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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Every young child's dream - becoming an engine driver!

Since we are a heritage railway, there are opportunities to experience working on a variety of steam and diesel locomotives.

Starting as a Shunter, then for a steam locomotive you can work your way through the ranks to Cleaner, Passed Cleaner, Fireman and then to Driver. The equivalent for a Diesel Locomotive is again to start as a Shunter, and then progress to Second Man and to Driver.

Maintaining and Restoring our historic rolling stock

Gain new skills and help to safeguard our engineering heritage by helping to maintain and restore our historic fleet of steam and diesel locomotives.

There are great opportunities to volunteer alongside experienced engineers and craftsmen, working behind the scenes to preserve the past and secure the future of the Middleton Railway. You would be helping to keep alive the skills that were developed in Leeds to enable many of these locomotives to be constructed.

The public face of the railway

Volunteering in the Middleton Railway's Gift Shop provides a great opportunity to interact with visitors and passengers. The social hub of the railway, the gift shop offers an essential support service covering all aspects of the railway, from operations to timetables.

Work alongside friendly, polite and approachable volunteers and enjoy a direct relationship with our passengers. Roles include: Ticket Sales, Customer Support, Shop Assistant and Refreshments.

Keeping passengers safe on the trains

Train Guards interact directly with the passengers, taking on the responsibility of passenger safety and ticket collection. Personable and smartly dressed, the Train Guards are a key part of the public face of the Middleton Railway.

Keeping the railway line in good order

The Permanent Way Department ensures that the track and associated infrastructure are well maintained for our passenger's safety and enjoyment.

The department is responsible for all maintenance and inspection of the track, the ground over which it runs and the surrounding hedges and fences. As such it is a vital part of the railway, and consists of a wide variety of volunteer staff roles and skills.

There really is scope for everyone to contribute

There are many other opportunities for volunteering, besides the ones described above. From building maintenance to running events, from gardening to marketing, if you have some special skill we can find a way of using it.

In particular, there are opportunities in our education team; as part of our museum staff (where we are hoping to establish a team of "explainers" who can help people understand the exhibits in our display hall); and in helping with the organisation of our Santa Specials and other events.

For more details of some of these opportunities, you can download a copy of our leaflet about volunteering.

Come and join us!

You could become a member of the railway (or, more precisely, of the company that runs it). Membership offers various benefits, such as a number of free rides on the train each year, and receipt of our quarterly magazine The Old Run. It also benefits the work of the railway, both through the subscription that is payable and through adding your voice to the many who support the work that we are trying to do.

A separate page gives more details of the benefits of becoming a member, and of how to join us.

Come and work with us!

If you want to do more than just become a member, then you could become a volunteer and join the others who help to actually keep the railway running - since it is run entirely by volunteers. You do need to be a member in order to become a volunteer, but then there are all sorts of opportunities open to you, as we need a huge variety of skills to cover all the different aspects of operating the railway. So, you may have just the skill or experience that we are looking for, or volunteering could give you the opportunity to try your hand at some completely new activity, as well as meeting new people.

Separate pages give more details of:

• what is involved in becoming a volunteer,
• the different opportunities for volunteering, and
• how we support volunteers.