Why do non-enthusiasts volunteer?

[Egg Centric]

Moderator note: Split from

What powers do preserved railways have in respect of ticketing matters?

Having recently visited the Bluebell and Watercress railways (both well worth a visit) on the watercress there was an on train guard inspecting tickets which got me thinking , what powers does the guard actually have if say someone refuses to pay or show a ticket? Does a preservation railway...

www.railforums.co.uk

as non-enthusiasts make up a large percentage of our ticketing group

This surprises me, to be honest.

Why are non enthusiasts volunteering on a heritage railway? I haven't the slightest interest in horses, so I don't volunteer to muck out stables.

I'd be interested in their motivation, as I've basically thought everyone at heritage railways was an enthusiast in some shape or form.

Also, whenever I've spoken to volunteers they've been extremely knowledgeable about at least their little area, far more than a non-enthusiast would be.

 

[DanNCL]

Moderator note: Split from

What powers do preserved railways have in respect of ticketing matters?

Having recently visited the Bluebell and Watercress railways (both well worth a visit) on the watercress there was an on train guard inspecting tickets which got me thinking , what powers does the guard actually have if say someone refuses to pay or show a ticket? Does a preservation railway...

www.railforums.co.uk

This surprises me tbh. This may be for another thread, but why are non enthusiasts volunteering on a heritage railway? I haven't the slightest interest in horses so I don't volunteer to muck out stables. I'd be interested in their motivation as I've basically thought everyone at heritage railways was an enthusiast in some shape or form.

Also whenever I've spoken to volunteers they've been extremely knowledgeable about at least their little area far more than a normie "phoning it in" would be.

I would say around 75% of our volunteers are what one would consider to be an enthusiast. I think it’s probably worth noting that a good number of volunteers work behind the scenes and, with the exception of ticketing and in the cafe, its behind the scenes that you normally find the ‘normals’.

The drivers and the guards are all enthusiasts as are everyone that looks after the stock.
We have a lot of ‘normals’ doing ticketing. A lot of them are retired and come both to keep themselves occupied and because they enjoy the social element of it. We also have a few ladies who have gotten involved because their husbands (who are enthusiasts) volunteer.
The ‘normals’ are no less knowledgeable about our line and the traction on it than the enthusiasts as they learn it all on the go, if you didn’t know you wouldn’t necessarily know that they weren’t an enthusiast.
Our gardening group is also mostly ‘normals’, they all like gardening so that’s what brings them in.

 

[kje7812]

I'd be interested in their motivation, as I've basically thought everyone at heritage railways was an enthusiast in some shape or form.

It is a spectrum of interest/enthusiast. Also it depends on the volunteer role. Roles like booking office and On-Train Buffet are often less attractive to enthusiasts.
I know people who do volunteer and wouldn't describe themselves as enthusiasts. Often for older retired folk it is something to do, which is something that people have said as their reason.
Even myself would subscribe to that reason as it was something to do in between GCSEs and A-Levels. And I've kept doing it and acquired a fair bit of knowledge over the years.

 

[Gostav]

The volunteers at the station cafe are likely to be just regular people, and it is unrealistic to expect everyone to have the same passion on heritage railways. People who handle money and high-value items are more required to be professional, and whether or not they are a railway spotter is very low on the priority list.

 

[Tetragon213]

I am an enthusiast, but I also have other reasons for wanting to volunteer beyond just liking trains. I happen to be a bit behind in my career development (engineering), so I figured that trying to join as a volunteer on something even tangentially related to engineering can only be a good thing for the purposes of CPD.

 

[tram21]

At Crich, I'd say probably 50% of the traffic crew aren't really enthusiasts as such. Some have absolutely no interest in the trams they are crewing, but they enjoy it all the same! Of course there are quite a few enthusiasts, including myself!

 

[DarloRich]

Why are non enthusiasts volunteering on a heritage railway? I haven't the slightest interest in horses, so I don't volunteer to muck out stables.

Why not? Do you think people who volunteer in Oxfam are retail enthusiasts?

 

[bleeder4]

It'll be because of the social aspect, getting out of the house, a hobby to keep yourself occupied.

I once thought that everyone who worked on the railways for one of the TOCs must be a train enthusiast. It took years before I realised that a lot of them just regard it as a job like any other - just done to pay the bills.

 

[brad465]

Work experience would be a good reason. If they're a youngster looking to boost their CV, and/or someone who's become unemployed looking to tick over, if a heritage railway is local to them, and/or has experience that will help with the area of work they're looking at, they'll give it a go.

 

[The exile]

Multitude of reasons:
Social contact; introduced by a friend /doing a friend a favour; like doing a particular activity irrespective of where that is (as in the gardening example); want to “give something back” to the community; want to gain/retain experience just for a start.
None of these is directly railway related, but where there is a preserved railway it’s likely to be one of the most obvious options.

