Helston Railway - Volunteers

The original Helston Railway Preservation Society was formed at a meeting held in the Chy-an-Albany Hotel, St Ives, on the 18th May 2002, with an objective  to restore to running order and re-open as a heritage railway, as much of the old Helston Branch Line as possible. The long term aim is to re-open a three mile section of the branch line between Nancegollan and Helston Water-ma-Trout.

With the kind permission of the landowner, a volunteer labour force started clearing the track bed at Trevarno Estate on Sunday 24th April 2005.

Helston Railway is run and staffed by volunteers, we have no paid staff, and so we rely on our dedicated group of volunteers to continue to develop, build and operate our railway.

Our volunteers come from all walks of life, you do not have to be a railway enthusiast to contribute to our project. Whatever skills you have can be used at our railway.

Depending on your interests and the skills you can offer, our volunteers help out in 3 main areas:

Running the heritage railway

This involves welcoming members of the public who come to visit us.  Dependant on your preferences this could be working in our shop or buffet, driving or being the guard on the train, or acting as Duty Manager for the day.  You will need to learn about the railway so you can answer questions that you may be asked.  Working with the public means you need to be very friendly, chatty and welcoming!

Building the developing railway

Our railway needs to be maintained and we are still in the process of opening new facilities and laying more track.  So this area of our project needs people who are willing to work with our track gang, maintain our rolling stock and equipment, keep the lineside tidy, wield paintbrushes, build platforms and buildings.  So if you have building, carpentry, engineering or gardening skills – or in fact anything you’d like to get involved with we can find something for you.

Pulling everything together...

As with all things we need organising – so help with administration and spreading the message about our railway is a vital part of helping to make us successful. This could involve helping put together newsletters or attending model railway shows and exhibitions, all of which promote the work we do.