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volunteering

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Who was Dr Beeching?  Yes, he closed lots of railways and stations.  But his ideas are behind the national network as we know it today - fast intercity passenger trains and fast, environmentally friendly bulk freight.

Check him out

One reason they lost all this money was because they were labour intensive.   Labour (i.e. people's wages) is the largest expense for any business.  Heritage railways can only work if they have free labour, and they needs lots of it.  The national network is always looking for ways to reduce labour by automation and technology. It needs to to survive.

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Take the Micawber Test to understand more about Beeching and labour costs

This is why Heritage railways could not operate without volunteers.  A volunteer is somebody who works for nothing.  Who would do that?  

Well, you might because you like trains . . . a lot.  Which is why you are here!

You might because you want to work in the rail industry when you leave school and you think it might help you get a job if you volunteer on a heritage line.  You'd be right about that, but there's some stuff you need to know first

The Victorians who built the railways had a brilliant solution to the problem of labour costs.  They used children because you could pay them almost nothing and nobody bothered much if they were injured or even died . (Maybe their parents did because it was a loss to the family income). 

Horrible Histories   Vile Victorians  Be an exploited child labourer and get absolutely no compensat

Horrible Histories Vile Victorians Be an exploited child labourer and get absolutely no compensat

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That is why you cannot volunteer (i.e. work for nothing) on a heritage railway.  Laws were passed in 1920 and 1933 to protect you from this sort of stuff on railways. 

 

If you think Horrible Histories is for Y7 and child labour does not or cannot happen now, you'd better watch this next one. And remember that in Victorian times, Y7 kids went to work, not school!

Child Labour Awareness Video

Child Labour Awareness Video

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These days, we're more worried about protecting you from hazards and risks, which is ironic when you think that's exactly what the Victorians (and later) didn't care about!

So, we need a good reason for you to be on a heritage railway, and cheap, expendable labour isn't it!  

A good reason is the opposite of the Victorian one - youth development.  That means giving you the opportunity to learn new skills that cannot be learned in the school classroom.  They might be engineering skills, like using a lathe.  They might be people skills like helping passenegers and clipping their tickets. Whatever they are, if they are youth development, they will be risk-assessed and have a proper programme of activities to develop you..

It also means giving you the opportunity to talk to other teenagers who think and feel like you do and, very importantly, to talk to friendly adults who can answer your questions and help you think about your future.

Not all heritage railways offer this opportunity, but some do.  They don't all advertise as some have found that they get enough young people coming without advertising!  So, there's no harm in asking at your local line - just be careful that they're offering youth development and not child exploitation.

The list below is not exhaustive, but these are examples of  good development schemes for young people that have been going for some time.  Be warned - some of them have waiting lists!

Click the image to find out more.

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