Volunteers are welcome to lend a hand on the L&B for anything from a single afternoon, a day, a week or for as many months as you like! There are jobs available for almost anyone, whatever your level of skill and however long you are able to help. Whilst experienced people are always welcome, most of our volunteers arrive for the first time knowing very little or even nothing about railways or trains.

If you are looking for a chance to do something new we will be pleased to help you choose between the many jobs that are available. If you are already skilled or have a particular area of work in mind, we will also be pleased to welcome you on-board!

By joining in and helping with the running of the railway, whatever area of work you prefer to help with, you can be a part of the Lynton & Barnstaple community. There will be the opportunity to make new friends as well as the satisfaction of your own contribution in helping the railway continue to evolve and develop. Whatever your age, background or even whatever the time of year, there is always something to be done! Where required, training can be given, enabling you to pick up new skills.

Areas of Work

Below is listed a selection of possible areas of work on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (it is definitely not an exhaustive list!). Remember that you do not have to restrict yourself to any particular job or function.

Front of House:

Shop sales - This is the main commercial front to the railway and of course our main source of income, so is very important to us. Skills required or that you can learn include shelf-stocking, money handling, offering general advice and dealing with ticket sales. We also occasionally need people to help represent the railway on sales and publicity stands and selected events around the country.

Train Operating - This work involves train guards (who are responsible for the safety of trains and dealing with passengers), checking tickets, carriage cleaning and train controllers. Within this area of the railway, skills that should be acquired include customer care, cleaning and safety.

Marketing - The railway requires constant marketing. We need to encourage people both locally and nationally to visit the railway, and we do this through the production of leaflets and other materials. We are also regularly featured in the media and have a constantly evolving website. If you find the North Devon guesthouse you stay in doesn’t have our leaflets, why not take them some!

Engineering and Maintenance:

Loco maintenance / Footplate Crews - Every day trains are running as well as on many working party days throughout the year we require loco drivers. On steam days we also require firemen. As well as simply firing up locomotives at the start of the day, they also require cleaning and regular maintenance. All new entrants to the footplate crews will start as cleaners / secondmen and work with existing experienced crews following a carefully drawn out training programme.

Machine tool skills - The railway has a workshop on the outskirts of Bratton Fleming with machine facilities. Skilled and willing volunteers are required to help throughout the year with ongoing maintenance and construction. There is a wide variety skills needed here including carriage building and maintenance, assembly, welding, fabricating, painting, routine repair, maintenance and refurbishment, electrical skills, specialist draftsman and more.

Joinery and carpentry - At various times we often require specialists in this field to help with the repair and restoration work being carried out both at the station and on rolling stock. Such opportunities also exist within some local area groups where small rolling stock and other projects have been taken on.

Painting - This can cover everything from sign writing, to interior decoration and vehicle repaints. We always need skilled painters to help with lettering work and interior paint finishes. Other opportunities also exist for those who want to get dirty and help apply protective paint to rolling stock underframes and external surfaces.

Electrical - This can cover everything from changing a light bulb through to Installation of new lighting, maintenance of existing systems, or rewiring of outdated systems.

Civil engineering and track maintenance - Civil Engineering and permanent way is another major area of work on the railway and is what provides us with a safe track on which we can run our trains. Existing track requires maintenance and there are often small jobs like ballast packing on the existing line. We also have quite a significant number of miles of additional new railway to build in future years! - this requires design work, construction, machine operation, management track laying.

Signals and telecommunications - Long term projects currently in progress including setting up of electronic token systems, full interlocking of points and signalling for Woody Bay, railway telephone communications (including down the line), and radio communications. We have a number of experienced specialists already helping, but their time remains limited. The more people who can volunteer to help, who possess skills in these areas, the quicker we can implement these projects. All the existing S&T then also needs ongoing maintenance.

Gardening - This is a job that almost anyone can usually help out with! There is a lot of grass that needs cutting regularly throughout the season. We also have to maintain fences, trim hedges and look after flowerbeds in order to keep the station’s appearance up to a high standard.

So you’re interested?…

Please get in contact with the railway and let us know what you’d be interested in doing. Don’t forget to also check out our handy hints & tips!