Deconstructing the design & disposition of the psychological railway

Train drivers rely on an expert knowledge of their route and highly sophisticated strategies to navigate the railway. A well-developed research base has conceptualised the processes required to apply route knowledge but has yet to explore how the track is internally represented. Fifty-six train drivers from 7 organisations across Australia participated in a novel qualitative research methodology.The data collected were analysed thematically, and preliminary results showed that route knowledge representation varies according operation type and as a function of expertise.