View the I Run the Railways booklet - RailCorp

I Run
the
RaIlways

MaRTIna TEnEDoRa
Passenger Services Supervisor
( I RUN the
VannaK GnaR
Rail Traction
RaMI aFFan
Senior Asset Planning Coordinator
CHRIsTInE bRoI
Customer Service Team Leader
KEITH lanG
Plant Mechanic

RAILWAYS)
KEI Quan
Finance Manager
DaVID lanG
Surveyor
MElIssa IVERaCH
Manager Timetable Specifications
aDaM TonKIn
Operations Standards Manager
ManDy bEGlEy
Station Manager

Every year RailCorp helps millions of people connect with each other.
The stories in this booklet, I Run the RaIlways, provide an insider
glimpse of how it’s done.
When we think about the railways, we often just think about the things we can
see; the trains and the tracks and the ticket collectors. But as these stories
show, RailCorp needs to be much more than that. We handle almost a million
passenger journeys every day and this book celebrates the teamwork and
energy that comes from the thousands of employees who make it happen. And
keep it happening, day-in and day-out.
These are men and women of all ages who work together around the clock.
Many are part of a hidden workforce never seen by the public; the night
cleaners, the signallers, the engineers, the security controllers, the maintenance
crews, the planners, timetable strategists and more. These are their stories in
their own words.
I am proud of the people you will meet here and the work that they do to keep
passengers safe and moving. Indoors and out, through inhospitable weather and
at all times of day: every single job is crucial.
Sun up and sun down, someone is working in RailCorp.
Rob Mason
Chief Executive Officer
RailCorp

:
5

KEITH lanG
Plant Mechanic Tradesman
Plant Mechanic – awesome trade! I can maintain and repair anything
from a whipper snipper to our biggest machine, the RM900 ballast
cleaner. I work on all equipment: petrol, diesel, hydraulics, pneumatics,
and everything in between. I’ve also completed my trade as an Auto
Electrician, a course in Heavy Vehicle Transport, and an Air Conditioning
course. And I’ve been able to do of them during my apprenticeship.
I love the challenge of learning and was rewarded last year with an
Award for Excellence in my trade, and then I got the award for Apprentice
of the Year.
I do a fair bit of charity
work as well. I’m Deputy
Captain of the local Rural
Fire Brigade up in the
mountains and I work
with Variety, the children’s
charity. Me and my father
run a team of two trucks
in the Variety B-to-B Bash
where we travel to country
towns and deliver donations
to the schools. I run an old
1965 Dodge bush fi re truck
which I’ve built from the
ground up. It’s a good thing
to do and it feels worthwhile
because I can see the effect that we’re having on the kids in those rural
communities.
PlanT MECHanIC –
awEsoME TRaDE! I Can
MaInTaIn anD REPaIR
anyTHInG FRoM a wHIPPER
snIPPER To ouR bIGGEsT
MaCHInE, THE RM900
ballasT ClEanER.
Variety has got a helicopter that comes along on the bash and one time
we were down in the Riverina, and there was a little blind boy and we
saw him walking around, and asked him if he wanted to get up close to
the chopper. And the pilot ended up taking him all around, letting him
feel the different bits and pieces, and then took him for a fl ight over the
school. And when he came back, we put him up on top of the fi re truck,
and there’s his mum in tears. She’s never seen him so happy. And he yells
out to her, ‘Hey Mum, send my clothes to Adelaide, I’m going with these
blokes’. Oh, what a great kid. Nothing will stop him.
My life is full on, it takes a bit out of you, but I know that every day we
have, means a lot. We can’t waste any of it!
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
7

MaRTIna TEnEDoRa
Passenger services supervisor
FoR THE FIRsT sIX
MonTHs, I was a RoVER
anD THEn, a TEaM
lEaDER anD now I’M a
suPERVIsoR.
wHERE THERE’s a wIll
THERE’s a way!
When I fi nished high school in the Philippines my mum and dad
couldn’t afford for us to go to university. I asked my mum to teach
me how to sew so I could learn something. And then from there, I learned
and I earned money. With that money, I told my mum I wanted to have
my own pigs in our piggery and then I sold them and I saved the money.
After two years I was ready to go to University. I fi nished the degree in fi ve
years – a computer engineering course and became a University lecturer.
When my husband and I made the decision to move our family to Australia,
I found it very diffi cult to get a job with no Australian experience. I started
working in systems administration at a knitwear company but there was no
fl exibility for my family life. That was when I thought about RailCorp.
My brother-in-law works for RailCorp. I saw him wearing the complete
uniforms without spending any money. And I saw him with a free ticket
when we’re going out. I said, ‘I need to join RailCorp, no matter what, I
want to join RailCorp.’ So for the sake of my family and my children, to
balance our lives, I decided to join RailCorp as a roving cleaner. I believed
that in the future, I would get a position which I deserved.
That was three years ago. For the fi rst six months, I was a rover and then,
a team leader and now I’m a supervisor.
Where there’s a will there’s a way!
Martina Tenedora is now a Presentation Supervisor.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
9

