Government doesn't actually intend to be in the Railway business much longer. Whilst stainless steel bodies will last almost forever, mechanical, suspension and truck technology moves on. The quality of the rolling stock - and the appalling treatment that places container trains above passengers in the pecking order - was why I didn't ride No. 1 in 2014 but flew instead.

CHRIS LEIGH

[dibber25]

Via Rail got them at a bargain basement price if the information on Wiki is correct (and that is a very big IF as some of the so-called 'Nightstar' information on its site is a load of nonsense).

When I wrote my piece for RAIL a couple of years ago, I believe that the price quoted was around £40million against the £400million they actually cost. My 'nervous tax-payer' disposition led me to not ask who made up the difference.

CHRIS LEIGH

[Derekstuart]

Gerald

 

I really don't want to push this o/t so I will make a brief point.

 

No, I don't think the restriction strange at all. I have nothing against migrant labour (recruiting Polish workers into Britain has helped my company dramatically) but also recognise the common sense element of restrictions and the need for permits. Eminently sensible. Here in Britain it's a free for all.

 

You personally might have found the idea of such a restriction strange, but it certainly is quite common in certain kinds of job postings where the best way to reach those who are qualified for the job also includes a significant percentage of people who live outside the area the job is based, and thus are unable to be considered for the job regardless of their qualifications.

[The Stationmaster]

When I wrote my piece for RAIL a couple of years ago, I believe that the price quoted was around £40million against the £400million they actually cost. My 'nervous tax-payer' disposition led me to not ask who made up the difference.

CHRIS LEIGH

Basically you and I as taxpayers - the original build was financed with Govt money (although there might well be lease involved as with Eurostar sets).  However I think basically ENS rolling stock belonged to either Eurostar UK or possibly the night train consortium.  The build - or the UK part of it - was overseen by Eurostar UK who had a full time contracted-in engineering rep (Site Engineer) in the MetCamm factory in Birmingham plus a fleet engineer plus another engineer providing external oversight from one of the bits of sold-off BR Derby and I know that all the Variation Orders were billed to ENS.  

 

The original cost sounds about right - I know the 'service cars' were originally estimated at over £1 million apiece and the full sleeper vehicles weren't much less but there were some significant Variation Orders in accordance with MetCam's usual policy of quoting low and then hitting hard with varitions for every little thing that was changed from the original spec.  For example the design of the sleeper toilet/shower compartment was 'wet floor' and Met Camm agreed with the Site Engineer that there was a need to design and include something which would keep the towels dry when the shower was running - as usual they went away and did whatever they did, eventually got an approved version and then banged in a VO for £65,000.

 

The trains would almost certainly have effectively been 'gifted' to London & Continental but the opposite side of that arrangement was that if any assets were sold the money went straight to HMG - thus there was the Kaffkaesque situation of DRS, a subsidiary of state owned BNFL, using Govt money to buy Class 37 locos from EPS who hardly noticed the arrival of the money as it was immediately remitted to Dept of Transport and then presumably to the Treasury, whence it had come in the first place.

[Derekstuart]

I think you've just summarised how the whole Western world's economy "works".

thus there was the Kaffkaesque situation of DRS, a subsidiary of state owned BNFL, using Govt money to buy Class 37 locos from EPS who hardly noticed the arrival of the money as it was immediately remitted to Dept of Transport and then presumably to the Treasury, whence it had come in the first place.

[Adrian Wintle]

Via Rail got them at a bargain basement price if the information on Wiki is correct (and that is a very big IF as some of the so-called 'Nightstar' information on its site is a load of nonsense).

 

It was a bargain basement price, but there was extensive work that was needed before they could be put into service, particularly as some of the coaches weren't complete to begin with. They have since needed more work and have suffered badly from operating in Canadian conditions as noted by Jason and Chris. In the right light they do look pretty, though.

 

Adrian

[roundhouse]

It was a bargain basement price, but there was extensive work that was needed before they could be put into service, particularly as some of the coaches weren't complete to begin with. They have since needed more work and have suffered badly from operating in Canadian conditions as noted by Jason and Chris. In the right light they do look pretty, though.

 

Adrian

I did enjoy riding in them last summer but couldnt find a switch to put out the bathroom light which shone under the door all night and as they have reduced the attendants on the train I couldnt ever find one once we found this issue!!

[Gerald Henriksen]

I see that the big boss at VIA has - at last - recognised that ALL VIA rolling stock is going to need replacing, and soon. The Nightstar stock is the newest and, to be fair to the builders, was not intended for use in Canadian conditions and some of it was heavily altered by the Canadians before use. That said, the ride quality in the Ren sleepers on The Ocean in 2012 was WAY better than in a Manor class sleeper (Budd, 1955) on No. 2 in 2013. It should be, of course. The fact that VIA has no plans to replace cars which are 60 years old and operate its flagship service suggests to me that the Government doesn't actually intend to be in the Railway business much longer.

 

If people want to save VIA, then they should start organizing now given there is an election coming.

 

But, to be fair (not that it is a good thing), this dysfunction is at all levels of government and not just with rail.

 

See the attempts at updating our military equipment at the federal level, or attempting to sort out public transit at the provincial and city level (aka Ontario and Toronto).  The current streetcar fleet is in such bad shape that the TTC can't run a significant part of their service in cold weather because the equipment fails, and your better off not mentioning subways at all.

