Volunteering: Why do it?

[AMJ]

There seem to be many of the older end who have not returned due to ill health etc after the pandemic.  I think that there are many who have found spending time at home researching on the computer family history etc is easier than railway work.

 

If you have ever thought "I'd like to help" as per a certain advertising slogan just do it. 

 

Most places you will find folks go to do work but the social interaction is what keeps many of them a reason to live.

[Bucoops]

From what I have seen and read, the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Preservation Trust have a Junior Engineers section that was actively involved in the overhaul.

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 31/05/2022 at 09:04, rogerzilla said:

Voluntary organisations are political minefields.

My wife worked as a paid employee in two organisations mainly run by volunteers. Organisational politics was an absolute nightmare in the first but not as bad in the second.

Personally I haven't been involved in volunteering on railways as by the time my family responsibilities diminished I was involved in managing railway projects which were running 24/7 so the last thing I wanted was more. I even gave up modelling for over 10 years.

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 06/06/2022 at 15:24, 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.  

The railway was very much a community and a family affair during my days on it. When I was born we lived at my grandad's house. He was a signal lineman. Two doors up was a retired driver from Monument Lane. When we moved out of there one of our neighbours was a signalman at a box on my grandad's district. Later one of that signalman's booking lads transferred to S&T and became one of my grandad's team. An S&T Inspector I worked for had been on thr same gang as my grandad in  the 1930s. 

Family-wise three of my grandparents had railway connections. Our railway history stretched continuously from at least the late 1860s until my last contract job about seven years ago, although there is still at least one member active on the PWay department of a preserved line.

As far as all on it together I often found that and joined in. I remember one very hot afternoon being on an HST where the aircon controls had failed. The buffet steward had phoned ahead and arranged for a supply of bottled water to be waiting for us at a station stop. Three of us from engineering departments travelling passenger ended up going through the train handing it out to people on board.

[PhilH]

Once it gets its hooks into you….

 

Yesterday I was lucky enough to return to my old haunts at the Mid Hants Railway for a footplate trip with my old cleaner, then fireman from my days as a driver there. I’ve known him since he was a boy and sort of mentored him when he came onto my crew. He is a now a driver there himself and I think invited me for a ride to show me that he had taken in all the bad habits I tried to teach him…

 

Anyway a lovely day but truth be told was happy to get off the footplate. That part of my life is firmly in the ‘been there, done that’ category now, the thought of 4.30 am starts etc. makes me shudder now.

 

What I didn’t bargain for was the buzz from walking round the workshops, the banter with people whom I hadn’t seen for nearly five years but picked it up again like it was yesterday, the pleasure from seeing things being ‘born again’. I realised that I missed nailing bits of metal together to make engines, scraping crud off, drinking tea with bits of rust in, all the things you get when rebuilding the things.

 

As I said weirdly didn’t miss being on the footplate, which is what most volunteers aspire to when starting to volunteer on a heritage railway, but the workshop, yep. So much so that at the ripe old age of 73, next Thursday I shall be presenting myself there, in freshly washed boilersuit (it hasn’t had that birthday for a number of years) with the other old boys, back where I started 35 odd years ago. (Caveat…as long as I keep on waking up of course…)

 

I repeat…beware, once it gets its hooks into you…

 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by PhilH

[MrTea]

I’ve been inspired by this topic to ‘get off my arse’ and do some more volunteering. Thanks guys!
 

Phil, hope you made it down to the railway today. I suspect it was you driving 73096 when I had a cab ride on the Watercress Line back in summer 2011. 
 

Ian, RbR sounds a great place. I will have to make sure I get over to visit some time. 

Edited October 6, 2022 by MrTea
Can’t spell

[Ian Smeeton]

 

 

20 minutes ago, MrTea said:

I’ve been inspired by this topic to ‘get off my arse’ and do some more volunteering. Thanks guys!

 

If only one of the readers (not necessarily the respondents) of this thread does a bit of volunteering and enjoys it, then I have achieved my goal.

 

Every little helps.

 

We have recently recruited a 95 year old. An ex Dragline and excavator driver, and although he took the controls of our RB22, he was quite happy to say that while he can still do it, he'd rather not.

 

He is much happier wielding a paint brush, a polishing rag, or talking to visitors about his time on the Ironstone.

 

It is never too late (or too early) to start.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[PhilH]

On 30/09/2022 at 10:51, PhilH said:

Once it gets its hooks into you….