 

[Belfastmarty]

Non-enthusiasts may well enjoy and be interested in the 'historical' element of heritage railways eg buildings, uniforms etc.

 

[YorkshireBear]

One of the best things a railway can do is ensure it is attractive to none enthusiasts. Widens your volunteer pool enormously.

Where I volunteer we have plenty of non rail enthusiasts. Love being outdoors, find maintenance interesting, enjoy the social aspect of it, gets em out the house. Etc. They bring huge skills and contributions to the place too.

 

[Egg Centric]

Why not? Do you think people who volunteer in Oxfam are retail enthusiasts?

I'm struggling a bit to express this but to my way of thinking the "value" of Oxfam is something that anyone can appreciate, whereas the "value" of a heritage railway is far less apparent unless you're an enthusiast. Going back to my horse example (it is my understanding that most stables rely on volunteers to muck them out) while I intellectually understand some people enjoy horse riding I don't "get it" and I would have thought that's the position for most normals when it comes to heritage lines - they know we love them but they don't understand why.

There are some very good reasons other posts in this thread have given for volunteering in one if not an enthusiast, I guess I was just thinking that these reasons apply equally well to other volunteering opportunities so why railway? But I guess what I should also have been thinking was why not railway.

 

[DarloRich]

I'm struggling a bit to express this but to my way of thinking the "value" of Oxfam is something that anyone can appreciate,

Could you be over thinking it? I just assume volunteers are people who have time, skills and experience that they want to "give back" to the local community in some way.

I also wonder if combating isolation and staleness might not be a big part of it. I could see that being a big draw.

 

[Ken X]

One of my friends has volunteered at a heritage line for many years and seems to spend his every spare minute twirling spanners. Eventually his wife started helping as she reckoned it was the only way to see him. This has gone on for years and seems to work really well. Her interest in railways is minimal but she enjoys the volunteering.

 

[The exile]

There are some very good reasons other posts in this thread have given for volunteering in one if not an enthusiast, I guess I was just thinking that these reasons apply equally well to other volunteering opportunities so why railway? But I guess what I should also have been thinking was why not railway.

In many areas a preserved railway is probably the highest profile opportunity - offering a wide range of options to people with varying skills and abilities to commit.
I would have thought that Non-enthusiasts with particular skills / interests are far more likely to be really welcomed (and find their niche) than unskilled enthusiasts who are only interested in “playing trains” and more likely to get disillusioned by not being able to.

 

[Egg Centric]

Could you be over thinking it? I just assume volunteers are people who have time, skills and experience that they want to "give back" to the local community in some way.

Quite probably, it's a bit of a habit. I just realised my own volunteering is in something I don't have a specific interest in actually (just useful skills).

 

[Highview]

What is the definition of a "rail enthusiast" anyway? I have a wide range of interests away from rail, as many people do, and don't seek to define these other interests as enthusiasms!

 

[Calthrop]

I haven't the slightest interest in horses, so I don't volunteer to muck out stables.

You might be left totally cold by horses, but be a keen coprophile ...

I find it a delightful thing about humans: that they very much don't fall into neat categories / pigeon-holes, but are big on anomalies / oddities / incongruities of all kinds -- assorted such factors on the general "volunteering" scene, mentioned throughout this thread. For the last couple of years, I've been volunteering a couple of times a week, at a food bank -- am very much "behind the scenes" there, assigned to packing the food bags. Fell into this role rather by chance: found it, somewhat unexpectedly, a delight to do for its own sake -- it feels for me, rather akin to an absorbing board game. (I occasionally have conscience-twinges about getting such excellent fun out of something which is essentially "about" a grim situation -- in a better world, there'd be no need for food banks !)

 

[Flying Phil]

In our Windcutter team, there are a mix of people who just enjoy the, very niche, activity of keeping 16T steel mineral wagons running. However there are 4 retired, degree qualified, mechanical engineers, who had senior managerial/technical roles.....who now like getting their hands dirty - cutting, bashing, welding and painting big lumps of steel!...and they enjoy passing their knowledge and skills to the younger members of the team.

 

[43055]

It'll be because of the social aspect, getting out of the house, a hobby to keep yourself occupied.

Whilst I would probably be a bit of an 'enthusiast' I also agree with all of this. If I didn't have the railway I volunteer at, I would just be at home most of the time but now I have a bunch of people to socialize with at the same time running some trains most weekends.

 

[TheSmiths82]

In some cases it could be the only thing in their town that has an opportunity to volunteer especially if that person isn't religious. It must be a great way of combatting loneliness and remaining active.

 

[Sun Chariot]

A former work colleague, a highly respected enterprise architect and supply chain / logistics management consultant, was also a volunteer marshall at Brands Hatch circuit.
He said the race track environment's need for rapid and  right decision-making, was a near opposite to the pace of his day jobs.