working on a Heritage railway ,the benefits.

[90047]

hello

in my previous job railway unrelated I have no skills to match the railway,so is it worth doing volantry work on a heritage railway to gain skills working with the public ect,as anyone done volanteer work on a heritage railway and now working on the mail network thanks.

 

[GNER 373]

I got a job on the railways 16 month ago but have worked at both the NYMR and NRM voluntary. I think it's about who you are as a person rather than anything else but being around a railway related environment will help you to get experience.

 

[90047]

I got a job on the railways 16 month ago but have worked at both the NYMR and NRM voluntary. I think it's about who you are as a person rather than anything else but being around a railway related environment will help you to get experience.

thanks for your reply,so what type of volanteer work at the NRM cant't be much work their..

 

[E&W Lucas]

I got a job on the railways 16 month ago but have worked at both the NYMR and NRM voluntary. I think it's about who you are as a person rather than anything else but being around a railway related environment will help you to get experience.

That's the crux of it.

The "railway skills" you gain on a preserved line, won't be taken especially seriously.

Preserved railways, or similar, are a good way for those with no workplace experience, or responsibility, to gain some.

 

[142094]

thanks for your reply,so what type of volanteer work at the NRM cant't be much work their..

Before sending in any sort of application form, I'd suggest running it through a spell-checker or getting someone to proof-read. Incorrect spelling and grammar will be one of the first things a potential employer looks for, and one of the areas where a lot of people fall down.

 

[telstarbox]

Does working on a heritage line help when it comes to safety-critical work on the big railway?

 

[D365]

Any form of volunteer work will prove beneficial to your CV. For example, I volunteer in a local charity shop, which is giving me experience in a retail environment and should help towards a part-time job in the near future. Not sure about preserved railways but it can't do any harm for sure

 

[Beveridges]

In the Interview it is essential to have safety-related skills and customer experience of some sort (if the job requires it) so if it means getting these experiences from working on a preserved railway then it could be very beneficial! Essential if there is no way you can get the experience from elsewhere, particularly if your current role does not help in any way to demonstrate those competencies.

 

[AlexS]

I referenced my preserved railway experience quite widely during the interview I had for my post and it evidently did me no harm as they hired me, heh. This is for a safety critical role.

 

[GNER 373]

thanks for your reply,so what type of volanteer work at the NRM cant't be much work their..

I worked all of Railfest last year on a lot of different locos and units. We were PTS trained as was I at the NYMR plus working in the depot is good experience for safety critical posts. I used these examples for my application for Driver, I think it was mentioned but I wouldn't say it got me the job.

 

[TDK]

I worked all of Railfest last year on a lot of different locos and units. We were PTS trained as was I at the NYMR plus working in the depot is good experience for safety critical posts. I used these examples for my application for Driver, I think it was mentioned but I wouldn't say it got me the job.

Experience on heritage railways will not get you a job however in some cases it will be beneficial but I wouldn't join one just for that reason. The weighting on interview is quite small and if a candidate thinks because they have worked on a heritage railway this is compatible to main line think again!

 

[Cab2Cab]

hello

in my previous job railway unrelated I have no skills to match the railway,so is it worth doing volantry work on a heritage railway to gain skills working with the public ect,as anyone done volanteer work on a heritage railway and now working on the mail network thanks.

Hi,

It will do you no harm, if you can commit yourself and have a genuine interest in the railway,

When you read posts on this forum some of the literature can fly over your head, but if you gained experience as a volunteer you could ask and relate to what has been posted on here, Track safety, signalling, operations, the list is endless and learn from old heads.

As posted, it would not walk you into a job but give you a insight of methods past at a slower pace.

Cheers

 

[AlexS]

Experience on heritage railways will not get you a job however in some cases it will be beneficial but I wouldn't join one just for that reason. The weighting on interview is quite small and if a candidate thinks because they have worked on a heritage railway this is compatible to main line think again!