MElIssa IVERaCH
Manager, Timetable specifications
RaIlCoRP Has
suPPoRTED My
DECIsIon To Go To
unI, anD PRoVIDEs ME
wITH PaID sTuDy lEaVE,
wHICH REally HElPs.
I
started working for RailCorp while I was fi nishing Year 12 at school.
At the time, I was unsure of what to study at uni, so my father, an Area
Controller in Gosford, encouraged me to apply for a Train Guard position.
I began just before the Olympics and stayed in the role for four years.
What attracted me to the Railways is the excellent money. RailCorp pays
well above award wages and, for an entry-level job, I have not seen better
money. Also, as an 18-year-old, cruising around on trains all day sounded
like a whole lot of fun! For the past year, I have been a Team Leader in
Train Planning. Train Planners are responsible for writing the timetables for
trackwork and special events, including New Years Eve and Easter. The
job is very technical and challenging, and I fi nd it extremely rewarding.
I’ve started postgraduate management study at uni, and was accepted
based on my work experience in the absence of a degree. RailCorp has
supported my decision to go to uni, and provides me with paid study leave,
which really helps.
I plan to be here for a long time.
10 ( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

Ron aZZI
General Manager – Professional services
My career with RailCorp started when I moved back to Sydney from
Western Australia in 1997. I’d been working in a diamond mine for
a geotechnical engineering company in the Kimberley region. But I’d
always considered rail as a place where I’d like to work. My father spent
his whole career working for the Railways and after I joined, we were both
working in the industry at the same time. Our work paths never crossed
though; he was the manager of the luggage room and I was working on
the Homebush Bay rail link. But I would come down to town, and meet
him every now and then for
lunch. He retired in 2004.
…wE’RE looKInG aT
RElIabIlITy wITHIn RollInG
sToCK. To ME, THIs Is
a sIGnIFICanT CHanGE
PRoJECT. IT’s CHanGInG THE
way PEoPlE looK aT, anD
unDERsTanD, RElIabIlITy.
I began as a site engineer,
then moved to a project
engineering role, and then
to a maintenance role as
an engineering manager.
I diverted across to
Infrastructure operations in
2002, and in 2007 I joined
the newly formed lean Six
Sigma team, where I was
one of the Six Sigma Black
Belts in RailCorp.
Six Sigma is a continuous
improvement methodology.
It’s about business
improvement, and the philosophy is about making decisions with data.
What we’re doing with Six Sigma in RailCorp is trying to improve
reliability by focusing on the reliability culture, and our capabilities. At the
moment, we’re looking at reliability within rolling stock. To me, this is
a signifi cant change project. It’s changing the way people look at, and
understand, reliability.
There are millions of opportunities in RailCorp, and I’ve had a very varied
and exciting career path to date.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
1

1
KaRan JaIn
Electrician
On September 5th 1990, when I was four
and a half years old, my family dropped
everything in India and came to Australia.
I remember it being a huge shock at first,
mainly because I just couldn’t speak
the language. I was fluent with my Hindi
and Punjabi, but I wasn’t very good with
English. But my dad was young and was
always ambitious to get out of India and go
somewhere else. I suppose it’s where I get
my ambition from.
I’m a big chatterer. I love to ask questions
and learn. I’ve always loved planning
and designing and I’d like to move into
modifications of trains in the future. Coming
from an apprenticeship, I understand them
so well.
My parents always told me that if you apply
yourself, you can do anything. And I thank
them for that.
THE bEsT THInG, wHICH GIVEs ME a loT oF saTIsFaCTIon, Is wHEn
you’RE GIVEn a RanDoM FaulT, anD THEy Go, ‘looK, THE TRaIn’s JusT
noT MoVInG. Can you FIX IT?’ anD THEn you Go ouT THERE anD, you
Know, you HaVE THE KnowlEDGE To Do IT. THaT’s THE bEsT FEElInG!
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

JEnnIFER PaGE
Customer service attendant
I had been in my previous job for twenty
years and I was comfortable. I knew these
people’s lives, their families, their children
and everything, inside out. Then I became
redundant. I felt sort of worthless, I suppose.
I took it personally. You think, ‘What have I
done wrong?’ It had been a particularly bad
year, my husband had a heart attack and my
mother passed away and I had a nephew who
drowned. I became depressed.
I went for the interview for a Customer Service
Attendant a year later and I was successful.
I think that probably brought me out of
depression. In the beginning though, it was
so hard. I felt like I was fifteen years old. I’d
go in every day and I’d have this big show
of enthusiasm but I was scared stiff. I was
shaking on the inside.
Now I’ve found this whole new confidence.
Maybe it came from working at Town Hall
station where you get seventy thousand
travellers a day. You’re making sure thousands
of people get on a train safely every day;
you’re making sure that people are looking
after themselves. You have to be confident,
you have to be vigilant.
I’ve been on the job three years now and until
such time as they say, ‘See you later Charlie’,
I’ll keep coming!
you’RE MaKInG suRE THousanDs oF PEoPlE GET on a TRaIn saFEly
EVERy Day; you’RE MaKInG suRE THaT PEoPlE aRE looKInG aFTER
THEMsElVEs. you HaVE To bE ConFIDEnT, you HaVE To bE VIGIlanT.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
15

