I have read this thread and it seems there is, in some people, an unrealistic expectation that they should only be able to demand to do the "sexy" jobs without putting in the work doing the boring jobs. Someone has to clean, cut grass, change light bulbs, fix the toilets, someone has to go out in the rain and shovel ballast, someone has to sell guide books.
it seems many people are interested in volunteering as long as they can volunteer to drive trains with sod all experience and then get a cob on when they are refused and asked to do some boring tasks first or when they are asked to commit to a certain number of shifts.
I don't volunteer because I work hard, have limited time available to commit, don't have a car, am selfish with my spare time and don't want to waste it helping others enjoy their leisure time. Well done to those who do give up their time, they are better than I am.
I was interested to read this article about heritage railways shortage of volunteers. It surprises me they are short of volunteer steam drivers as they all seem to advertise driver experience days at eye-watering prices, which suggests to me that they must be popular. I certainly wouldnt have thought they would struggle to fill those posts.
I think there might have to be a move away from volunteering to paying staff instead, although that will massively increase running costs.
They have got away on volunteer labour for a long time. Sadly that time might be ending. More paid labour will be required.
Reading volunteering appeals on preserved lone websites it sounds like you'll be stuck on a crossing, doing gardening or cleaning engines away from the public eye for years before you do anything fun. They need to share it out a bit of my generation are going to get involved, especially with modern expectations of family time etc, if you're giving up time it needs to be rewarding.
Unfortunately, people still have that perception, not helped by the railways themselves. I asked about volunteering at the only one near me and the impression I got was that it would be a decade or so before I would be "promoted" to anything important like a guard or driver or signalman, and that I'd have to do a lot of drudgery work in the intervening years, such as cleaning etc. It was a real put-off. I'd happily do the drudgery if there was an end in sight and it was realistically short and relevant, but a decade or so is simply far too long for someone already middle aged wanting something to do during semi retirement!
But those dull jobs have to be done to let important people like you drive your train and enjoy your sexy job. Why shouldn't you put in some of your time on the boring jobs first to earn your sexy reward?
My job doesn't give me the sort of skills I can deploy on a heritage railway in my free time.
Yes it does! There are all kinds of jobs to be done. Do you not have the skills to make a cup of tea or sell tickets or cut grass? How do you know that your skills are not exactly what they are looking for in the accounting department or on the IT side? It might not give you the skills to fix a locomotive but could you not learn them? Could you not add to your skills?
This was so my experience, I suffer with anxiety, and using my love of all things "Railway" thought that this would be a good way to help me and meet new people. I was so shocked at how rude some of the volunteers where, and that fact that new members where more of inconvenience to them, it seemed that we "got in the way".
I have read the posts you made and I wonder if the first line of this one might be nub of the issue. Might you be incorrectly interpreting motives and responses from people you don't know in an environment you are not comfortable with? I have been there.
At 32, I'm under no illusions about whether or not I still qualify as a "young person", but I've been idly toying with the idea of volunteering at a local heritage railway. Having no children, and a partner who works most weekends, I do find myself with a regular pattern of free time that could be put to good use one way or another.
The primary concern, however, relates to the frosty reception often meted out to newcomers by established and longer-serving members. As a gay man, I'm not sure how welcoming an environment I'd be entering, given the lack of social awareness prevalent among certain elements of the railway fraternity.
how do you know if you don't try? Give it a go.
I would love to volunteer at a heritage railway, but I do not drive and there are none that are close enough to get to by public transport without having a rather long or complicated / expensive journey.
I am in a similar position but I know some railways have area groups that share lifts etc. My issue is having the time to commit on anything like a regular basis. I should ask work if I can take all my volunteer leave in one go as this would give me a week to commit per year.
Which just goes to show it's not that difficult, and railways that insist upon nothing but years of drudgery before a decent crack of the whip are taking the proverbial.
Once you've got the hang of getting an injector going, how and where to fling coal into the box and what the dampers and blower do the rest is finessing.
The world has moved on.
I can't speak for your specific volunteering location but there seems to be an attitude, in the wider world, that volunteers can be managed just like full-time paid staff.
They should, absolutely, be managed the same way and should be expected to comply with the same standards as paid staff. They are not playing trains but running a railway system.
When I replied that I could not meet their double figure annual commitment of turns, but offered a week in the high season, I didn't receive a response.
While I agree they should have sent you a thanks but no thanks letter ( and perhaps pointed you to a different department) I do not feel it is inappropriate for there to be an expectation that you will meet a certain number of shifts if they are to invest time and money into you. Even if that time is just a re certification it is money taken away from another job.
I've just spent 3 hours this evening doing work for a preservation group without leaving my front room. There are a lot of admin jobs to do.
Exactly!