 

 

Whilst stainless steel bodies will last almost forever, mechanical, suspension and truck technology moves on. The quality of the rolling stock - and the appalling treatment that places container trains above passengers in the pecking order - was why I didn't ride No. 1 in 2014 but flew instead.

 

Part of VIA's problem is that it is trying to operate as different things all at the same time.  Is it a corridor service, is it a provider of last resort where there are no roads, or is it a tourist train across the country.  It is hard to plan when you don't know what the government wants you to be.

[Ozexpatriate]

- Pronouncing "kilometre" the correct way is also a valuable asset as it bugs me when people say "kilaaawwwmetre" and I own the company.

I certainly hope that is keeloh-metre, rather than "kill-om-eter" (like odometer // oh-dom-eter) that I often hear in the English speaking world - even the metric parts of the English speaking world.

 

The same people who say 'kill-om-eter' are of course perfectly capable of pronouncing kilogram (usually abbreviated to kilo) without a hint of 'kill-og-rum'.

[BR60103]

There was a table, many years ago, showing the expected lifetimes of VIA's various passenger car fleets.

The CPR Budds were expected to still be running after the Tempo and LRC (and something else?), newer fleets, were all gone.

[peach james]

But they were cheap!   Or, at least, the capital cost was low. We could say that about some submarines too...

 

Maybe if our procurement processes would take life-cycle costs into account* we wouldn't keep ending up with white (or in this case, green) elephants.

 

*Of course, that would make everything too expensive.

 

Adrian

Come on, Adrian...

 

I have a good friend who says we should have offered to buy another 4 Upholders.  Mostly because, like me, he's a surface sailor...and if we bought another four of those super cheap and easy to maintain submarines, then the surface fleet would have been tied up FOREVER because of a lack of resources.

 

Overall, my opinion is that the subs were the best deal we could have gotten to maintain the capability.  However, we should have bought them in 1993, when they were first offered to us.

 

James

[Adrian Wintle]

Come on, Adrian...

 

I have a good friend who says we should have offered to buy another 4 Upholders.  Mostly because, like me, he's a surface sailor...and if we bought another four of those super cheap and easy to maintain submarines, then the surface fleet would have been tied up FOREVER because of a lack of resources.

 

Overall, my opinion is that the subs were the best deal we could have gotten to maintain the capability.  However, we should have bought them in 1993, when they were first offered to us.

 

James

 

I thought it was a good deal too, but it suffered from the 'we don't have money so we'll do it on the cheap' syndrome when refurbishing them and putting them back into service. Things like doing just enough to get them moving and then sailing them across the Atlantic rather than paying to put them on a heavy lift ship and move them to the shipyard where they would be properly refurbished. Partly that felt like a political need to prove that they were immediately operational rather than a work in progress.

 

Back to the topic:

 

While I meet most of the criteria for the Rapido position and I think it would be interesting (and certainly not boring, based on the various members of the Rapido team I have met), I am quite happy with my current salary and benefits. The commute would be a lot shorter, though.

 

Adrian

[sjgardiner]

While I meet most of the criteria for the Rapido position and I think it would be interesting (and certainly not boring, based on the various members of the Rapido team I have met), I am quite happy with my current salary and benefits. The commute would be a lot shorter, though.

 

Adrian

 

Same, other than the french and needing to work on my wiring/soldering/dcc skills, i meet Jason's requirements, but i am also quite happy with my current salary and benefits.

 

My commute would be a lot longer to get to Rapido World Headquarters from where i am in Toronto, so until/unless i win the lottery and can afford to work where i want, rather than where i need to to make ends meet, i won't be getting into the Model Railroad business.

 

Stephen

[Derekstuart]

Since it seems everybody is queuing up to explain why they won't be applying.... (and I can't see the point in this myself, but when in Rome...)

I don't live in Canada and do not qualify- as far as I am aware- for a work permit.
I am no good answering the 'phone- although I am very polite and respectful to people seeking help I have low tolerence to idiots and would inflame a situation like that.

I am not the most experienced modeller and although I do refrain from lifting expensive locos by brass hand rails, I am not highly qualified in this area.

I am not a team player, preferring to bark orders at work rather than take them.

The commute would be in excess of 3,000 miles.

I suspect you could not match my salary, conditions and company car

My French is rusty and whilst I make every effort to speak to people in their native language (as long as it is English, French, Polish, Spanish or Dutch/ Flemish (I might even have a stab at American or Australian) I am likely to thump anyone who moans at me not being psychic and correctly guessing whether they are an English or French speaking Canadian.

 

I think I am utterly unsuited to the job. If you have been bothered to read this clear pee take (pee taking at the above posts rather than Jason/Rapido/Canada) and feel that you agree with me inasmuch as me being 100% inappropriate for this position, then please feel free to NOT send me an application form at your earliest convenience.

Alternatively, a moderator could delete this- and several- other spurious and pointless posts that detract from the original intent...

 

Yours sincerely

In anticipation of not being recruited,

Derek

 

If I 

[rapidotrains]

Hmmmm.

 

Last time we advertised for a position we were inundated with unsuitable applications.

 

This time we've been inundated with, erm, one. And he never replied back when I told him how much we're offering...

 

I'm not sure whether I should be thankful or I should find a corner to cry in. 

 

-Jason

 

PS ended with a preposition on purpose there. You're allowed to break all the rules for dramatic effect...