Volunteering: Why do it?

[AY Mod]

29 minutes ago, Ian Smeeton said:

"Why don't YOU volunteer?"

 

My problem is a large 'care in the modelling community' project which takes up a lot of time. 😉

[Ian Smeeton]

1 hour ago, Boris said:

Weirdly since becoming a signaller on the big railway I've found that generally Network Rail staff (and frontline staff from the TOCs) demonstrate the community atmosphere and "we're in it together" that you would expect on a preserved railway rather than from a faceless corporation.  It's a far better atmosphere in my job than my hobby and is why I'm taking 2 months off from playing trains, see how I feel about going back then.

Congrats on becoming a signaller.

 

I applied many times over 2 years, and finally got a job as a crossing keeper. I love it.

 

Volunteering, I have  only done for the last 5 years since I got a proper job, with time off & holidays, rather than self employed.

 

As a Trustee of RbR, I am constantly trying to make sure that any differences are ironed out before they become running sores, and keep a peaceful and friendly atmosphere.

 

The big railway seems very much a community or even a family.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[AMJ]

I must admit that my model railway often doesn't get a look in or run for weeks or months.  I have been known to spend a day shunting various locos and vehicles around at the railway and you go home thinking look what we have done today.

 

Many groups also need folks to spend time on doing things that they can do out of the normal hours that the site is open.  I mentioned to one person that the editor of the magazine and others who are doing research etc are often as important as others even though they are not on site.

 

Workshop staff are crucial.  We have one lad doing GCSE's at present and has gained a paid engineering job because he has done various tasks in the workshop for many months.  

 

A friend works on the main line and often is not at the railway for a few weeks due to work shifts, everyone has a life to lead and sometimes you need to schedule days at the railway in amongst other aspects of life.

 

Smaller railways tend to be good as you will soon get to know most folks.  It's like a big family, there are times that we don't agree or avoid certain people.  If I have had a day on the train many of the passengers are regulars who we know by name and will chat to.

 

As per a certain clothing company slogan "just do it", you won't regret the time you put in.

[rogerzilla]

I imagine machinists are much in demand, rather than people with paper engineering qualifications?  I don't think my knowledge of Reynolds numbers and heat transfer is much use once the loco has been designed, 100 years ago 😄

 

I'd be happy to walk the track or do gardening/groundwork.  Just not refurbing coaches.  I am truly awful at woodwork.

[Ian Smeeton]

Where are you @rogerzilla?

 

If you aren't close enough to Rocks by Rail, I am sure that another site would love to have you on board.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[Great Eastern Lady]

Introduction: My name is Jayne, it wasn’t always Jayne but that’s another story.

 

I used to be a volunteer on the K&ESR, started in 1979 as a cleaner when the railway only ran as far as Wittersham Road. Over the years I progressed from cleaner to passed cleaner and then fireman. 
I always remember my firing test, I was so nervous and worried that I would mess it up, but I didn’t and I passed. I think my first solo firing turn was one of the most scary things I had done at that point, with no one to bale you out should you muck it up.

Over the years I became quite a good fireman, although I did have a tendency to over fire. By about 2002 I was finally learning to drive but then my personal life took a nose dive ( I think you can guess why) and I gave up the railway.

After many years of Bulldog shows with my new partner who sadly passed away in 2019 I had a big empty hole in my life where she once was.

Anyway in 2021 as things started to open up I decided to treat myself with a ride on the RH&DR and slowly all my old childhood memories of the railway came flooding back, so that evening I joined the RHDRA and filled in their volunteer form. After having a volunteer induction course I started with them, mainly working in the shop at Hythe, it’s not what I wanted but as Al Murray would say, their gaff their rules lol.

I have now started train dispatch training and hopefully in the next few weeks I should be getting passed out, and then with luck next year i'll get to start training at Hythe signal box.

Am I enjoying it, yes I am very much, the staff there are great, full of knowledge they are only to willing to pass on. I do a full day there feeling absolutely shattered but fulfilled in knowing I’ve done a good days work 

 

Jayne 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Great Eastern Lady
Spelling errors

[Ian Smeeton]

Thanks, Jayne,

 

It is good to hear a positive side to joining a volunteer run establishment.

 

I hope that you go on, progressing in the direction you want to take, gaining the competencies that you want to take.

 

All the very best,

 

Ian

[BR traction instructor]

British Rail now exists only in splintered staff memories, rescued BR publications, enthusiasts hoards of pictures, memorabilia and experiences, archive film/sound recordings, museums, preserved railways and the shrinking historic remnants still visible around the network. Sites such as this with its army of individuals/groups freely volunteering masses of information in order to inform/enable the next generation of enthusiasts/modellers etc to understand what once was, are also a considerable and vital volunteer contribution.

 

BeRTIe

Edited June 22, 2022 by BR traction instructor

[Great Eastern Lady]

On 01/06/2022 at 16:47, Boris said:

I'm kind of the opposite, got more free time than I've ever had , done 30+ years as a volunteer on the NYMR and at the point of telling them to stick it.  I'm bored stupid when I'm there, transferring to something else on the railway is nigh on impossible and I am getting to the point I don't have the patience to deal with the people whose only qualification is to stick a huge hat on with gold braid and think they're gods gift to railways.

 

I would look at the turnover of volunteers, if the only people there have been there forever and there are no new faces walk away.  If there's a really good mix and people can be bothered to take time to talk to a new/prospective volunteer that's the place to go.

 

I took a few months off from the Moors for medical reasons and did my first guards turn in ages in April and I saw 2 different attitudes on display, the most prevalent was "you're new so I'm going to ignore you or use my greater experience to try and bully you".  The better one was the one person who came up and said "Hi, I've not seen you before my name is ******* if you have any questions I'm happy to answer them".

 

To me you need to get something from your volunteering hobby, a sense of achievement or that you've turned up had some fun with like minded people and that you've helped the railway in some manner.  If you don't get that vote with your feet!

When i was with the K&ESR, quite a few of us would go up there for a week and volunteer, we'd all have to go down a grade, so with drivers it was fireman and fireman it was cleaners. I used to enjoy going there until i had a massive argument with a driver over not to be moved boards that i had put on a standard 4 tank while we was cleaning it. I had put them there so it was my responsibility to remove them once it was safe to do so, But he didn't see it that way, he was a driver and that was all that mattered, it drew a bit of a crowd until the forman came along and calmed it all down.

Never went back to the NYMR after that, it kind of ruined my illusion.

 

Jayne

 

[Blandford1969]

1 hour ago, Great Eastern Lady said:

When i was with the K&ESR, quite a few of us would go up there for a week and volunteer, we'd all have to go down a grade, so with drivers it was fireman and fireman it was cleaners. I used to enjoy going there until i had a massive argument with a driver over not to be moved boards that i had put on a standard 4 tank while we was cleaning it. I had put them there so it was my responsibility to remove them once it was safe to do so, But he didn't see it that way, he was a driver and that was all that mattered, it drew a bit of a crowd until the forman came along and calmed it all down.

Never went back to the NYMR after that, it kind of ruined my illusion.

 

Jayne

 

Blimey, the rules as I have always understood them is a Not to be moved can only be moved by the person who put them on, period. Yes a Driver may ask if you are finished, but at the end of the day they are there to protect whoever is working on the engine and a Driver should jolly well know that. 

[H2O]

1 hour ago, Blandford1969 said:

Blimey, the rules as I have always understood them is a Not to be moved can only be moved by the person who put them on, period. Yes a Driver may ask if you are finished, but at the end of the day they are there to protect whoever is working on the engine and a Driver should jolly well know that. 

Completely agree, perhaps the driver should have been given a rules test before being rostered again.

[Great Eastern Lady]

2 minutes ago, H2O said:

Completely agree, perhaps the driver should have been given a rules test before being rostered again.

