Light Rail Sends Bus Drivers to School : Blue Line: Operators picked for the L.A.-to-Long Beach trolley had to learn how to drive without a steering wheel and other new rules of the road.

After driving buses for 30 years, Walter Wadlington has pretty much mastered the rules of the road.

But a few months ago, the veteran Southern California Rapid Transit District driver found himself going back to the basics. As one of 43 train operators selected for the new Long Beach-to-Los Angeles Light Rail, Wadlington had to acquaint himself with the rules of the rail and with operating a train.

“The class was the hardest part of the training,” Wadlington said. “But everything else seemed to flow after the classes.”

For an intense four weeks, train operators say they learned everything they ever wanted to know about the highly touted Blue Line cars that began operating Saturday, sharing streets with cars along much of the 19-mile route.

The initial classes, taught in RTD’s Division 11 rail yard in Long Beach, gave an overview of the rail system, said Ed Vandeventer, superintendent of instruction. Then instructors spent a great deal of time teaching the train operators how to negotiate intersections and crossings along the congested traffic corridors.

After this was mastered, Vandeventer said the operators then learned about the various parts of the cars and how to respond in cases of emergency. The biggest adjustment, according to the operators interviewed, was getting used to driving without a steering wheel.

Instead of steering wheels each train operator uses a throttle switch that controls speeding and braking, Vandeventer said.

The Blue Line features an electronic safety system that uses sensors in rails to detect pedestrians, vehicles or other movement on the line, then transmits that information to the train operator and central control facility, he said.

These sensors tell the operators the maximum allowable speed to ensure proper spacing between the cars to avoid rear-end collisions and cause barrier arms at intersections to close as trains approach, Vandeventer said.

But the focal point of the training was to teach train operators how to function when the system malfunctions.

“We basically taught them trouble-shooting techniques,” said Vandeventer, who has been with RTD for 15 years and with the Blue Line project since its inception. “We prepared them for what they will face on the rail.”

Through a series of “staged” accidents coupled with class instruction, the train operators learned to respond to a variety of emergencies, Vandeventer said.

“The operators were trained to know what to do if a car breaks down,” he said. “They also know the procedures for medical emergencies.” Vandeventer said many of the train operators are concerned about the safety of a public not used to the trains.

“Some of the operators have told me that they are having trouble educating the public about the trains,” he said. “This is a high-speed train and some people are getting too close to the tracks.

“We have to constantly tell them they are dealing with a new kid on the block and that this kid can kill them if they are not careful.”

The group received training from supervisors who were taught how to operate the trains in Calgary, Alberta, Vandeventer said. He said the Canadian city operates a similar rail system.

Most of the train operators are veteran bus drivers who were selected on the basis of seniority and work history, Vandeventer said. These drivers, who earn $15.73 an hour, will receive no pay increase in their new jobs. Before being selected, each operator had to undergo a series of tests, including a written exam on federal railway rules and a test of physical agility.

Wadlington said he applied to become a train operator because he was becoming bored driving the bus.

“I was looking for something different,” he said. “This is like a new toy to me.”

Other operators said they applied for their jobs because they were tired of driving in congested traffic.

“The main reason I came on was because I wanted to drive but I didn’t want to battle traffic,” said Walter Burns, who has driven buses for 17 years and was out on a test-run last week. “This is going to be a good experience once I get used to everything. My biggest problem so far has been getting used to driving without a steering wheel and using a throttle.”

But despite the adjustments, Burns said he welcomes the new challenges.

“When something is new it always brings a period of adjustment,” he said. “But eventually this will be routine. The public is going to love this. It’s comfortable and you don’t have to worry about traffic.”