16
nIKITa sHaRMa
sCaDa engineer in the Electrical operating
Centre
I joined RailCorp in 00 after working for
more than twenty years in the private sector,
predominantly in control system consulting.
In my role I take care of the administration,
maintenance and enhancement of the SCADA
system. SCADA stands for Supervisory
Control and Data Acquisition systems.
At the moment, I am upgrading the system
with a new generation of hardware and
software. I’m having to use all my previous
SCADA experience and technical skills to
set up the new system side by side with
minimum disruption and downtime to the
online system.
THIs sysTEM MonIToRs anD ConTRols THE DaTa RECEIVED FRoM
MoRE THan Two HunDRED subsTaTIons aRounD THE ElECTRIC
TRaCTIon nETwoRK. wE REMoTEly ConTRol all THE subsTaTIons
FRoM ouR oPERaTInG CEnTRE.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

VannaK GnaR
Rail Traction
I can’t go on a roller coaster ride or the ferris
wheel, I’m too scared to do that, but when
they ask me to get up the pole and run a new
wire? No problem.
As a Rail Traction Apprentice we maintain and
construct overhead wiring and powerlines
which feed substations and trains. I’ve
become mates with most of the other
apprentices in my year. We’re a really close
bunch. We go to TAFE together, we go out
together and we give each other a hand with
things like moving house. This is a great job
and the best part of all is that I don’t know
where I’ll be in ten years. It could be anything;
maybe in a management role or maybe
running wire in Dubai!
THIs Is a GREaT Job anD THE bEsT PaRT oF all Is THaT I Don’T Know
wHERE I’ll bE In TEn yEaRs. IT CoulD bE anyTHInG; MaybE In a
ManaGEMEnT RolE oR MaybE RunnInG wIRE In DubaI!
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
17

aPHRoDITE PusE
substation Distribution apprentice
I nEVER sToP lEaRnInG.
EVERy Day I’M PICKInG
uP a THInG oR Two
anD I REally loVE THaT.
I
’m doing something different, and I’m really proud of that. I’m a twentyseven-year-old
apprentice. Before this, I’ve been to Uni, to TAFE and
worked fi ve years with IBM, but my fi rst day with RailCorp was still scary.
My sisters can’t believe it. They’ve been asking me, ‘How can you do
that? It looks too hard’, and ‘You look like a boy, look at your boots!’ Or
they’ll say, ‘You’re with the guys all the time, don’t you feel left out?’ But
I just tell them the truth. That the guys are all pretty nice people, and they
take care of me, and look out for me, like they do for everyone else.
My fi rst visit to a depot was intimidating, but very exciting. I went into a
substation and thought, ‘Oh my god.’ I just put my hands in my pockets
and didn’t touch anything. But I was well prepared. I spent my fi rst sixteen
weeks at Skillswest learning hand tools, wiring up, lights, GPOs and that
was really helpful. Now, I’m working on the substations, feeding power to
the trains and I want to learn more. I can’t wait to work on the high voltage
equipment!
I never stop learning. Every day I’m picking up a thing or two and I really
love that. I’ve never seen anything like the electrical drawings in the depots
that the engineers do. They’re amazing, and I look at them and think,
‘Some day, I’m going to draw one of those.’
I want to go to Uni and become an engineer. And I’m really proud of
that too!
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
19

0
MaRK FlETCHER
Civil Engineer, Metropolitan Division
I started as a base grade fettler on
electrification projects before moving up
as a production inspector and production
manager. I enjoyed working in the gangs.
It was fun. You were in with seventy other
blokes, you did hard work, and you were
out in the sunshine, and there was a lot
of camaraderie. It was pretty wild when I
started.
Now as a civil engineer, there’s probably
not a section of track that I haven’t worked
on in the Illawarra. I’ve done steel fixing on
concrete bridges, track and crossing welds,
built and installed turnouts, and re-railed
many sections.
I loVE bRIDGEs. IF I Go TRaVEllInG, I’M always on THE looK ouT
FoR bRIDGEs anD How THEy’RE ConsTRuCTED. My DauGHTER’s a
sEConD yEaR CIVIl EnGInEER aT wollonGonG unI, anD sHE Has a
PassIon FoR bRIDGEs as wEll…!
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

