Guest av1 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Thanks Jack, Blandy, really informative advice, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest av1 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Mike I'm currently on a diet and am proud of the fact I've lost over a stone since Xmas, as such if I could dislike your post I would Joking aside thanks for the advice mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicho Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 And here was me expecting a thread about continental plates shifting and any patterns that have been noticed as a result of close observation. Thats what I wanted to read Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derryvillan Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I work that 'continental' pattern and have done for 15 years.I prefer the night shift,detest the days and it can feck your system up a bit.Apart from that it's grand and I wouldn't fancy working a monday to friday 5 on 2 off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 2, 2015 Moderator Share Posted March 2, 2015 I've done it, f**king hated it in the end. So did all my colleagues. We were on the verge of killing each other.We had to ask the company to stop it. There were enough people who wanted to do pure nights to facilitate a new shift pattern, where the rest of us did a mixture of earlier and late but no nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mockingbird_franklin Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I work a great 4 on 4 off pattern, but that is because its days only, with my holiday entitlement hitting 30 days this year it means I'm at work for just over 150 days a year, I do have to work weekends (which I actually prefer to week days) and planning life can be a little awkward at times but I would find it hard to work a normal 5 day in 7 working week now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest av1 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Well after and long night at work, and for the first time since i started these shifts, i decided i fancied beer. Now I'm sat here with a beer in hand at 7am and it just feels wrong. I'm never going to get used to these bloody shifts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 10 hours ago, av1 said: Now I'm sat here with a beer in hand at 7am . Living the dream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysAVFC Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 11 hours ago, av1 said: Well after and long night at work, and for the first time since i started these shifts, i decided i fancied beer. Now I'm sat here with a beer in hand at 7am and it just feels wrong. I'm never going to get used to these bloody shifts. It was only a 10-7 night shift but when I used to do them, afterwards I would either have a few beers or go to the gym. Then bed about 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted June 11, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted June 11, 2016 On 3/2/2015 at 12:25, The_Rev said: What did one tectonic plate say when it bumped into another tectonic plate? Hidden Content I work crazy shifts. I've never heard them referred to as "continental" shifts before, but basically I will do a week of very early AM shifts where I am waking up at 4am to start work at 5 (ish) and work until early afternoon and then go to a week where I am starting in the early/mid afternoon and working until somewhere near midnight. Long weekend every third week. How is it? Well, I've survived for nearly fifteen years. I'm in my mid thirties now and I can't get by on as little sleep as I could when I was in my mid twenties when four or five hours was enough but I've never found it too difficult to pinch an hour or two here and there when I really need it even as a father of two young children. It's more difficult going from lates to earlies (the jet lag equivalent of flying west) than vice versa so take extra care to get adequate rest when doing that. Try not to skip breakfast. Enjoy the fact you can do the weekly big shop at 10am or 2pm when nobody else is in the supermarket. I can't really offer any more advice other than it's not killed me yet and it probably won't kill you. There will be times when you miss social engagements if you work weekends, but I guess that's why they pay extra cash. Better to try it and give it up in six months if it doesn't suit than pass now and spend the rest of the year wondering whether you could have hacked it or not. Interesting contrast with normal labor practice for on-board staff (engineers and conductors) at North American railroads. There it's typically 12 hour shifts, but the same shifts all the time: the engineers are ordered by seniority at a given crew base and the most senior pick which trains they want to work. Sucks when you're just starting out as you start on the extra board: have to be up at 3 am every morning in case you're called in to cover for a sick day etc. (if you're not called in, you get 8 hours of pay, unless you don't answer a call). The pay, though, is decent: on the NY area commuter railroads, an experienced engineer is good for $150k a year including benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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