 

Yesterday I was lucky enough to return to my old haunts at the Mid Hants Railway for a footplate trip with my old cleaner, then fireman from my days as a driver there. I’ve known him since he was a boy and sort of mentored him when he came onto my crew. He is a now a driver there himself and I think invited me for a ride to show me that he had taken in all the bad habits I tried to teach him…

 

Anyway a lovely day but truth be told was happy to get off the footplate. That part of my life is firmly in the ‘been there, done that’ category now, the thought of 4.30 am starts etc. makes me shudder now.

 

What I didn’t bargain for was the buzz from walking round the workshops, the banter with people whom I hadn’t seen for nearly five years but picked it up again like it was yesterday, the pleasure from seeing things being ‘born again’. I realised that I missed nailing bits of metal together to make engines, scraping crud off, drinking tea with bits of rust in, all the things you get when rebuilding the things.

 

As I said weirdly didn’t miss being on the footplate, which is what most volunteers aspire to when starting to volunteer on a heritage railway, but the workshop, yep. So much so that at the ripe old age of 73, next Thursday I shall be presenting myself there, in freshly washed boilersuit (it hasn’t had that birthday for a number of years) with the other old boys, back where I started 35 odd years ago. (Caveat…as long as I keep on waking up of course…)

 

I repeat…beware, once it gets its hooks into you…

 

 

Back where I started 35 years ago, straight back into it. A productive day sorting out gland packing on the S&D trust's 53808 which we are looking after at Ropley. 

 

I'm pleased to report one thing remains constant there.. high class banter was rife. 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by PhilH

[OnTheBranchline]

On 07/10/2022 at 04:57, PhilH said:

 

 

Back where I started 35 years ago, straight back into it. A productive day sorting out gland packing on the S&D trust's 53808 which we are looking after at Ropley. 

 

I'm pleased to report one thing remains constant there.. high class banter was rife. 

 

 

 

What have you done with Thomas???

[PhilH]

6 hours ago, OnTheBranchline said:

 

What have you done with Thomas???

Replaced some rotten bits.

[Trainshed Terry]

I voulnteer at the IWM Duxford once a month just to meet new people and have a chat with the other volunteers there. it also helps with my mental health problems that I have.

 

I also voluntunteer at a local charity supporting people that have diffculty using computers or tablets. which is a challenge, but I am doing my best that I can with the computer skills that I have.

 

Terry.

[Darwinian]

When the Covid pandemic began I had been retired for three years, my children were setting off for Uni and life had become rather quiet for my wife and I and I was feeling rather isolated from social contact.  I'd always wondered what volunteering would be like so once things started to reopen (with my wife's encouragement) I contacted the North Norfolk Railway to see if they needed volunteers with no railway/engineering background. After some initial discussions by e-mail I was invited to a socially distanced look around the loco and carriage workshops, and later to Sheringham station to see what platform staff did. I decided that I wanted to have public facing, role and be part of a small team each day so chose to train as a member of platform staff. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences as part of the team looking after passengers and visitors, dispatching trains, emptying bins and generally keeping the station I'm assigned to looking smart .

 

I now volunteer for duty at any of the three station on the NNR and because I work part time during the week I make it a fairly regular Sunday commitment. I will be back again at Sheringham for the  half term Sunday's and would be happy to chat to anyone who happens to be there. There does seem to be the opportunity to move to other roles if I wanted to. Certainly moving on to travelling ticket inspector or guard is just a question of doing the training. Volunteering has certainly helped me regain my confidence and enjoy my retirement.

 

To anyone considering volunteering I'd say go along and try it. You can always say "not interested" or move on if you stop enjoying it.

 

Adrian

[johnlambert]

I volunteer at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire.  I've been volunteering for about seven years, giving about one day a month (because I still work so I can't do any more).  My role is guiding, giving tours and talking to visitors about the cars in the collection.  I've made some good friends among the volunteers and museum staff and it is great to engage with museum visitors.  A few months ago I was feeling a bit fed up, due to ill-health I'd not been able to volunteer for a while and I wasn't sure if I wanted to give up a day a month any more.  All it took was one good day to reignite my enthusiasm.

 

It does get under your skin, I almost can't visit the museum without slipping into "guide mode" and talking to people about the collection.

 

I would consider volunteering at a heritage railway although I'm not sure what I'd do.  I think I'd be happy selling tickets or maybe platform staff (although I don't feel the need for a uniform covered in gold braid).  Working as a guard or signaller also sounds interesting, oddly driving or firing doesn't appeal that much.

 

I guess the thing is that I feel like I've got at least as much out of volunteering as the organisation that "employs" me.  I would say that it's worth finding an organisation that's a good fit for you and giving it a go.