DanIEla TobaR
systems support & Development Manager
When I had to choose my degree in Year
1 , I thought I’d do either architecture as
I was good at drawing, or engineering as I
liked maths. I was always told in high school
that civil engineering wasn’t something that
girls did. So perhaps I ended up choosing
engineering more out of stubbornness than
anything else.
Starting out at RailCorp, green from Uni
was a huge challenge. All of a sudden you
find yourself out on a worksite, and you’re
managing Team Leaders and Work Groups.
With some of the Team Leaders having been
on the job for around thirty years, you find
yourself telling them how to go about their
jobs.
Being a female engineer in RailCorp has been
a blessing in disguise, as a lot of the more
senior Team Leaders have daughters around
my age, so they think I’ve had a lot of guts to
be doing this sort of work, and have offered
me a lot of fatherly advice over the years.
Working in a male dominated environment
has expanded my interests not only in project
management but also in other fields; I’ve even
been part of a footy tipping competition for
the last three years! I haven’t won yet, but I’ll
get there.
FIElD woRK Is VERy, VERy HanDs on. THERE’s noTHInG MoRE saTIsFyInG
THan GETTInG a PRoJECT In THE PlannInG sTaGE, sEEInG IT on PaPER,
CaRRyInG IT ouT anD HanDInG IT baCK To THE CusToMER anD HEaRInG
THEM say, ‘GREaT woRK’.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
1

KalluM MInTERn
Senior Passenger Attendant
I’ve always wanted to work for CountryLink
ever since I was a young boy when I used to
see the trains go past my house.
When I was in Year 11 I did my work
experience with CountryLink as a Passenger
Attendant. I was working on board the
Canberra Explorers doing day trips as an
extra. I had a really great time. When I finished
Year 1 , and was in casual employment, one
day on the train home, I saw CountryLink’s
ad for onboard staff. I thought: ‘Well, why not
apply?’ From there it was full speed ahead – I
received a phone call just before Christmas
from CountryLink. The lady told me that I had
got the job. I was ecstatic and very emotional
because where I was living in the country,
employment prospects for a good position
were quite poor.
These days, I’m a Senior Passenger Attendant;
basically I’m the catering manager on board
the train, in charge of catering, supervising
staff, revenue, and all stock procedures. It’s
actually quite fun and you get to meet heaps
of people. The social atmosphere at work is
like being in a family – it’s really good and
everyone treats each other pretty well. There’s
a diverse range of ages; I work with people
who are 70 and people who are 5.
Kallum Mintern is now a Passenger Services
Supervisor.
I’VE loVED woRKInG wITH CounTRylInK. I’M VERy PassIonaTE abouT
My Job. I’ll bE HERE FoR My lonG sERVICE, I Can GuaRanTEE THaT.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

PaTRICIa RosER
Project Engineer
Traditionally, when you think of railways, it’s all
about track and trains. Signalling as a career
was something new to me, a different career
opportunity I hadn’t thought of. I started
in 00 as part of the RailCorp Graduate
Program.
I completed a Graduate Diploma of Railway
Signalling from Central Queensland University,
and was lucky enough to be one of the first
graduates for the course and RailCorp. It’s
always hard going back to study after working,
but this course was very practical, and
supported by RailCorp, so the opportunity was
too good to pass up.
I was fortunate enough to work with Signal
Engineers of all qualifications and I soon
recognised how Signal Engineers (Field) are a
specialised breed and there were no women
who held this qualification. I set myself a
challenge. I passed my Signal Field Engineers
exam and the required board interviews
in 007 to become the first female Signal
Engineer in RailCorp.
IT’s RaRE To FInD a CaREER THaT KEEPs CHallEnGInG you buT
sIGnallInG Is VERy HanDs-on anD ablE To oFFER THEsE CHallEnGEs.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

