Diesel Locomotive Operation for Railway Workers Training

Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate pre-operational inspection and safety checks on diesel locomotives.
• Apply correct starting, driving, and stopping procedures for diesel locomotives.
• Analyze locomotive performance and respond to operational irregularities.
• Implement emergency shutdown and response procedures in accordance with safety standards.
• Evaluate operational risks and apply relevant safety protocols.
• Communicate effectively using standard railway radio procedures and signals.

Target Audience

This course is designed for railway workers, locomotive drivers, and trainees who are required to operate diesel locomotives in rail yard or mainline operations. It is also suitable for maintenance personnel seeking a deeper understanding of locomotive operation.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment. However, learners must be medically fit and meet the physical requirements for locomotive operation.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Practical sessions are essential for developing hands-on skills in locomotive operation, coupling, and fault response. Learners apply theoretical knowledge in a controlled yard and mainline environment under supervision, building competence and confidence.

Practical Activities

• Basic Locomotive Handling and Shunting — Learners perform pre-departure inspections, start-up procedures, coupling/uncoupling, and shunting moves in a yard setting. (16h)
• Train Handling and Braking Techniques — Learners operate a locomotive on a mainline section, focusing on smooth acceleration, braking, and handling gradients. (12h)
• Fault Finding and Emergency Response — Learners diagnose simulated engine, electrical, and brake faults, and perform emergency procedures to restore safe operation. (8h)
• Multiple-Unit Operation and Integration — Learners operate in a multiple-unit consist, coordinating controls and communication between locomotives. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total

Component	Out of	Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored)	100%	30%
Daily Average (multiple choice)	100%	20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice)	100%	50%
Final Total	—	100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

How it works

• Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
• Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
• You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
• If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.

Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates	Discount
5	3% off
10	6% off
15	9% off
20	12% off
25	15% off
30	18% off
50	30% off
75	35% off
100	40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.