It was a long time ago, I doubt old ferret face is still active

[Great Eastern Lady]

Just thought I’d let you all know that on the 13th August I took and passed my train dispatchers assessment. It’s been a hard 5 months but I’ve finally done it and I’m now a fully fledged dispatcher on the RH&DR.

I’m working at Hythe on the 27th Aug so if any of you are down come and say hello 

 

Jayne 

Edited August 15, 2022 by Great Eastern Lady

[Ian Smeeton]

Very pleased to hear that you have found a role and that you are enjoying it.

 

We have had four new volunteers over the last couple of months, which means that we are seeing a good increase in the number of active volunteers who are keen to progress through different competencies.

 

I did manage to place an ad on 'Volunteer  Plus Rutland' :  https://volunteerplusrutland.org.uk/opportunity/steam-train-driver-92

which has generated some interest. Two people have joined with the express (pardon the pun) intention of learning to drive steam, two others are of a more mechanical bent, and a couple of projects are really starting to gain momentum, which is great to see.

 

 For those who haven't volunteered in the past and have some time to spare, go on, give it a go.

 

I am not just talking heritage Railways, here, though. There are loads of interesting opportunities out there.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[LimboBrit]

After a number of years umming and ahing about volunteering at the local museum railway (ZLSM in the Netherlands Deep South), last October I took the plunge. My ambition is to drive steam and am well aware that that is a plan that can easily take five or more years. The kids are older and I hope to retire in roughly 4 years. My time is spent in the shed helping to restore a German “Kriegslok” and so far have been getting the filthiest of jobs and loving every minute. I don’t know whether I’ll achieve my ambition. If not there are plenty of other jobs to keep me off the street during retirement. The only downside is that I have less time for modelling.

 

David

[Corbs]

Technically I volunteer at a museum with a preserved railway as part of it, and yes, our running line is rather short, but one of the things I love about it is that by and large we have a single 'operating department'.

If you express an interest and ask to work on something, and if you can put in the time, you can wear many hats.

Last Saturday I was a fireman and then trainee guard on the Sunday. Sometimes I sell tickets on the platform, or just turn up to clean the loco in the morning and supply an extra pair of hands.

It looks like we'll all need to muck in soon to do some permanent way.

 

 

We also have boat crew and crane operator opportunities, and once or twice a year we can dress as dockers and get all the goods 'props' out, or learn how to use the capstan.

 

Plus:

It's a 10 minute cycle ride from my front door

There are many pubs nearby

The opportunities for lunch are plentiful

 

[LimboBrit]

Why do we do it?  For this…….

[PhilH]

It can be hard. I spent 30+ years on the MHR before getting too old and tired. I also had 5 years on the mainline with Hosking’s engines where it can be 20 hr days, problem solving on the run, trying to sleep in railway carriages in weird and wonderful places etc. etc. 

 

So many times, in both places, I asked myself why? But then, in the case of the MId Hants, an engine you’ve spent ages working on is brought back to life, wow! I progressed to driver there so got to drive a variety of engines, from Thomas to a King, A4, MN and so on,wow again!

 

And then, on the mainline, as owner’s rep you get to go on the footplate, more wow! on 70000 belting along the sea wall at Dawlish for example.

 

And then you get the maximum wow possible…..I like to think I put a lot in to both places but boy oh boy did I get a lot out of them, memories to take to the day I start pushing up daisies.

Edited August 17, 2022 by PhilH

[jjb1970]

I think it's like a lot of things, the volunteer and the organisation need to be right for eachother. Not all individuals are the right fit for all organisations and sometimes when things don't work out it's because it's not a good fit rather than either party being bad. 

My own feelings are that first impressions are critical for both parties. I know that this is probably frowned upon but first impressions do count and it is extremely difficult to recover from a poor first impression, that goes both for the impression made by an organisation and by an individual. I wonder how many horror stories are because someone got out of bed the wrong way. 

