General
Become a Volunteer
Looking to make a difference?
Driving a steam locomotive is one of the more challenging roles.
Volunteer today!
The Middleton Railway is run entirely by volunteers, and so any of our staff that you may have seen when visiting the railway will be volunteers. In all parts of the railway our volunteers perform a variety of exciting and challenging roles, and you would be welcome to join them.
A team of volunteers working on a special project to overhaul a goods wagon.
Would you like to keep Leeds' history alive?
We are always looking for interested people who can spare some time to help us. You would not have to commit lots of time, although there are some roles that do require a significant time commitment. In particular we quite often arrange special projects for groups, so that you could take part in such a project without necessarily committing to anything else one the project was finished.
Shop staff busy during a day when our Santa special trains were running.
Are you looking to share your skills, or learn new ones?
There is a wide range of volunteering opportunities available, and these cover virtually every aspect of the Railway’s activities. Some of the roles involve manual work, and in particular if you do not mind getting your hands dirty there are plenty of opportunities. But if that sort of role is not for you there is also a wide range of choices.
Some of our volunteer engineers in the workshop.
Are you looking to make new friends?
Volunteering has many benefits to offer to you, as well as to the railway. It will present you with the opportunity to meet new people, from all walks of life, such as the ones shown here. It can also enable you to gain worthwhile skills, and we can promise that it will result in a real sense of achievement.
A guard (left) on a special passenger train. At one time he was also the editor of our magazine The Old Run.
Are you ready for a new adventure?
There are many different areas of the railway in which you could choose to volunteer, but the boundaries between them are very flexible, and many of our current volunteers contribute to several of these areas. Hence, you need not worry about being confined to any one of these areas. A seoarate page gives details of these different areas.
A fireman and driver on a locomotive.
Join our team of volunteers today!
If you want to find out more, you can download a copy of our leaflet about volunteering.
If you wish to become a volunteer you will also need to become a member of the railway. A separate page explains more about this, and includes a link to download an application form.
More Information
If you want to know more about getting involved, other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Also, for other topics other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Become a Member
Looking to help us?
The fireman and driver of this locomotive are two of our members.
Being a member
The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd is a charitable organisation which runs the Middleton Railway. It was registered as a charity in 1971, and formed as a “not for profit” company (technically, a “company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital”) in 1974. Company law restricts membership of the Trust to those aged 18 or over, so the railway also operates the Middleton Railway Association, to provide for other categories of membership.
The day to day operation of the railway is carried out by volunteers, and if you want to volunteer then you need to be a member of the Trust or the Association, as appropriate. But you do not need to be a volunteer to contribute to the railway, as simply by being a member you can help to support the railway. Join our hundreds of members who help to keep the railway on track.
On the left of the picture, a guard on a special passenger train. At one time he was also the editor of The Old Run.
Benefits of Membership
By becoming a member you will have the satisfaction of helping to preserve one of the world’s most historic railways, and you will also receive the following benefits in return for your support.
- Four free rides on the railway each year.
- Four copies each year of our quarterly magazine The Old Run (except for family members).
- The right to attend the annual general meetings of the company (except for junior members). This also applies to any other general meetings that we might hold, but so far we have never needed to hold one!
Your membership also helps us, because your subscription and any donations that you are able to make will help to maintain the locomotives, rolling-stock and infrastructure. Also, we are able to speak on behalf of all of our membership when we have to negotiate with other bodies, and having many voices makes us stronger, as well as strengthening any case that we might be trying to make.
The fun side of being a member: this fireman is cooking a meal on the shovel.
Types of Membership
There are various types of membership that are available, and different levels of subscriptions are payable for each. The subscriptions are reviewed each year at the annual general meeting, and the details for 2023 are as follows.
| Type of Membership |
Subscription for 2023 |
| Adult Annual membership (of the Trust) | £25.00p |
| Senior Annual membership (of the Trust, for age 66 years or over) | £20.00p |
| Junior Annual membership (of the Association, for age under 18 years) | £16.00p |
| Family membership (of the Association) | £6.00 per person in addition to one Adult membership |
| Life Membership (of the Trust) | £470.00p |
Shop staff busy on a day when Santa Specials were running.
Becoming a Member
If you would like to become a member, please click on this link to download a membership form (as a pdf file). This form also includes a gift aid declaration, but please note that we can only reclaim gift aid on any additional donation that you make, and not on your actual subscription.
If you require further information about membership, you are welcome to contact the membership secretary by email at
More Information
If you want to know more about getting involved, other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Also, for other topics other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Brake Van NE 860E
Guard's brake van
| Built | Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Works, 1940 (to a North Eastern Railway design) |
| Load capacity | 20 tons brake capacity, 10 people |
| Length over buffers | 23' 0" (approx 7 metres) |
| Previously worked | London and North Eastern Railway, and then British Railways North Eastern Region |
| Entered collection | Purchased from British Railways in 1973 |
| Current status | Operational |
Other details of our rolling stock collection are given in our stockbook.
Go back to brake van LMS 158760.
Return to the list of passenger coaches.
More Information
Other pages provide more information about:
Brake Van LMS 158760
Guard's brake van
| Built | London Midland and Scottish Railway, Derby, 1926 |
| Load capacity | 20 tons brake capacity, 10 people |
| Length over buffers | 23' 0" (approx 7 metres) |
| Previously worked | LMSR, and then British Railways Midland Region |
| Entered collection | Purchased from British Railways in 1960 |
| Current status | On display, and operational (but with limitations on the carriage of passengers) |
Other details of our rolling stock collection are given in our stockbook.
Go on to brake van NE 860E.
Go back to coach SR 1074 brake saloon.
Return to the list of passenger coaches.
More Information
Other pages provide more information about:
Coach SR 2084
Brake coach with open verandah
| Built | Southern Railway, Lancing, 1943 |
| Load capacity | 32 seats |
| Length over buffers | 35' 8" (approx 10.7 metres) |
| Previously worked | British Railways Southern Region, as a parcels van (PMV) |
| Entered collection | Purchased from British Railways in 1981 and entered service after conversion to a passenger coach in 1985 |
| Current status | Operational |
Other details of our rolling stock collection are given in our stockbook.
Go on to coach SR 1867 saloon.
Return to the list of passenger coaches.
More Information
Other pages provide more information about:
Subcategories
Projects
Projects and appeals.
Volunteering
For pages related to volunteering and membership