Not directly transferable perhaps, but very useful nonetheless. My understanding of the 'bigger picture' outside my own role is, I would say, far better than many if not the majority of my colleagues, especially the newer hands that have never worked on a joined up railway who don't know and don't wish to know what is going on outside their silos. The key is to recognise the dividing line.

I would agree joining a heritage railway just because you think it will lead to a job elsewhere would be a massive mistake - you're unlikely to enjoy it and you won't get much out of it. Depending on recruiting managers it may not help you at all, in fact. My local TOC appears to like staff from my heritage railway, they've recruited a lot of them recently, however elsewhere in the industry I've heard the opposite.

You have to be totally committed to the aims and goals of the organisation to succeed there and I personally have no time for people who are in it just for themselves.

 

[Geargrinder]

Check out this link. She was a guard on the Snowdon Railway. I know that was probably a proper employed guards job but I don't think volunteering on a heritage line could harm your chances.
http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/about-ft...-to-become-uk’s-youngest-female-train-driver/

 

[90047]

That's the crux of it.

The "railway skills" you gain on a preserved line, won't be taken especially seriously.

Preserved railways, or similar, are a good way for those with no workplace experience, or responsibility, to gain some.

customer service skills would help.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Not directly transferable perhaps, but very useful nonetheless. My understanding of the 'bigger picture' outside my own role is, I would say, far better than many if not the majority of my colleagues, especially the newer hands that have never worked on a joined up railway who don't know and don't wish to know what is going on outside their silos. The key is to recognise the dividing line.

I would agree joining a heritage railway just because you think it will lead to a job elsewhere would be a massive mistake - you're unlikely to enjoy it and you won't get much out of it. Depending on recruiting managers it may not help you at all, in fact. My local TOC appears to like staff from my heritage railway, they've recruited a lot of them recently, however elsewhere in the industry I've heard the opposite.

You have to be totally committed to the aims and goals of the organisation to succeed there and I personally have no time for people who are in it just for themselves.

I've just started on the NYMR, I will gain customer service skills .

 

[E&W Lucas]

customer service skills would help.
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I've just started on the NYMR, I will gain customer service skills .

Depends what you will be doing, how regularly you will be doing it, and who you get the opportunity to work with/ learn from.

Also depends on your aptitude for the work.

 

[90047]

Depends what you will be doing, how regularly you will be doing it, and who you get the opportunity to work with/ learn from.

Also depends on your aptitude for the work.

station staff someone is training me ,I have learnt from station staff at York watching and learning.

 

[E&W Lucas]

I have learnt from station staff at York watching and learning.

It's a different world. Different procedures, and different problems.

 

[Beveridges]

The heritage experience won't just allow you to walk into a Station Staff role and skip any of the training, but the experience will help in an Interview/App form, counting for the same as any other experience in a typical Customer services job if you have good enough examples.

 

[Dave1987]

I have to say of the times I have visited preserved lines the attitude to safety is nowhere near the same level of mainline. During one visit I saw a volunteer in the 4 foot leaning up against the platform chatting to someone one on the platform without a high vis vest on without a care in the world. Things like that make me question whether experience on heritage lines is applicable to the main line as it certainly seemed the chap in question was a bit blasé about his own safety. Needless to say I didn't say anything to him.

 

[90047]

It's a different world. Different procedures, and different problems.

**** it then get a job in a factory.

 

[Jonfun]

station staff someone is training me ,I have learnt from station staff at York watching and learning.

Heh, I wouldn't expect a heritage line station staffing to be anything like York. On a heritage line, a good place to start is to develop the ability to keep a smile and a friendly manner even after you've got up at silly o'clock in the morning, tidied the station, had six people whinge at you because they think the prices are too expensive, answered the question "where are the toilets?" thirty two times, helped a family with an insane amount of buggies onboard to then be told "oh, no - wait! We wanted to go the other way", been collared by an enthusiast who seems puzzled that you don't know the location of engine number 46498 which visited the line for a couple of days in 1989 and thinks you're as interested in it as he is, and then the second you've closed up the office to take a twenty minute dinner break, had to put up with people banging on the window demanding to be sold a ticket. (Oh, and remember to add "Have a good trip" onto the end of every conversation.)