ManDy bEGlEy
station Manager
I
’ve got the family connection. My Dad worked at Central Station when
I was at high school, and he said to me ‘Mandy, do the test, you know,
join the railways, it’s a good job’. But I said to him, ‘I’m not cleaning toilets
and picking up rubbish when I’ve got a High School Certifi cate. I can do
something a bit better than that.’ And that night, I felt really bad and I was
thinking, ‘Why do I think I’m better than him? Because he’s going to work,
he’s earning an honest living, he’s putting food in my mouth. I think I’m
better than him?’ I decided it would be a stepping stone; a foot in the door.
And so I did the test, and
I was successful, and that
I aPPlIED FoR a sTaTIon
ManaGER PosITIon wHEn
I was EIGHT MonTHs
PREGnanT. I GoT THE
PosITIon, TooK FouR
MonTHs MaTERnITy lEaVE,
anD THEn CaME baCK To a
bRanD nEw RolE.
was my fi rst job.
When I fi rst started nineteen
years ago there weren’t
many female Station
Managers on the job – I
was one of the fi rst. Later,
I had the qualifi cations to
apply for Duty Manager
positions which meant I was
a Duty Manager at twenty.
I was Duty Manager in the
CBD for about a year and
a half, and then I joined
CountryLink as a travel
consultant. I applied for a
Station Manager position when I was eight months pregnant. I got the
position, took four months maternity leave, and then came back to a brand
new role.
I like to see people improve. Anyone that comes to any station where I
work, I always say to them, ‘What do you want to do one day? What do
you aspire to be?’ They might say a train driver or in IT or something like
that. So I say, ‘Well in that case, we’ll get you geared up to apply.’ It’s
always good to see people improve themselves.
I’m now married with two kids, a six year old daughter and a four year
old son. Being at a young age, a lot of my aspirations were put on hold,
because you know how you put yourself last when you have a family. But
now, as they’re getting older, they’re less dependent and I can start doing
things for myself. Ultimately, I would like to be a high-ranking Station
Manager.
I’m really grateful and I’m very happy with this organisation. I’m happy to
have a job, because I’m able to give my family a better life, and set an
example by having a good job, a respectable job, and doing well in life.
I hope my children will follow suit.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
5

RaMI aFFan
senior asset Planning Coordinator
We moved from Lebanon when I was eight, and I completed my
engineering degree in 2003. When I told my family I was going to
work for RailCorp, it was initially hard to convince them as to what an
engineer would do at the Railways. They assumed that all we do is run
trains.
I joined RailCorp on the graduate program in the Signal Engineering
stream, and my fi rst rotation involved developing designs for our
signalling system. Then I did a rotation in signal maintenance. That was
an experience and a half!
Two twelve-hour shifts
from 9:00 in the morning
’til 9:00 at night, and from
I’VE GoT Two younGER
bRoTHERs anD THEy’RE
boTH HEaDInG Down THE
TECHnoloGy PaTH. I GuEss
THEy Do looK uP To ME as
a RolE MoDEl.
9:00 at night ’til 9:00 in
the morning. But I got
so much insight into how
maintenance work is carried
out with the infrastructure
workers. I actually got the
opportunity of implementing
and constructing a lot of the
designs that I had done in
my prior rotation.
In my uni days, I had some
experience at developing
neural network type systems
which are self-learning systems for analysing data and relating patterns
back to decision-making. I applied a similar approach for the analysis of
signalling infrastructure failures. I went out there, and grabbed every single
piece of data that had to do with its maintenance and operation, and threw
all this data into the neural network mathematical model. It was able to
fi nd the patterns to provide insight on when this asset would fail. What
would be the likely cause? How strong is the correlation?
As a result, I wrote a paper and it got accepted at the ICOMS Asset
Management Conference in Melbourne in 2007. I went down to Melbourne
to present the fi ndings, and that went really well. Since then, because of
its success, I’m trialling it now on our lifts and escalators at the stations
– they have similar issues. Nobody told me to do it, I just thought, ‘This is
an area that I can apply something that’s never been applied before and
see how successful it would be.’
In the four years that I’ve been here, I’ve had so much varied experience.
It’s amazing actually. I’ve got two younger brothers and they’re both
heading down the technology path. I guess they do look up to me as a
role model.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
7

sonIa bRaDsHaw
Customer service attendant
My mother is Bundjalung and my father is
Dhungatti. I was born in Sydney and am the
eldest of four girls.
I saw an ad in the Koori Mail and applied
to join RailCorp in 1997. I like working here
because I get to meet people from many
different cultures. I’ve made lots of friends
with people from overseas and this has given
me the confidence to travel too. I’ve been
to America and now I’m planning to go to
Canada and Europe.
I’VE MaDE loTs oF FRIEnDs wITH PEoPlE FRoM oVERsEas anD THIs
Has GIVEn ME THE ConFIDEnCE To TRaVEl Too.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

DaVID lanG
RailCorp surveyor
A surveyor’s role is to provide support for
the design, maintenance and construction
of rail infrastructure. We work all over the
Sydney metropolitan region on a variety of
survey tasks utilising high tech equipment and
computers to assist us.
If there is a railway platform that needs to be
constructed for example, surveyors collect
the existing data, then design the platform to
strict design standards. We will then support
the construction of the platform. Surveyors
are an integral part of most engineering
processes.
wE woRK all oVER THE syDnEy METRoPolITan REGIon on a
VaRIETy oF suRVEy TasKs uTIlIsInG HIGH TECH EQuIPMEnT anD
CoMPuTERs To assIsT us.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
9

