Join The Team
Railcar restoration is a unique experience, even within the railway world. Railcars combine the cosmetic and interior refurbishment that the travelling public enjoy (usually associated with carriage restoration) with the mechanical and engineering systems that diesel locomotives offer. Returning our Power-Twin set to service gave the challenges of two coaches and two diesel locomotives, meaning there was something for everyone. With that set in service, we regularly undertake maintenance work as well as progressing our third major restoration, unique centre-trailer M59137.
Who Qualifies?
All of the group’s work has been achieved entirely with volunteers: a small but dedicated team that has, at times, been as small as just three people. Extra volunteers (rare as hen’s teeth!) greatly speed up the process of returning vehicles into service, as the list of tasks to complete a restoration is a long one, and a challenge to say the least. The group is very interested to hear from anyone who may be considering volunteering at our base at the Churnet Valley Railway near Leek, Staffordshire.
No railway experience is required, and existing group members come from all walks of life, contributing as much or as little as they wish. Some can help at weekends (typically Sundays), with others attending once every few months. There is no binding contract, and no fee! Group members volunteer as a form of enjoyment, and many volunteers would agree that the work is often an effective “escape” from everyday life.
There are many more DMU vehicles on the CVR still to restore, but volunteers are required to keep the dream alive. The BRCW Group has no membership fee, and the more volunteers we can recruit, the faster results will be. Group members can be found on one day most weekends at the CVR, with additional work carried out mid-week as shift patterns of volunteers allow. Why not come down and give it a try? Meet new people down at the railway whilst at the same time resurrecting a unique British built vehicle.
To arrange a meeting, drop us an E-mail and we'll get you started helping keep our heritage alive for others to enjoy.
Click on the picture and drop us an E-mail if your interested in joining the team!
Our Activities
Although we have members who are happy "all rounders" prepared to tackle a variety of restoration tasks, we also welcome (and are often in need of) volunteers with specific preferences or skills. Do you have any of those skills listed below that could be useful? Perhaps you would enjoy joining us!
Woodworking
(We are now at the stage where many wooden components are made from scratch using lengths of hardwood. Other components nearly always need repairs)
Metalwork
(Class 104's are famed for their rotten bodies! There is a mixture of areas requiring repairs, or in the case of M59137, whole vehicle re-skins to be found in a restoration)
Engines
(Each powercar has two Leyland horizontal bus engines underneath. At 50 years old, these need the attention of fitters etc as part of our rolling maintenance program)
Electrical
(Many of the systems we deal with are electronic and haven't seen use for many years)
Painting/Bodywork
(Considerable time and effort is spent on getting the best possible external finish for our vehicles)
General
(More general skills can be used in simply returning components that haven't been clean for 30 years back to original condition)