[Oldddudders]

I have only volunteered on a railway site once - Easter 1973, digging trenches at Towyn Pendre. Loved it but a long way from Surrey home, and a career improvement - as well as meeting my first wife - shortly afterwards, limited my time. The evenings, though, spent with Talyllyn movers and shakers, including the Cornish Mine Captain doing blasting on the Nant Gwernol extension, were stellar.

 

As you can see, I live in France, but my second wife lives in Torquay, so I volunteer at her AmDram society, where we present 9 plays a year, as well as other performances by guest artistes. I have been Front of House Manager 4 times in as many months recently. I have no ambition to act, really, although was pressed into service for a 13-performance run last Summer - being Leclerc in 'Allo 'Allo was hardly the height of thespian achievement.

 

My point is that I echo much of what is said in this thread. The social side of your volunteering is key to the warmth of the experience. Inevitably egos are to the fore in theatre, and of 160 members a small number see themselves as rather superior but that washes over me. At 74, wearing a DJ and bow-tie has become rather a nice way to spend some time, welcoming patrons, sorting out this and that issue. Often Sherry and I volunteer together, so she is one of my 4 stewards - and keeps me up to the task! And the bar afterwards, mixing with cast and crew, is part of the fun.

 

Ian Smeeton's enthusiasm in this thread is not to be lightly ignored. If you don't volunteer yet, try it and you may be amazed at the satisfaction to be found in being part of Something!

Edited March 5, 2023 by Oldddudders

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 04/02/2023 at 10:32, Darwinian said:

You can always say "not interested" or move on if you stop enjoying it.

I never volunteered for railway organisations although I did drafts for a couple of signalling plans for one of my workmates who was involved in one.

M volunteering was with sports clubs as it was totally divorced from work. For about 30 years I dug holes, laid mains services, maintained buildings, repaired fences, lopped trees, maintained courts, did committee and admin jobs including three years of reviving and running a league of 12 divisions and over 130 teams, etc,etc,etc....

When I got to feeling it was a drag I decided enough was enough and went back to playing with my trains.

Edited March 7, 2023 by TheSignalEngineer

[Boris]

On 07/03/2023 at 18:54, TheSignalEngineer said:

I never volunteered for railway organisations although I did drafts for a couple of signalling plans for one of my workmates who was involved in one.

M volunteering was with sports clubs as it was totally divorced from work. For about 30 years I dug holes, laid mains services, maintained buildings, repaired fences, lopped trees, maintained courts, did committee and admin jobs including three years of reviving and running a league of 12 divisions and over 130 teams, etc,etc,etc....

When I got to feeling it was a drag I decided enough was enough and went back to playing with my trains.

Sound advice for volunteering there, I've walked away from volunteering on preserved railways because it just became a pain in the backside, plus it lost a lot of the appeal doing for free what you get paid to do at work.  My local model railway club is a bit of a handful now with an influx of new members (4 regular to 11) and I'm spending a lot of time organising group activities for the new layout - we had 3 ladies working on a OO gauge layout last week and it was ace, my plan is to create a range of activities on offer at the club and let people choose from those on offer.  I'm also heavily involved in historical reenactment and staying legally compliant with that is a nightmare!

 

[rogerzilla]

18 hours ago, Boris said:

Sound advice for volunteering there, I've walked away from volunteering on preserved railways because it just became a pain in the backside, plus it lost a lot of the appeal doing for free what you get paid to do at work.  My local model railway club is a bit of a handful now with an influx of new members (4 regular to 11) and I'm spending a lot of time organising group activities for the new layout - we had 3 ladies working on a OO gauge layout last week and it was ace, my plan is to create a range of activities on offer at the club and let people choose from those on offer.  I'm also heavily involved in historical reenactment and staying legally compliant with that is a nightmare!

 

I used to work with one of those Sealed Knot chaps.  He was a Roundhead pikeman, and very serious about it!

[2mm Andy]

On 30/09/2022 at 10:51, PhilH said:

What I didn’t bargain for was the buzz from walking round the workshops, the banter with people whom I hadn’t seen for nearly five years but picked it up again like it was yesterday, the pleasure from seeing things being ‘born again’. I realised that I missed nailing bits of metal together to make engines, scraping crud off, drinking tea with bits of rust in, all the things you get when rebuilding the things.