aDaM TonKIn
operations standards Manager
I FounD THaT THE
DRIVERs sEEMED To
sTICK ToGETHER…
EsPECIally In REGaRD
To HElPInG
EaCH oTHER.
I
was one of those kids who always wanted to be a train driver from
a young age – I reckon it was Mum’s fault as she used to take me
to the station in the stroller when I was really young. Seeing the trains,
apparently I’d jump around and become excited.
I joined RailCorp (SRA at the time) straight out of Year 10 in high school.
I was lucky enough to work for two years as a Station Assistant and really
enjoyed working with the staff and dealing with passengers. I knew many
of them personally as I’d grown up in the area.
Then in 1996 I applied to become a train guard and spent three years as
a guard at Flemington Depot until 1999 when I became a CityRail Driver.
I was a driver for six years and made some great friends and enjoyed
myself immensely. I found that the drivers seemed to stick together more
so than any other group I’d worked with, especially in regard to helping
each other.
Now I’ve now been with RailCorp for eleven years and I’m working as an
Operations Standards Manager. My duties involve dealing directly with
train crew such as drivers and guards and I am responsible for many areas
including yearly competency assessments, training and upskilling, coaching
and counselling, as well as general support.
Every day is a challenge and every day brings opportunities.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
1

DaRREn CuRlEy
Manager, Civil Maintenance
I usED To loVE RunnInG
Toy TRaIns aRounD wHEn
I was a KID. noTHInG
MuCH Has CHanGED,
EXCEPT now I JusT Do IT
on a MuCH laRGER sCalE.
One of my fi rst projects was reconstructing a bridge out at Yagoona in
a forty-eight hour period. I can still remember being very young and
thinking, ‘They’ve given me all of this responsibility!’
You’ve just come out of university, you’re still trying to understand how
the real world works, and all of a sudden you’re in charge of thirty blokes
with cranes and earthmoving equipment running around. The management
support is great, but the work just seems so intense because everything
needs to be done before the end of the weekend closedown. Sometimes
there will be hundreds of men and plant within a kilometre length of track,
all running around in a coordinated fashion to get all these projects done.
I remember standing there at the end of that job, and thinking, ‘I was a part
of that.’ I still drive past it every now and again and say, ‘Yeah, I built that
bridge over there!’ And it’s still a bit of a buzz.
It’s accelerated learning at RailCorp because the types of construction are
so varied and you might be given twenty or thirty projects to deliver in a
year. You quickly gather skills and experience that a lot of other engineers
might take years to obtain.
I used to love running toy trains around when I was a kid. Nothing much has
changed, except now I just do it on a much larger scale.
My three young boys get pretty excited about it too and often tell their
friends, ‘Oh yeah, my dad runs the railways! He builds the tracks out there.’
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

5:45

ERIC TayloR
Principal bogie and suspension systems
Engineer
I
joined RailCorp in 1983 as a cadet Mechanical Engineer, and I’ve always
enjoyed the technical aspects of the job. I’ve recently been appointed
Principal Bogie and Suspension Systems Engineer, and it’s interesting
because you might not look at textbooks for many years, but in the last
two years, I’ve looked at more textbooks and my university notes than I
have in the previous twenty!
An interesting aspect of the work I’ve been involved with is investigation
of various derailments. I’ve had some exposure to ‘NUCARS’* which is
a modelling technique to
look at vehicle dynamics.
The computer model can
actually predict how the train
In THE PasT CouPlE oF
yEaRs, I’VE also bEEn
a MEnToR FoR younG
GRaDuaTEs. wE’VE GoT
VERy bRIGHT GRaDuaTEs
CoMInG THRouGH now…
will react at certain speeds,
going through a set of
crossovers or curves, given
certain track defects.
The NUCARS engineers
literally shake the train, and
excite the resonances by
either bouncing the train, or
the carriage to fi nd the pitch
centres and roll centres. To
move a forty or fi fty tonne
car manually, and then
exciting it to get the natural
frequencies, is an interesting exercise. Engineers can then go out and test
the trains with a high degree of confi dence.
In the past couple of years, I’ve also been a mentor for young graduates.
We’ve got very bright graduates coming through, people who are keen to
learn. They’re fortunate to be hands-on, actually set up the equipment and
get their hands ‘dirty’. In my experience, any time you can see how a train
performs, grab it!
*NUCARS – New & Untried Cars Analysis Regime Simulation – a general purpose
software developed by Transportation Technology Center, Inc, USA
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
7

IllIE RauMaTI
Executive assistant to the General Manager
of Train Crewing
It started as a six week assignment, as a
contractor and here I am eight years later.
I’m now Executive Assistant to the General
Manager of Train Crewing. I’m known as ‘The
Gatekeeper’ because nobody gets in to see
the GM without an appointment. I’m a head
down, bum up person, I just get stuck into
my work and when it’s done I’ll go looking for
more work. And, you know, that just keeps
me going through the day.
If I could look around and say there’s a job
that I want at RailCorp, I don’t think I’d be
far from where I am now. No two days are
the same. There’s all this stuff happening.
It’s cool.
IF I CoulD looK aRounD anD say THERE’s a Job THaT I wanT aT
RaIlCoRP, I Don’T THInK I’D bE FaR FRoM wHERE I aM now.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

