Volunteer Find Out More Days!
Are you interested in volunteering at the Spa Valley Railway but unsure about how to proceed? Why not join one of our 'Find Out More' sessions?
The dates for 2025 are below. To ensure we have a means of contacting you in case we need to cancel or make changes to the day, please register by booking free tickets below.
- Sunday 17th August (Meet at 09:30, Tunbridge Wells West, inside the Engine Shed under our canopy)
- Saturday 6th September (Meet at 09:30, Tunbridge Wells West, inside the Engine Shed under our canopy)
- Sunday 12th October (Meet at 09:30, Tunbridge Wells West, inside the Engine Shed under our canopy)
The meeting place is Tunbridge Wells West station inside the Engine Shed in our undercover area.
Please ensure you register at the bottom of the page before meeting one of our volunteers at Tunbridge Wells West station.
You’ll be taken on a guided tour of the Spa Valley Railway, showing you all the various parts of the railway and where and how you can get involved volunteering with us. We will provide the opportunity for you to ask questions about multiple roles, and anticipate the session will finish around 2 hours after it has started.
Age Restrictions
You must be 16 or over to volunteer. If you know someone aged 14-16 who wants to volunteer, they can attend a Find Out More Day, but they must have a parent or registered guardian with them who is then prepared to volunteer with them and act as their direct supervisor until they turn 16. For safety reasons, we cannot permit those under the age of 16 to volunteer in any unsupervised roles, nor are we able to provide direct supervision for this scenario ourselves.
Mainline Railway Staff
We often receive enquiries from mainline staff members who would like to volunteer at our railway driving trains, and we gladly welcome you. However, please be aware that our railway operations and requirements may differ significantly from what you are accustomed to.
Operationally, our volunteers are required to perform coupling and uncoupling regularly, operate ground frames and hand points, act as persons in charge, lead shunting activities, and assist with the maintenance and restoration of our valuable rolling stock. There are no fitters to call upon to fill the engine oil up; our loco crews would do that. We, of course, provide this training; however, irrespective of your background, we require you to be competent in these areas before we can let you drive a train.
Safety and Medical Limitations
The Spa Valley Railway welcomes volunteers; however, we must ensure that the role is safe for both the applicant and other volunteers, as well as for the general public and anyone they may come into contact with while volunteering at the Spa Valley Railway.
Where necessary, mandatory safety training and equipment will be provided. It is expected that all volunteers will be in a suitable state of physical fitness and health to undertake the role. Depending on the role, a full medical examination will be required by our independent healthcare professional, and a self-certifying medical questionnaire will need to be completed.
Anyone wishing to undertake a Safety Critical Role, which includes Driver, Fireman, 2nd Man, Guard, Signalman and other roles, will be required to complete this medical examination before any competency is awarded. Our independent medical provider conducts this medical examination. Please contact us if you have any concerns or questions regarding this topic.
Routes of progression – Where do I begin, our two most common roles!
- I want to be a steam driver!
- That's great, becoming a steam driver can take some time, though. You will start as an engine cleaner on the steam locomotives. This is a dirty job, which begins early and can finish late.
- Our typical steam crew working hours are 06:00 to 18:00, and you need to be able to commit to this schedule to ensure progression. You will be cleaning the locomotives, emptying the pits of ash, assisting in the engine shed and becoming familiar with the components of a steam engine.
- After 'yard' turns, you will be invited out on the footplate of the locomotive, where you will begin to learn what it takes operationally and physically to become a Fireman. The Fireman is the person on the footplate responsible for ensuring the locomotive has enough steam and water for the tasks at hand. It is a mandatory competence you must hold before being considered for the role of steam driver.
- Learning to become a Fireman involves not only shovelling the coal and managing the level of water in the boiler, but a whole host of operational tasks such as operating ground frames, coupling and uncoupling, learning the rules of the railway, acting as a Person In Charge, shunting, demonstrating non-technical skills and lots more.
- Once you are in a position to be able to do all of this without further tuition and the relevant theoretical examinations have been completed, you will be assessed in the role of Passed Cleaner, which is a Fireman under probation. Following a period in this role and demonstrating your level of competence meets the grade of Fireman, you are assessed again as a Fireman.
- The road to Driver doesn't start straight away. Firing will still be new to you, but the opportunity to have a little go may be given, and it is not a grade that everyone is suitable for or wants to achieve. We manage this at a local level when you are established in the role of a Fireman.
- If you are competent on another heritage railway as a Fireman or Steam Driver, then we do offer fast-track opportunities. Please contact us to discuss.
- I want to be a diesel driver!
- That's great, becoming a diesel driver can take some time, though. You will start as a 3rd Man on the diesel locomotives. This can be a dirty job; you will be expected to work on the track and diesel locomotives. This is the starting grade for everyone who wants to learn how to drive a diesel, and as a 3rd Man, you are training as a 2nd Man.
- Our typical diesel crew working hours are 08:00 to 18:00, and you need to be able to commit to this schedule to ensure progression.
- Learning to become a 2nd Man involves not only travelling on the locomotive and keeping an eye out for the signals, but a whole host of operational tasks such as operating ground frames, coupling and uncoupling, learning the rules of the railway, acting as a Person In Charge, shunting, demonstrating non-technical skills, assisting with the prepartion of a diesel locomotive and understanding the relevant parts that apply to you and lots more.
- Once you are in a position to be able to do all of this without further tuition and the relevant theoretical examinations have been completed, you will be assessed in the role of Competent 3rd Man, which is a 2nd Man under probation. Following a period in this role and demonstrating your level of competence meets the grade of 2nd Man, you are assessed again as a 2nd Man. Being a 2nd Man is a mandatory role on the route to becoming a competent driver. Progression can be expedited if you already have a background working with mainline locomotives and the necessary coupling and shunting procedures. However, you must still progress through our route to competence.
- The road to Driver doesn't start straight away. Being a 2nd Man will still be new to you, but the opportunity to have a little go may be given, and it is not a grade that everyone is suitable for or wants to achieve. We manage this at a local level when you are established in the role of a 2nd Man.
- If you are competent on another heritage railway as a 2nd Man or Diesel Driver, then we do offer fast-track opportunities. Please contact us to discuss.
Attended a Volunteer Find Out More day? Please complete this form here.