Volunteering-Induction session

Hi all,

I'll be going to my induction session at the Swanage railway in a few days time,
to be specific the 'passenger services department(TTI)'. And i was wondering if some members on here either from Swanage or another heritage railway can tell my what to expect from it,
ie; what does the induction session involve?

cheers.

 

This may not be the same, but on the Severn Valley Railway, it generally involves a trip on the line with other inductees along with a general introduction to the rules and operation of a heritage railway. I believe a loco shed tour is also included as well as meeting some current volunteers. Of course, Swanage may be completely different! Hope this helps...

 

Tom

I can't speak with great authority on the induction process as I never actually went on the course (I've been a volunteer for quite a bit longer than they have been run in the current format...!). I have however been involved in the second part of the course for quite a few of the recent inductees in the Operations Department.

As I understand it, on arrival for your induction you will be met by the Volunteer Liaison Officer, Mike Whitwam. He will give you an introduction to the Railway, how it is structured, the various departments etc and a little bit about where the railway wants to be in the future. He will give you a brief tour of the Swanage area, and also complete the volunteer registration paperwork etc.

After this first stage, he will normally endeavour to introduce you to the person who will be your departmental head, in your case the Passenger Services Manager, Martin Trott. He will be able to give you a more detailed description of the department, the work involved, and probably give you a brief tour around some of the department's key locations (eg Swanage booking office).

The induction normally goes on for a couple of hours, which in my experience is roughly split 50/50 between the two parts. If you have any more questions, please do let me know.

Regards

Nick Lloyd
Deputy Operations Manager
Swanage Railway

 

Thanks for the replies