MaTHEw asHFoRD
Vehicle body builder
I’d always liked working with my hands but
I wanted a job where I used my brain as
well. Having come through my trade, I look
at things in a whole different light now. As a
Vehicle Body Builder I understand the use
of metals, fabrics and woodwork within the
trains. I take care of the major presentation,
and a lot of the time we work in conjunction
with the other trades, so I’ve got an
understanding of their work as well.
I met my best friend here at work just over
four years ago. We make a good team. Matty
often tells me that he wished he had my
intelligence and I go, ‘It’s the other way around
mate: I wish I had your hand skills!’ I know the
friendships I’ve made here will last a lifetime.
I’m a firm believer that if you put in the hard
yards with anything, then you’ll see the
rewards at the end of the day. So I’m going
to go for it. Who knows, one day I may be the
General Manager for Rollingstock!
FoR THE lIFE oF ME, I was GoInG To bE THE FIRsT asHFoRD THaT
DIDn’T woRK FoR THE RaIlways! anD suRE EnouGH, HERE I aM, THE
FouRTH GEnERaTIon asHFoRD To woRK HERE. buT I THInK THIs
Job’s PERFECT FoR ME.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
9

KEI Quan
Finance Manager
In 2000, when I started as an assistant accountant, I didn’t even know
what Rail Infrastructure Corporation did. The only thing that I knew about
the railway is that I just catch a train after work every day. At the end of
my contract, I told my manager, ‘I just came to say goodbye, thank you for
the opportunities.’ And he said, ‘Oh no, you’re not going anywhere!’
I moved to their offi ce and I felt so welcomed and comfortable even
though it was a new environment for me. People are very willing to share
their knowledge and their skills.
But working is just a part of
my life. My life is not only
working. I do work hard in
eight hours but after eight
hours, I’m able to go home
with my family. And I have
still managed to study.
When I was working in the
private sector, I would have
to work longer hours and
overtime, and I was normally
so tired that I couldn’t
do any more study. But
once I started working in
RailCorp, I managed to work
full-time and also I got my
CPA qualifi cation. I did one
subject per semester so I fi nished in two and a half years.
…onCE I sTaRTED
woRKInG In RaIlCoRP,
I ManaGED To woRK
Full-TIME anD also I GoT
My CPa QualIFICaTIon.
I have been working very, very hard to get my qualifi cations and then very,
very hard to get my experience, and now I am enjoying my time. The next
step in my life is probably to have my own family, and if I choose to take a
two year break with Maternity Leave, I can. And my position is still there
and I will not lose the credit that I’ve gained. I know myself that I enjoy
working, and so I don’t see myself being a stay at home wife. But it is just
good to know that you have choices.
So yes, planning a family, that’s next. I have my fi ngers crossed that things
go well.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
1

ElInDa InGRaM
Customer service attendant
To work as a Customer Service Attendant
you need a particular type of personality.
You have to be able to get along with a wide
range of people. I have six brothers and five
sisters! I grew up in Condobolin and Sydney.
I joined RailCorp in 199 . In my job I
also make train arrival and departure
announcements and flag trains for Right of
Way.
I like to help other Aboriginal staff and I do
this through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Network. We provide advice to
RailCorp on ways to improve support services
for ATSI staff. We organise events for National
Aborigines Week and other activities. In
future, I want to continue working with ATSI
focusing on employment and strengthening
career opportunities for Aboriginal people.
In FuTuRE, I wanT To ConTInuE woRKInG wITH aTsI FoCusInG on
EMPloyMEnT anD sTREnGTHEnInG CaREER oPPoRTunITIEs FoR
aboRIGInal PEoPlE.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

DIanE RussEll
Principal Maintenance Planning Manager
I started with RailCorp twenty years ago as a
Cadet Mechanical Engineer. I’ve recently taken
over as Mechanical Systems Engineer for
Diesel Systems.
One of my most challenging assignments
was about a year after we introduced the
XPLORER/Endeavour railcars when their
axle bearings started to fail. I had earlier
completed my thesis on XPT trailer car axle
bearings, monitoring them for defects using
vibration analysis, and they were very similar
in design. So I applied what I had learnt from
that experience, and used vibration analysis
to investigate the axle bearing failures on the
XPLORER and Endeavour cars.
It was very satisfying to go through (right from
taking acceleration readings from the bearing,
analysing that output and inspecting the
bearing) and actually seeing the defect that I
had pinpointed using the vibration analysis. I
determined that there was water ingress into
the bearings. I informed the manufacturer as
the trains were under warranty; they accepted
that, and then went ahead with a design
change. Failure of one of those bearings could
end up being a serious incident, so knowing
that you’ve prevented something like that is
very rewarding.
Diane Russell was recently promoted as
Principal Maintenance Planning Manager.
IT was VERy saTIsFyInG To Go THRouGH anD aCTually sEEInG THE
DEFECT THaT I HaD PInPoInTED usInG THE VIbRaTIon analysIs.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

