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Module 2 Student Resource Pack
#1
Rolleyes 
Hi,

I am planning for giving exam for module 2, just wanted to know how worth is buying the resource pack from IRSE. As presently it seems that module 2 resource pack is under preparation....
Mangesh
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#2
(02-04-2009, 10:41 AM)mangeshwakankar Wrote: Hi,

I am planning for giving exam for module 2, just wanted to know how worth is buying the resource pack from IRSE. As presently it seems that module 2 resource pack is under preparation....
Mangesh

My understanding is that you get the study pack when you register for the module, so if you are serious about sitting the module, get your application in ASAP. The pack is not necessarily as complete as it could be (PJW is working on developing it further) but since it comes free with your exam fee, it is a lot better than nothing!
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#3
(02-04-2009, 11:52 AM)Peter Wrote:
(02-04-2009, 10:41 AM)mangeshwakankar Wrote: Hi,

I am planning for giving exam for module 2, just wanted to know how worth is buying the resource pack from IRSE. As presently it seems that module 2 resource pack is under preparation....
Mangesh

My understanding is that you get the study pack when you register for the module, so if you are serious about sitting the module, get your application in ASAP. The pack is not necessarily as complete as it could be (PJW is working on developing it further) but since it comes free with your exam fee, it is a lot better than nothing!

I think IRSE need to update that page of information; this was true for the 2008 edition (though indeed it was even then substatially complete albeit with gaps- most notably aspect sequence that should really be in the module 3 Study Pack anyway!).

The 2009 edition is indeed pretty well complete for UK Mainline apart from the section on ETCS; however I suspect there is actually far more detail in that section than any of the examiners who mark that module are aware of! The truth is that no-one really knows how to apply ETCS to a real layout of the nature of those that feature in the IRSE exam but I have included my "first stab" and have discussed with colleagues how I might solve some of the problems I came up against, but we came to no firm unanimous decision.

I do want to put more on foreign railways and particularly Metros; until someone comes forward withe experience of those environments then this will remain an aspiration only. I think "UK Mainline centric" is a valid criticism of many of the Study Packs, but it has to be down to those sections of the industry that feel themselves under-represented to help rectify.

In my opinion (and obviously I cannot be unbiased) it is by far the most useful Study Pack for self study. It is indisputable that it is larger than all the other study packs put together; the main text is something in excess of 600 pages; so that is at least 4 pages for you to read / do the relevant exercises every day from now to the exam!

When I worked for MHA Consultants, the boss tended to review all our deliverables (woe betide us if we used the wrong sort of bullets or fonts!) and one of his measures was whether the report "felt worth the cost" for what we were charging the client and I think he had a yardstick of
PJW
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#4
hello,

I would say that the Study Pack is worth its weight in gold!!

I can find no better guide from all the other IRSE books and publications put together.

Cheers
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#5
Hello,

I am working on mass transit systems and I have never had a chance on mainline, as a result I believe it'd better if I try mass transit when I give the exam. However, as I've seen so far, the material and model answers are mainly done for main line.

Can anyone please help/guide me and tell me where I can find materials/examples for mass transit?

Thanks,
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#6
(13-06-2015, 05:31 PM)traveller.b55 Wrote: Hello,

I am working on mass transit systems and I have never had a chance on mainline, as a result I believe it'd better if I try mass transit when I give the exam. However, as I've seen so far, the material and model answers are mainly done for main line.

Can anyone please help/guide me and tell me where I can find materials/examples for mass transit?

Thanks,

It is true and most material for metro is the traditional London Undergrround signallling.

However if working on mass transit then presumably you have access to suitable material from your job.
Module 2 would be the hardest to know what the examiners would expect for a modern metro system; I think the good news from your perspective is that they probably don't know either.  I have this feeling that it would probably be quite easy if you put some extremely minimalistic signalling in for use in degraded mode and then drew on the layout / wrote explanation at concept application design level how your system could be configured to deliver the required headway and gave a safe train separation and protected[Image: arrow-10x10.png] the route at junctions etc.

For Module 3, the layout for the Control Tables is not likely to be suitable for you and the aspect sequence question not applicable, but you simply choose from the other approx 8 questions the 3 you can best answer.

Similarly you may find that some of the questions in module 5 are not possible for your railway's context (e.g. level crossings), but then candidates from a traditional mainline perspective would not be liekly to answer questions relating to Automatic Train Operation, Platform Train Interface etc.

For Modules 1,4,6,7 I guess that the majority of the questions would be suitable for people from any domain- again there will be some more appropriate to a particular environment than others.

Don't disregard model answers or other attempts which relate to a different context than the one relevant to you.  A lot of the exam is structuring and presenting an answer to the question asked, sensible time allocation etc. and hence they still serve of examples of that even if the technical content of the answer wouldn't match what you would write.
It is generally important for a candidate to demonstrate that they know WHY something is done rather more than the detail of WHAT is done; exposing yourself to a wider variety of signalling systems can actually be very helpful in being able to "compare and constrast", or infer why a solution in one environment may be less suitable in another one.
Hence it is a good idea to know something of "the other side"; in this case you have the advantage since Mainline info as you state is rather easier to get hold of publically than Metro (but since you work in the latter environment presumably it is available to you).

Actually I think in the UK at least Metro and Mainline signalling has been converging for some time, as a result of technology evolution, privatisation, contractor companies working across the divide etc. and of course the move to transmission based in-cab signalling.  Similarly projects like Thameslink are really trying to turrn the mainline into a metro and indeed High Speed 2 is intended to have a lot of similarities with Metro operation.

Exam questions are not repeated from year to year, so there is no value in "learning" a previous good answer; the important thing is to understand how to approach them and to get used to interpreting the question widely enough to give a broad answer which covers the range rather than focus on detail for a restricted scope.  Therefore whereas I can see that some model answers from an obviously Metro environment might be a comfort to you, actually I doubt whether they'd actually be significantly more help.  there certainly are attempted answers on this Forum from a London Underground perspective, both traditional and from a modern system perspective.

Can only suggest that you attempt some answers yourself to add to those available; if you can get to Derby on 18/19th July  then you could get a taster of Mainline.  In some years we have had a significant number from the Metro world, but from what I can see of those registered[Image: arrow-10x10.png] so far the majority are from the Mainline world.
PJW
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#7
Dear PJW,

Thank you for your valuable advice.

I have been thinking to give the exam but I was always unsure of what to do and where to start... It was a great help.

Thanks again.
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