Volunteering On The Corris Railway

The Corris Railway has no paid staff and is very unlikely to have any in the foreseeable future. Everyone you will meet and see during a visit is doing whatever job they are carrying out because they enjoy it. And as volunteers come from as far afield as Sussex, London and the East and West Midlands they must be enjoying their role. However there aren’t that many in the unpaid workforce and more hands, no matter how skilled or otherwise, are always welcome. You may have read other parts of the website or are planning to look there next and be asking yourself “how have they achieved what they have or how are they planning to carry out the major future projects?” We have asked the same ourselves sometimes but progress continues. You can help to take us forward.

What roles are there on the Corris Railway? We have steam and diesel locos which work our passenger and works trains and that means jobs for footplate crew and guards. There is mechanical engineering, woodwork and painting to be done as we build and maintain our recreations of the original Corris Railway carriages and waggons. Signalmen (called blockmen on the Corris) control the trains. Civil engineering includes track maintenance and laying for those who like the idea of cardio-vascular exercise in the fresh air of the Dulas Valley or there is plenty of vegetation control to be undertaken, both on the re-opened section of line and along the route of the section we look to re-open as the next stage of reviving the oldest narrow gauge railway in Mid Wales. We also have volunteers who work in the shop and Museum at Corris station where the job also entails selling train tickets, taking payments for goods sold and serving mugs of tea and coffee. Gala Day, Santa Trains and Special Days for Families can be “all hands on deck”.

Training for roles on the Corris Railway is carried out to make sure that everyone working and visiting has an enjoyable and safe day out. Most of our current volunteers now have more skills and a wider circle of friends than they did before volunteering. So why not join us?

The one stipulation is that you become a member of the Corris Railway. This not only entitles you to free rides, access to parts of the railway outside the public areas but most importantly means that you are insured against injury to yourself or others while you are volunteering.

If you are interested please e-mail volunteering@corris.co.uk and we will be in touch.

TICKET OFFICE: Pre-booking is advisable! Tickets are limited, passengers are advised to book in advance through our websiteBook Now