PHIl JonEs
Fitter Machinist
When I was growing up, I used to spend a bit
of time with my next door neighbour, tinkering
around in his garage, and with his boats.
I thought it would be a pretty good hobby
and then he told me that he did this sort of
stuff for a living. So I applied to be a Fitter
Machinist like him.
That was four years ago and now I’m a
tradesman at the XPT Maintenance Centre.
I maintain components on the engine, like
cylinder heads and pistons, and I check all
the oil levels. I also change components of
the cooling systems, pneumatic systems, air
brakes and heaps of other stuff.
I lIKE woRKInG aT XPT. THEy’RE a GooD bunCH oF bloKEs anD
wEIRDly, IT sEEMs lIKE THEy’RE all lIKE My nEIGHbouR!
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)

KEITH sCHolluM
Manager, security standards and
Improvements
At the tender age of forty-nine I decided
to retire from the Australian Army and
try something different. I won a senior
management position within RailCorp’s
Security Division and the new career began.
That first day was a running start. I met with
the Group General Manager and we were
straight into business. I felt welcomed, I felt
that I could contribute straight away and we
just rolled the sleeves up. We have all been
involved in reorganising the division. If I’d got
a degree of pushback at that stage it would
have been very difficult but I didn’t. Everyone
took me on board and said, ‘Right, let’s get
going, let’s work’. And that’s what we did.
I’m Manager Standards and Improvements
and I think the challenges are the greatest
thing. I’ve had to take the knowledge, skills
and experience that I have, and I’ve had to
adjust them to a different set of circumstances
and environment. But the basic skills, the
101 skills if you like, are there and they’re
applicable whatever organisation you’re in.
I always said I wanted to do something
completely different from the military and
something that was a challenge. I got both in
one hit!
THaT FIRsT Day was a RunnInG sTaRT. I MET wITH THE GRouP
GEnERal ManaGER anD wE wERE sTRaIGHT InTo busInEss. I FElT
wElCoMED, I FElT THaT I CoulD ConTRIbuTE sTRaIGHT away anD
wE JusT RollED THE slEEVEs uP.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
5

CHRIsTInE bRoI
Customer service Team leader
When I fi nished high school, I was going to be a teacher but I wanted
to get a year’s work experience fi rst. I applied for the Railways and
twenty-eight years later, I’m still here! I’d had a pretty sheltered life and for
someone that had hardly been out of Blacktown, it was just a whole new
world; working in the city, and meeting all these different people.
Back then, things were not like they are now. There were no women
drivers, no women guards. In those days, the only way to get a promotion
was to go out shunting. Shunters are the people that work out in the train
yards, joining carriages
together and things like that.
You’re on the tracks and
you’re putting brakes on
THE Class was suPPoRTIVE
anD so wERE THE
TRaInERs. EVERyonE was
GETTInG usED To THE
IDEa oF woMEn woRKInG
bEsIDE THEM!
with your hands and taking
them off. It was considered
a man’s job and quite
dangerous. When I applied
I didn’t realise what a furore
it was going to cause. It
sounds funny now but during
a railway medical, I had
to arm wrestle the doctor
to prove that I was strong
enough to be a shunter. And
I won – both arms.
They assigned me to Enfi eld
yard for some training and when I got there, there were no facilities for
women. There were a couple of women offi ce workers and they wouldn’t
let me use theirs because I was a shunter so I had to use the male
facilities which was a big meal room, a locker room and shower room.
Afterwards, I had to go back for another interview to confi rm I still wanted
to do it (which I did) and the traffi c offi cer plopped a steel cap boot in front
of me. It had been run over by a train and badly damaged and he said,
‘That’s what can happen on the job!’
But I still wanted to shunt. I went through the training and I was the only
woman in the group. The class was supportive and so were the trainers.
Everyone was getting used to the idea of women working beside them!
Now as an older, experienced person on the station, I really enjoy my
work. I worked at the Training College for two years and I‘m part of the
RailCorp Women’s Network. I especially enjoy greeting new people onto
the job and hopefully having some part to play in their development and
worklife.
( I RUN the RAILWAYS)
7

23:25

Story consultant, design and production:
only Human Communication
www.onlyhuman.com.au
ConTaCT RaIlCoRP
If you are interested in finding out more about current employment
opportunities in RailCorp, please have a look at our job vacancies
advertised on our website.
If you have any questions regarding a position vacancy you see
advertised, or would like further information about career opportunities
in RailCorp please contact us.
Recruitment Hotline
1300 783 065
Recruitment Email
recruitment@railcorp.nsw.gov.au
website
www.railcorp.info/careers