Duncan Grainger

Said the following about Mick Paylor:

“Mick joined the railway in 2002 as a conductor, and showed a strong determination to succeed from day one. He applied for the driving role and eventually ended up in the trainer’s role that he holds today. Throughout his career he has given 100% to overcome every obstacle that he has faced, and strived for perfection.

During his time fulfilling the training role, Mick has taken the lead of delivering training to trainee drivers on our 333 electric fleet. He was instrumental in adapting the training plan for this fleet, ensuring it was rolled out in an efficient yet through manner. Through hard work, he has brought the length of the 333 course down from 3 weeks to just 6 days without any detriment to the level of training given meaning we can bring higher levels of trainee drivers through the training course. What really stands out with Mick is that all this hard work and dedication to his role was carried out in his spare time, without ever asking for any recognition.

We are constantly receiving messages from trainee drivers singing his praises, as he refuses to accept failure and through his thorough method of working ensures everyone is confident in what he delivers. However, if anyone raises an issue with him he is well known for going above and beyond everyone’s expectations and often attends work on his days off to help out anyone who may need the extra bit of help. Mick also helped in the development of our initial training programme where trainee drivers experience driving for the first time, Mick ensured that he was fully qualified to give this training by working on his days off to sign in the Monk Bretton line where the driving would be carried out, without his forward thinking and flexibility these courses would have been delayed by several weeks resulting in major delays in our ability to produce competent train drivers.

Below are some comments from the Driver Team Manager’s at Leeds who were all in agreement that Mick deserved recognition for his hard work and dedication to Northern Rail, and the training academy.

Gez Slade (Leeds DTM)

‘I have known Mick since I started working for Northern and quickly realised that nothing was too much for him, whether it was during work or out of work hours he would always go that extra mile to help. His training style is firm but fair, and refuses to accept failure.’

Dave Littlewood (Leeds DTM)

‘Mick is an extremely agreeable and sociable colleague who will always be on hand to help out when required to do so, I have worked alongside him to deliver several projects, most recently producing our new Compass exam for our traction. This involved Mick producing hundreds of questions and accurate answers to test the ability of our drivers, all this was completed during his own time and out of work.’

Ducan Grainger (Leeds DTM)

‘My experiences with Mick have been nothing but positive, I oversee a lot of the training programmes as a driver team manager and work alongside Mick to deliver excellent results. I can always rely on him to complete any given task in a timeframe given, more than often completing any preparation in his spare time. We often speak to newly qualified drivers who have nothing put positive remarks regarding Mick’s ability within the classroom, and hands on experience when driving trains’.“