Get Involved

Helston Railway is run and staffed by volunteers, we have no paid staff, and so we rely on our dedicated group of volunteers to continue to develop, build and operate our railway.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life, you do not have to be a railway enthusiast to contribute to our project. Whatever skills you have can be used at our railway.

Depending on your interests and the skills you can offer, our volunteers help out in 3 main areas:

Running the heritage railway

This involves welcoming members of the public who come to visit us. Dependant on your preferences this could be working in our shop or buffet, driving or being the guard on the train, or acting as Duty Manager for the day. You will need to learn about the railway so you can answer questions that you may be asked. Working with the public means you need to be very friendly, chatty and welcoming!

Building the developing railway

Our railway needs to be maintained and we are still in the process of opening new facilities and laying more track. So this area of our project needs people who are willing to work with our track gang, maintain our rolling stock and equipment, keep the lineside tidy, wield paintbrushes, build platforms and buildings. So if you have building, carpentry, engineering or gardening skills – or in fact anything you’d like to get involved with we can find something for you.

Pulling everything together...

As with all things we need organising – so help with administration and spreading the message about our railway is a vital part of helping to make us successful. This could involve helping put together newsletters or attending model railway shows and exhibitions, all of which promote the work we do.

FAQs

Many Volunteers join us once a week or once a fortnight, and you can fit your volunteering around what works for you. We like volunteers to get here once a month, but we do have some that can only be around at much greater intervals.

If you do want to be a driver, fireman, or guard we ask that you volunteer for at least two days a month during the visitor season., so that skills can be kept up-to-date. You don’t have to restrict yourself to one area of activity, being a driver and helping build new track is perfectly fine – we will work together to make your volunteering fun for you.

New Volunteers start by attending a general safety and induction session and then may ‘shadow’ experienced Volunteers until they feel confident.

There are also specific tasks that require further training, such as becoming a Driver or Fireman of one of our Locos. Also we have construction plant, excavators and dumpers that you would need to train for and receive a certificate of confidence.

We welcome volunteers any day of the week, however organised Volunteer days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; and during the visitor season we are open to the public on Thursdays, Sundays, Bank Holiday Mondays and some Wednesdays.

If you are over 14 and under 18 years old you can join our Junior Group. This allows you to get involved in the railway in a more structured manner. We hold special volunteer days for our Juniors once a month when they have access to working on specific projects. Perfect for getting a good grounding on volunteering and can be used for working towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s award.

We are also looking for adult volunteers who have experience in working with young people to come and help on the Junior Days. As this is a more specific area, if you are interested please get in touch to find out more. (DBS checks may be required).

Volunteers don’t get paid and we need you to provide your own hi visibility clothing and footwear. But in return you get to work with a dedicated group of enthusiastic, interesting people; you will be helping to rebuild part of our heritage and you can learn new skills.

Count me in! What do I do now?

If you would like to offer your services on a voluntary basis, or would like to know more about volunteering at the Helston Railway, then please call Colin, our General Manager, on 07779 279 045 or click the button to email.

I want to Volunteer!