Welcome to the volunteering and donation page. We seek both !
Find out more about volunteering opportunities here.
Wish to make a donation ? Please contact the management team.
What is Volunteering?
Volunteering means contributing your time without expecting payment to help others or support a cause. It can take many forms, including helping people, supporting charities, assisting in hospitals, or contributing to community projects. Volunteering can be flexible, allowing you to volunteer occasionally, regularly, in person, or remotely, depending on your availability and interests
Benefits of Volunteering
Personal wellbeing: A majority of volunteers report improved mental health, increased sense of purpose, and happiness through helping others
.
Skill development: Volunteering enhances real-world skills that are attractive to employers, particularly in healthcare, education, administration, and event organisation
.
Community connection: It helps you feel more connected to your community and meet new people
.
Career opportunities: Experience gained from volunteering can support career changes or development by building confidence and expanding networks
.
Volunteering at MPMR
There are many types of role that keep a railway running. These are listed below, based around the need of that role for normal basic daily operations.
The aim of the railway is to build a pool of volunteers local to Glossop. To become interested in volunteering, please speak to a member of the team on the day. From there, you could be asked to show your interest formally by contacting the railway management team by email. Basic running is around weekends and School Holidays, but other event operations may be looked at going forward - for weekdays or evenings. Being of a chatty disposition is always welcome, as good rapport with customers is a good thing. However, this is not important depending on the role. The inner enthusiast must however shine into the role you wish to participate in ! Most roles need a certain amount of physical capability, as described in each role listing below :
TRAIN DRIVER
ROLE - to operate train safely, on the mainline and during shunting movements. Trains normally run without a guard, so you will be totally responsible for the safe passage of the train, and your passengers/load.
To understand the layout and operation of the railway, with special attention around points and crossings, public crossing points and the areas around the station and depot.
If you are the sole staff member on the day, you will also be required to take fares for the railway.
Your work will require coupling/uncoupling the locomotive from it`s train, and the use of a turntable. The work is relatively easy but will require physical effort, the ability to bend and work in areas with limited space.
YOUR TRAINING DAY - It is advisable to start at the depot, where you can be shown the infrastructure on a walk round check. You will also get a brief introduction to the staff, and vehicles in use on the day. You can then have the option to travel passenger along the line to the station.
Most work is done at the station, so you will be shown the station layout and how the infrastructure works. From there, you will be shown the loco runaround procedure and given experience gained guidance. When you feel confident, you will be asked to uncouple the loco, turn on the turntable, and re-couple the train. The scheduled driver stays with the loco at this stage. You will be asked to repeat this procedure until the training staff feel happy that you are confident & showing competancy.
The next stage will involve driving the loco around the station whilst the scheduled driver does the coupling/uncoupling/turning. You will be shown the controls beforehand and will be walked around the station until again the training staff can see that you are confident and competant at taking control of the loco.
Part 3 is you will be asked to perform all those roles yourself within the station, and by yourself, taking over from and handing back to the scheduled driver. If this goes well you will then be asked to take a ride on a mainline train to learn the route of the train, and learn more about controlling the train through the twists and bends, and understand control through the wooded area, which may drive differently in different weather conditions.
Part 4 is to drive a train for yourself ! Although an empty train is preferred, this is not always possible on an operating day. The trainer will be sat behind the loco until you both reach an agreement that you can drive for yourself. A pass-out may run over 2 volunteering days at the railway, dependant on the speed of passing through the training course.
You may need to be re trained on each of the loco`s used at the railway, as they all operate and handle slightly differently.
GUARD/SHUNTER
ROLE - Most trains operate with just 1 member of staff, so there initially will not be a training day for this role. A training system will be put in place once there are enough volunteers to have multiple staff numbers on the same day.
The work will involve uncoupling/coupling the train at the station, and helping the driver with loco runaround. At the depot, a shunter will help the driver manoeuvre trains around the yard and to/from shed roads. A shunter can watch the train from the ground and make sure the movement is done safely, as the driver may not be able to see down the train, or to the other end.
A guard would normally sit at the back of the train, or behind the passengers, to make sure that everything is done safely. The means that the driver can concentrate on the route ahead. There is equipment that the guard can use to start and stop a train.
As a second member of staff, the guard may have equipment to take payments and issue tickets.
TICKET SALES
ROLE - During one-person operations, the driver will take payments before departure, mainly from passengers already on board. Where more than one person is on shift, the equipment is left in a safe place where any trained person can access and start to take fares.
THE TRAINING DAY - The training team must be sure that you are happy and capable of handling money and revenue equipment. Payment is either via cash where change is given, or contactless using a card reader or clearly marked mobile phone. Tickets can be produced for either single-journey fares or day rovers. The trainer will encourage the use of a hand stamper for day riders for proof of payment. You must show that you can give correct change from the float money. You will be shown how the card reader works before you use it. Any payment mistakes must be highlighted immediately.
TRACTION AND ROLLING STOCK ENGINEERING
If you are a fan and have basic knowledge of how things move, then you are welcome down the shed on maintenance days. Anything from flat wheels and bouncy suspension to mechanical repairs to engines and gearboxes are done here.
Interested in painting ? Work of that kind is also done at the depot ! Anyone with a good eye for `lining-out` is always welcome.
TRACK WORKING
The track is the most important thing on a railway. trains just can`t run without it ! There are various disciplines here :
Points. Making sure that all points are working as set out is vitally important. There are several moving parts here that could derail a train. Observations and general maintenance is key here.
Track walks are an essential part of the operation. A track walk can identify debris on the track that could stop trains, find failed sleepers that can cause the rails to spread apart, find loose fastenings (called fishplates) that create a break in the railway, and find rails that have turned, either by failure or from deliberate removal of spikes from the sleepers.
The big dig and track removal is required from time to time to fix faults, replace sleeper sections and help stabilise the railway. A deep dig can involve digging several centimetres down and adding fresh ballast. This can re stabilise the track from geometric twists (maybe tree trunks lifting the railway) and is a good time to add a drainage system.
IF ANY OF THESE ROLES ARE FOR YOU, CONTACT THE MANAGEMENT TEAM OR TELL US QUICKLY USING THE FORM BELOW:
