Roy Thompsett Chartered MCIPD
Roy Thompsett has spent most of his working life in railway signalling engineering. He joined the British
Rail signalling mechanical section as a labourer in the latter part of the 1960s. Seeing his future within this Department ,
but having no academic qualifications (in deed any basic knowledge of electricity and magnetism), he set about picking up
knowledge by reading books and gaining information from work colleagues. He worked his way up through the grades
to Senior Technician serving a number of years maintaining and fault finding on a district covering a vast range of signalling
equipment from mechanical semaphore signalling to the latest technology being employed at that time.
In 1978 he took the opportunity to enter training as a trainer based at Clapham Junction, Southern Regions
Signalling Engineering Training Centre, where he spent 10 years before gaining promotion to Training Officer with the Director
of S&T Engineering. It was during this period that the Department piloted distance learning. Being involved in the production
of materials, including both written and video formats, and carrying out the process of piloting through to implementation
stages, Roy firmly believes that for many people distance learning holds major benefits. In particular Roy identifies pace
of learning, variance of instructor competence(formal method) and less environmental stress as being the major advantages
of distance learning.
Following the the rail disaster at Clapham Junction Roy moved to the College of Railway Technology at Derby
where he project managed a number of training packages including the suite of Works Testing Training Modules - Module 5 through
to Module 1.
Following privatisation Roy has been involved with a number of Companies in the production and implementation
of signalling training. He produced "Basic Signalling Principles & Associated Circuitry" as a conventional course designed
particularly for new entrants into railway signalling engineering. In his view too many personnel join signalling engineering
without gaining the basics at an early stage. Much of what people see and hear goes by the wayside because of the lack of
basic understanding. He likens this course to a row of easily accesible coat hangers with information learned from workplace
experience allocated to its appropriate hanger. Roy believes that this course should adequatly meet all of the technical needs
of the trainee up to more equipment specific training in line with operational needs.
