When I say I’m a female train driver, people often envy me

Sign up for the Independent Women email for the latest news, opinion and features Get the Independent Women email for free Get the Independent Women email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Having worked in the rail industry for more than 10 years, I’m very much aware that there are lots of misconceptions about train drivers – especially female train drivers. A colleague of mine, at a different rail company, said she was once told: “I didn’t even think women were allowed to drive trains!” To the less well informed, being a train driver may seem like an easy, unskilled job for the non-academic. And although I may work in a male-dominated industry, I have never really experienced hostility or prejudice as a female train driver. Children’s books can be a powerful way in which to communicate this, which is why it’s been important for me to play a small part in the recent production and launch of My Mummy Is a Train Driver – a picture book for primary school children that sets out to dispel the misconception that being a train driver is exclusively for men.