The cost of Heritage Railway membership

Over the past few years, what with the recent financial environment and all that, I've cut back on the number of railways I belong to, but I do recall the membership costs do vary quite a bit, from just a few pounds a year, to several tens of pounds.

What do YOU pay to be a part of your favourite heritage railway; and what do you get for your money?

I'll start off with the L&B:

£22 per year (individual) [£28 for a family, plus other concessions]; Three excellent magazines (A5, full colour) and newsletters.

 

But no discounted rates are offered to members purchasing L&B train tickets !!!

Chris

 

BLUEBELL RAILWAY
Adult - £20.00 (for 1 year) or £85.00 (for 5 years);
Senior Citizen (Over 60) - £12.00 (for 1 year) or £50.00 (for 5 years);
Family (2 Adults & up to 3 children under 16) - £33.00 (for 1 year) or £140.00 (for 5 years);
Life Member - £450.00
Senior Life Member (over 60) - £300.00

Benefits of Membership:
Free admission to the stations, museum and locomotive running sheds during normal opening hours.
Unlimited travel at greatly reduced rates in 3rd class coaches; or for life members FREE 1st class travel is available on all normal timetabled trains.
FREE copy each quarter of the award winning Society magazine, Bluebell News.
Discount of 10% on selected bookshop items.

A complete set of membership rates can be viewed at >>> http://www.bluebell-railway.com/event/membership/

 

Cambrian Railways Trust: Adult, £15 per year or £36 for 3 years. Family, £36 per year or £90 for 3 years. Life, £200
Travel concessions and newsletters included.

 

Why are you a member of your chosen railways? Do you genuinely support their aims and objectives or are the concessions more important?

I would expect any annual membership fee to cover the cost of 'the offer' - the magazines and travel, as well as including a donation towards the railway's current and future costs. Clearly many railways structure their membership fees differently but I would not expect any of them to be a give-away! For those railways that are registered as a charity there are rules regarding the benefits that can be provided to members.

IWSR - Adult membership is £20 per year providing a quarterly magazine and three third class travel tickets per year.

 

I've never joined a railway/loco owning group for the concessions. I join to contribute financially, physically or both.

 

Quite right! as JFK (almost) said: "Ask not what your railway can do for you..."

As more detailed figures have been given for other lines, here is the L&B subscription structure in more detail:

Annual membership
* Individual (Over 18) - £22 * Senior (Over 65) - £16 * Senior Couple (One over 65) - £22 * Family (up to 2 adults & 3 children under 18) - £28 * Junior (Under 18) - £12 * Corporate - £105

Life Membership
* Individual (Over 18) - £400 * Joint (One over 18) - £600 * Senior (Over 65) - £200 * Senior Couple (One over 65) - £300

This also gives joint ownership of the railway, and voting rights at General Meetings. As Islander mentioned, as a charity however, there are restrictions on what can be offered as "perks".

 

Surely whatever the subscription you should join to help preserve your heritage not to get some sort of wonderful benefits from it

 

Mid Norfolk Railway, to voluenteer on the Northern section when I can (doing some more this Sunday and the next) £18n inc four mags and money off travel
M&GN (NNR) £8 student membership, for Jointline and to contribute now and again

GCR £15 student, for the magazine and to visit galas etc as I live part time in Leicester. Only been twice but hope to increase this

 

Where do you volunteer? At the ELR you need to be a member to be a volunteer, but I have heard of other lines where you don't.

 

The Northampton & Lamport Railway /Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society membership rates are

Student £5-00 per year or £10-00 for 3 years* Need proof of student status, passport photo as this is a unpaid/volunteer working membership - with regular attendance at the line
Ordinary £12-00 per year or £175-00 for life
Family £18-00 per year or £200-00 for life
Retired £6-00 per year or £85-00 for life
Joint Retired £10-00 per year or £100-00 for life

Volunteer/Working memberships are at no additional cost, but a passport photograph is required for the staff ID pass.
All members of the railway are required to be members of the preservation society.

Benefits:
a) Voting rights in preservation society elections etc (except for Student Membership)
b) 3 free rides per year as a passenger ie not working on the train/railway (except for Student Membership)
c) Special rate fares for purchased tickets
d) Copy of the 'Premier Line' magazine
e) Discounts in the shop
f) Opportunity to learn new skills or pass on your knowledge

See http://www.nlr.org.uk/membership.htm for more details

 

Jim he means he joins to be a part of a railway and doesn't join to get cheap rates. Lol

 

Stainmore Railway Company:

4 x Newsletters = £10 annually.

Shareholders (£10 a share) get free entry to events and free footplate rides.

 

SVR
Adults £17, seniors £14, juniors £7, students £11, family £28, life £340, joint senior £24, joint life £480 (3 year deals are available on some)
Prices are going up next year but not as much as originally proposed.

Benefits: Half price 3rd class travel for normal services, with reductions in First class charge
Reduction in prices for galas.
SVR News magazine currently quaterly
AGM of SVR(G)
Volunteering

 

Churnet Valley;
http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/main/nsrc.php

Swanage
http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/n-member.htm

No mention of membership on Llangollen's that I can find though...
http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/site-map.php

 

I always believed that to volunteer anywhere you had to be a fully paid up member due to insurance policies

 

That is often the case, but it ain't necessarily so - it depends on the organisation, structure and the insurance company. The L&B, for example, has a number of volunteers who are not members.