On a serious note though, provided you put time and effort into voluntary work whether that's at a heritage line or elsewhere, you'll get a lot out of it. I've volunteered in customer facing roles on heritage railways for coming on six years now, and for every shift that's like the above you'll get a good few which go without hassle and you'll quite often find a smile and showing a bit of enthusiasm for the job will see you through and see the customers going away happy.

@Dave1987 - By that logic, I saw a lady drive her car over a metal stump earlier in town, sending her engine oil streaming down Market Street -therefore all women drivers must be careless. Of course that isn't true, likewise whilst some heritage lines have little or no safety culture, many (especially the larger ones) do. I would assume in this case the NYMR adopts suitable safety measures, as would I, and I would think most heritage line staff would too.

Jon

 

[AlexS]

Heh, I wouldn't expect a heritage line station staffing to be anything like York. On a heritage line, a good place to start is to develop the ability to keep a smile and a friendly manner even after you've got up at silly o'clock in the morning, tidied the station, had six people whinge at you because they think the prices are too expensive, answered the question "where are the toilets?" thirty two times, helped a family with an insane amount of buggies onboard to then be told "oh, no - wait! We wanted to go the other way", been collared by an enthusiast who seems puzzled that you don't know the location of engine number 46498 which visited the line for a couple of days in 1989 and thinks you're as interested in it as he is, and then the second you've closed up the office to take a twenty minute dinner break, had to put up with people banging on the window demanding to be sold a ticket. (Oh, and remember to add "Have a good trip" onto the end of every conversation.)

On a serious note though, provided you put time and effort into voluntary work whether that's at a heritage line or elsewhere, you'll get a lot out of it. I've volunteered in customer facing roles on heritage railways for coming on six years now, and for every shift that's like the above you'll get a good few which go without hassle and you'll quite often find a smile and showing a bit of enthusiasm for the job will see you through and see the customers going away happy.

@Dave1987 - By that logic, I saw a lady drive her car over a metal stump earlier in town, sending her engine oil streaming down Market Street -therefore all women drivers must be careless. Of course that isn't true, likewise whilst some heritage lines have little or no safety culture, many (especially the larger ones) do. I would assume in this case the NYMR adopts suitable safety measures, as would I, and I would think most heritage line staff would too.

Jon

Sounds no different to my everyday experiences working on a fairly busy mainline railway station, with the exception of probably an order of magnitude in terms of passenger numbers and a bit more in terms of abuse, as well as far more paperwork and phonecalls to deal with!

Otherwise it's amusing to me how similar the two generally are.

 

[Beveridges]

The thing with abuse at a mainline station is you don't have to take or tolerate any of it. Plenty of backup is available in the form of BTP and other staff as well as always being able to walk away to a secure office after politely asking them to "f--k off"

 

[Dave1987]

@jonfun yes but if one person could be that blasé about their own safety and not be picked up on it by a Manager (or whatever they call the hierarchy on preserved lines) what else could be going on the is very unsafe that isn't picked up on? I seem to remember that a bloke was killed on the NYMR due to a driver not securing the "reverser" in place and the guy was crushed by the loco!! So even the NYMR isn't smelling of roses.

 

[transportphoto]

Heh, I wouldn't expect a heritage line station staffing to be anything like York. On a heritage line, a good place to start is to develop the ability to keep a smile and a friendly manner even after you've got up at silly o'clock in the morning, tidied the station, had six people whinge at you because they think the prices are too expensive, answered the question "where are the toilets?" thirty two times, helped a family with an insane amount of buggies onboard to then be told "oh, no - wait! We wanted to go the other way", been collared by an enthusiast who seems puzzled that you don't know the location of engine number 46498 which visited the line for a couple of days in 1989 and thinks you're as interested in it as he is, and then the second you've closed up the office to take a twenty minute dinner break, had to put up with people banging on the window demanding to be sold a ticket. (Oh, and remember to add "Have a good trip" onto the end of every conversation.)

