Steam Locomotive Operation Training

Learning Outcomes

• Apply pre-operational safety checks and inspections on a steam locomotive.
• Demonstrate correct procedures for starting, moving, and stopping a steam locomotive.
• Analyze operational conditions and respond appropriately to signals, gradients, and emergencies.
• Implement basic maintenance and troubleshooting techniques for steam locomotive systems.
• Evaluate compliance with relevant health, safety, and environmental regulations during operation.

Target Audience

This course is designed for locomotive drivers, trainee drivers, and railway operations personnel seeking to obtain or upgrade their steam locomotive operating competency.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Practicals

Overview

Hands-on practicals are integral to this course, allowing learners to apply theoretical knowledge in a controlled environment. Learners will perform pre-start inspections, light up and raise steam, drive the locomotive, and handle emergencies under supervision.

Practical Activities

• Pre-Start Inspection and Lighting Up — Learners conduct a full pre-start inspection of a stationary locomotive, then perform lighting up and raising steam procedures under supervision. (8h)
• Driving and Train Handling — Learners operate the locomotive on a designated track, practicing acceleration, braking, gradient handling, and coupling/uncoupling of rolling stock. (12h)
• Troubleshooting and Emergency Procedures — Learners respond to simulated faults and emergencies, including low water, hot bearings, and brake failures, and perform minor running repairs. (8h)
• Final Practical Assessment — Learners demonstrate all skills in a comprehensive practical exam, including pre-start, driving, shunting, and emergency response. (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.