I think it's normal for groups to be cliquey and for people to need time to open up to new comers so I wouldn't be too hard if it takes a bit of time to feel really at home but if after a few visits/volunteering sessions people are still not making you feel welcome then I would probably think about finding something else.

Edited August 17, 2022 by jjb1970

[Ian Smeeton]

Satisfying?

 

 

Happy as pigs in.....

 

Copyright Andrew Brett

 

Regards

 

Ian

Edited September 5, 2022 by Ian Smeeton
Copyright added

[Boris]

It's great when you've a got an atmosphere like that, another great example was posted by Didcot on their Facebook feed a few days ago where 4 of their guards found themselves in uniform travelling their for their turns, and decided to take a group pic.  

 

Also encouraging to see that the people in the two photos aren't each 150 years old

[Ian Smeeton]

It is great to see our younger members getting stuck in.

 

But schools, colleges and universities have all gone back now, putting pressure on what few hours our youngsters have to spare. Evenings are out, as the nights draw in.

 

The burden now falls on the older members, some well into their 70's (one recent newbie is in his 90's!!) as we move in to the closed season when a lot of heavy maintenance takes place.

 

Heritage railways and museums need all the help that they can get.

 

At least as a volunteer, there is no compunction to be there. We (and most other heritage attractions, not just railways) will happily accommodate whatever time someone can give.

 

For me, an unexpected day off means that I can get a few hours in. I'm 58, no spring chicken, but I want to do my bit where and when I can. However, the weather can put the knackers on things. 

 

A couple of spare hours this afternoon to get on top of the mowing, lost due to rain.

 

Pray for a dry day on Wednesday for me, please.

 

Regards

 

Ian

 

 

[cessna152towser]

As a young post-grad 45 years ago I became a shareholder in a loco purchase from Barry and spent some time as a volunteer on its restoration.  My initial one fortieth share of the scrap value of the loco became much diluted over the years as many more shares were sold to fund restoration and there was a lot of politics within the heritage railway where it was based which was further from home than I would have desired.  Also other things in life got in the way.    Fourteen years ago I took early retirement from my profession and enrolled on a bus driver course.   Involvement as a bus museum volunteer then gave me vital experience driving vintage buses which quickly led to employment in the bus industry.  I retired from the buses when I turned 70 last year and now have the time to do some volunteering with Waverley Route Heritage Association, anything from front of house to signalman to train guard.    Sadly we are always short of volunteers and can only open to the public on the first Saturday of each month.   This coming Saturday, 1st October, will mark the end of an enjoyable season.  There's always a feel good factor and a good night's sleep to follow a day's volunteering.

Edited September 26, 2022 by cessna152towser
typos

[Northmoor]

I recently started volunteering on one of the LTM's restoration teams and at aged 50, I'm one of the older new recruits.  So far I've worked with two or three in their twenties and one who is still a teenager.  All are really enthusiastic about heritage railways.

In terms of being able to recruit enough volunteers, @cessna152towserdemonstrates an important consideration for certain heritage railways.  If you're located in an area with very low population density (and over an hour from any major centre of population), you are naturally going to struggle to attract enough volunteers for anything more than a small operation. 

 

The Wensleydale Railway has reined back its original ambitions to re-open right through to Garsdale and will likely terminate in future at Aysgarth Falls which is an appealing destination.  It was always questionable how they would ever raise the funds to rebuild so much infrastructure (and what traffic they thought they could attract to support it); another important consideration would be how they could find enough volunteers able to travel to the Western end to staff the stations, operate the trains and signal boxes.  Even at the Eastern end, they are drawing on the same catchment area as the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.  With the increased cost of travel, even the NYMR have a challenge bringing enough new blood and compared to most railways; they need a LOT of staff. 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Northmoor

[Boris]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

With the increased cost of travel, even the NYMR have a challenge bringing enough new blood and compared to most railways; they need a LOT of staff. 

The NYMR has a cracking junior volunteer program that has produced good results but its taken 15 years to get up and running properly, but its something other preserved railways could learn from.