And that is life at a heritage railway! I can relate to all of that!

 

[Cab2Cab]

It's a different world. Different procedures, and different problems.

get a job in a factory.

Hi,

I don't think E&W Lucas means any harm by their comments but it will be a different working environment to the real railway.

Working on the heritage railway will give you a valuable insight to the railway environment. It will give you the chance to learn about basic railway operations/railway terminology and the chance to ask any questions to volunteers who are perhaps ex-railway staff and go beyond station duties.

If you applied to a TOC in future years somewhere along the line they will probably ask you about 'customer service' or 'dealing with customers', working on gala days or bank holidays on the heritage railway will be busy and could be errant with problems.

Best of luck.

 

[Jonfun]

@jonfun yes but if one person could be that blasé about their own safety and not be picked up on it by a Manager (or whatever they call the hierarchy on preserved lines) what else could be going on the is very unsafe that isn't picked up on? I seem to remember that a bloke was killed on the NYMR due to a driver not securing the "reverser" in place and the guy was crushed by the loco!! So even the NYMR isn't smelling of roses.

Don't worry, I'm not for a second saying that there aren't railways out there that aren't safety conscious - in fact I've been shocked seeing things on several occasions myself at various lines. It's just it isn't fair to say that just because one or two places haven't a good safety culture that no heritage railway does. At my main railway it's constantly drilled into us that we have to take operational safety seriously and there's big red notices at the booking on points to that effect - management will take action as necessary if procedures aren't being followed.

I'm not involved with the NYMR so it wouldn't be fair for me to make any comment on whether it's 'smelling of roses' or not, but that incident in question wasn't nice to hear about for anyone who works on any preserved railway. At the end of the day, even with the best safety record in the world, it's entirely possible for anyone to bugger things up once in a while, and realistically if you're working in an operational capacity with trains, whether that's on a preserved line or the mainline, if you make a mistake at the wrong time the consequences can be great, as has been seen there.

 

[455driver]

I've just started on the NYMR, I will gain customer service skills .

The last time I was at the NYMR (a long time ago I admit) "customer service" was non existant and they made us feel like we were getting in the way of them playing trains!

Its probably changed a lot now but I prefer to put my hard earned into railways that make you feel welcome (as long as you are being sensible of course).

 

[E&W Lucas]

**** it then get a job in a factory.

My "railway career" started on the platforms at Grosmont. As a schoolboy in the 1980s, at an age much younger than you would be allowed to now. I still drive for them, on occasion. What I am saying to you, is don't turn up, thinking that you know what to do, just because you have stood on the platform at York.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Working on the heritage railway will give you a valuable insight to the railway environment. It will give you the chance to learn about basic railway operations/railway terminology and the chance to ask any questions to volunteers who are perhaps ex-railway staff and go beyond station duties.

If you applied to a TOC in future years somewhere along the line they will probably ask you about 'customer service' or 'dealing with customers', working on gala days or bank holidays on the heritage railway will be busy and could be errant with problems.

Best of luck.

There are some very good railwaymen in the heritage sector, and plenty that have wished to, have moved onto the mainline in recent years. But they are people who would have got on anyway. You still need aptitude for the key jobs in the heritage sector.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

@jonfun yes but if one person could be that blasé about their own safety and not be picked up on it by a Manager (or whatever they call the hierarchy on preserved lines) what else could be going on the is very unsafe that isn't picked up on? I seem to remember that a bloke was killed on the NYMR due to a driver not securing the "reverser" in place and the guy was crushed by the loco!! So even the NYMR isn't smelling of roses.

Before you make any further comments, can I suggest that you read the RAIB report, and take note of the driver's background.

Don't take this the wrong way. I am as shocked as anyone by what happened; to me, those involved aren't just statistics. And the "manager" up there used to run something fairly significant for BR - the ECML.