Engineering
The railway is fortunate to have significant skills and equipment to enable the preservation, refurbishment and maintenance of our large fleet of locomotives and rolling stock. We always welcome extra help, during the week as well as the weekends. The jobs are wide and varied, including work on our own projects and also Contract Engineering where the Severn Valley Railway undertakes work for external clients.
Motive Power Department – Bridgnorth
Requirements are for people who are willing to commit to attend at fairly regular intervals, preferably, but not exclusively, during the week. Full training will be provided and examples of the tasks involved range from the casting of bricks for locomotive brick arches to the manufacture of boiler door gaskets. Anyone who has basic engineering knowledge will also be welcomed to carry out machining and fitting duties.
Carriage and Wagon Department – Bewdley
There are opportunities here for a number of skilled and semi-skilled bodywork fitters, Previous experience on coach bodies is not essential although a level of accomplishment in some of the following areas is important:
Woodwork, Metalwork, Welding/Brazing, Glazing, Electrics, Upholstery and Painting.
Assistance with the maintenance of the workshop buildings and equipment would also be helpful. This could include:
Mending gutters, replacing broken windows, changing machine blades and repairing broken machinery
These tasks may well suit a person who has had workshop services experience, perhaps in a school or college environment.
Carriage and Wagon Department – Kidderminster
There are a number of opportunities for volunteers:-
Door Locks – assistance is needed to overhaul door locks for the SVR fleet of coaches as well as building up a stock for sale or exchange with other railways. This role would ideally suit someone with light engineering or model making experience.
The operational fleet of coaches is serviced and maintained at our workshops in Kidderminster. Assistance is required to deal with all aspects of mechanical and electrical maintenance and repair. An engineering background would be an advantage, but not essential.
Rewarding Work
Working on the Severn Valley Railway as a volunteer can be a very rewarding experience. If you are looking to join a motivated team you can be sure of a warm welcome, proper training, safety briefings and a friendly and sociable atmosphere. You will also be making a very significant contribution to the ongoing success of our railway!
As always, more information is available from the Volunteer Liaison Office at Bewdley. Please contact us on 01299 401776 or by email at vlo@svrlive.com
Machining a copper tubeplate on our horizontal borer.
Casting firebricks.
Bodywork repairs on GWR Saloon 80969 in Bewdley paintshop.
GWR Siphon G 1257 part way through a comprehensive rebuild.
A stripped down carriage door lock.
Brake parts are re-furbished in the mechanical section of Kidderminster Carriage works.
A vacuum brake cylinder under test.