Richard

Richard - Guard

Perhaps the most enjoyable thing is operating the train in the same way that it used to be done in the days of steam.   We follow very similar rules, and it helps you to understand why things are done in a certain way.   For example, in my job as a guard I have to make sure that the coaches we use are safe and sound.   We have a check-list that we go through each time, checking that the bearings are oiled, the brakes working properly, the communication cord in good order, and so on.   When everything is ready, we report the weight of the train to the driver so that he knows how much force is needed to start and stop it.   Before you become a qualified guard, you go through a training regime which usually involves at least a dozen full-day sessions, working with an experienced guard, until you have shown that you are competent to operate alone.

In some of the trains we use, the guard is in a separate compartment and only in contact with passengers while the train is at a platform.   It’s more fun when you ride in a coach with open saloons like our auto trailers, where you can talk to the passengers, show them what you are doing and why.   As the coach is always leading the train when travelling in one direction, we can explain the controls to interested passengers.   Most visitors are not familiar with historic trains, but on one occasion I had a lovely Pakistani family riding with me.   The married couple’s father was with them, and although he couldn’t speak any English, his children told me how much he enjoyed his day, seeing the old ways of working again.   It can be very rewarding when passengers want to know more about how we operate.

The final appeal of volunteering is knowing that you are helping to preserve a bygone culture and presenting it to people who have no first-hand knowledge of it.   In my 70s, I’m old enough to remember steam trains as an every-day experience, but the majority of people don’t have those memories.   Life and culture were very different from today, and we can show and explain how things used to be done in a more labour-intensive yet in many ways more relaxed time.   We wear uniforms and caps, which people today are much less used to seeing.   When I was young, not only railway staff but also bus drivers and conductors wore uniforms, and you used to see many more servicemen in their uniforms.   One of the most enjoyable days I had was on a photographic charter, when a group of 4 men and 4 women joined the train, all dressed in civilian clothes in the style of the 1940s.   At one point, one couple recreated the famous scene from the film Brief Encounter when the 2 stroll through a cloud of steam emitted by the engine.   Their attention to detail was superb; one man had even bought special 1940s-style glasses from Specsavers specially for the occasion.

The first step to becoming a volunteer is to join the Great Western Society - the Charity that runs Didcot Railway Centre.

We need volunteers to carry out all types of tasks - see the opportunities across our departments here.

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