 

I repeat…beware, once it gets its hooks into you…

 

I can empathise with that Phil, having had a very similar experience on Saturday. I'd had a stressful week with work and other things, so made a last minute decision to drive down to the railway where I used to volunteer (they had previously put out a call on the member's email group for help sorting out the p.way yard). It's been at least 4 years since I last visited, and probably at least 10 years since I was a regular there, but within 10 mins of arriving I was nattering to friends, catching up on developments on the railway and getting my boots on ready to help. I realised just how much I missed all of the things described above, and am now hoping to get back there on a semi-regular basis again. The only downside is the 2hr drive each way (the worst bit of which is the M60 around Manchester) but that's manageable, especially in the summertime.

 

Anyway, a bit of a plug for the Moseley Railway Trust who operate the Apedale Valley Light Railway in Staffordshire.

Orenstein & Koppel loco undergoing pre-operating season testing.

 

As a bonus I was able to measure up and photograph a few things for some modelling projects too!

 

Andy

[Ian Smeeton]

On 20/03/2023 at 20:50, 2mm Andy said:

 

I can empathise with that Phil, having had a very similar experience on Saturday. I'd had a stressful week with work and other things, so made a last minute decision to drive down to the railway where I used to volunteer (they had previously put out a call on the member's email group for help sorting out the p.way yard). It's been at least 4 years since I last visited, and probably at least 10 years since I was a regular there, but within 10 mins of arriving I was nattering to friends, catching up on developments on the railway and getting my boots on ready to help. I realised just how much I missed all of the things described above, and am now hoping to get back there on a semi-regular basis again. The only downside is the 2hr drive each way (the worst bit of which is the M60 around Manchester) but that's manageable, especially in the summertime.

 

Anyway, a bit of a plug for the Moseley Railway Trust who operate the Apedale Valley Light Railway in Staffordshire.

Orenstein & Koppel loco undergoing pre-operating season testing.

 

As a bonus I was able to measure up and photograph a few things for some modelling projects too!

 

Andy

 

I can empathise with the feelings that you got.

 

After a stressful week at work, to switch off among friends and do something (which might be the same, but might be totally different) from the working week helps to clear the mind.

 

Hard physical graft and fresh air (if that's what you did) takes you right out of the everyday.

 

I am glad that you found it rewarding, and happy that the Apedale Railway has found a (re)new(ed) volunteer.

 

Regards

 

Ian

[lmsforever]

 When I retired fourteen years ago  I thought what will I fill my days with .firstly an invite to join the local  RNLI branch after the first meeting I found myself  sales and speaker to tell people about lifeboats.   Luckily my wife and a lass who already helped out made the sales stall an enjoyable  proposition. Whilst I was having fun with the RNLI I had two footplate trips on the Chinnor line a gift from my wife again a very good thing to do and I became a member which I still am .Going to an event to look at what you could volunteer for on the railway.I nearly joined the signal dept but I met some of the guys from The Tuesday Gang and found my place on the line we did things that nobody else wanted to do.Cutting back foliage ,painting stations,redoing drainage systems.At Bledlow station we repainted the crossing gates the station shed ,weeded the platform and redug the run off for rain water.Oh and we relaid the road surface and received thanks from several locals who had to bump over the crossing.I did all sorts of work for nearly three years until arthritis in my hands I had to stop but my RNLI talks are still ongoing .Volunteering is a wonderful thing to do  and if you have some time go and help out a group locally .

[adb968008]

one has to wonder why people volunteer.

 

my little one is fascinated by trains, and shes female, and as long as she’s interested in the hobby I will encourage her.

So after reading that i’m looking for my ELR membership card, as I will be ripping it up, and not be visiting the ELR again soon, unless I see any reason to convince me otherwise.

 

 

 

Edited April 6, 2023 by adb968008

[PhilH]

16 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

 

16 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

one has to wonder why people volunteer.

 

 

Because the number of positive experiences outnumber the negative ones by a huge amount.

Edited April 6, 2023 by PhilH

[Nick C]

Very sad to read that - especially having also recently read this: https://www.the-roostery.com/

[Bucoops]

18 minutes ago, adb968008 said:

one has to wonder why people volunteer.

 

my little one is fascinated by trains, and shes female, and as long as she’s interested in the hobby I will encourage her.

So after reading that i’m looking for my ELR membership card, as I will be ripping it up, and not be visiting the ELR again soon, unless I see any reason to convince me otherwise.

 

 

 

 

Wow that's awful. I've seen a few posts by Joanne over the last few years which have all been so positive despite the health issues she's had to face. This is so sad.

[Bucoops]

3 minutes ago, Nick C said:

Very sad to read that - especially having also recently read this: https://www.the-roostery.com/

 

Oh for goodness sake. What is wrong with people? A little respect isn't hard.