01938 810441
Menu Icon - Open
Book Tickets
Dates & Times

Driver Experiences: April 28th, June 1 & 16th, September 29 & 30th, October 1 & 19th

Give yourself a treat - or arrange a surprise for someone else!

Our Driver Experiences are EXCLUSIVE – drive the full 16-mile journey lasting approx. 2.5 hours.

Experience the thrill of being at the controls of a powerful narrow-gauge steam locomotive, doing the job for which it was designed. You will be hauling one of our vintage train sets along a challenging route with sharp curves and steep gradients.

Welshpool Steam Train in the fields and trees

“Golfa Bank” Steam Driver Experience Course

Half day for One Person:
£750

Driver Experience - Book Now

About the Experience

Our driver experience courses are restricted to one person to maximise driving time, under the guidance of one of our regular drivers.

Your course starts with a short health and safety briefing before taking the controls of one of our passenger steam locomotives. Once familiarised with the controls, you will take a standard rake of carriages over the entire railway from Llanfair Caereinion to Welshpool and back.

On the outward journey, you will drive from Llanfair Caereinion to Sylfaen, with the instructor taking over for the descent into Welshpool. After running round, you have the challenge of the 1 in 29 Golfa Bank ahead of you. The return journey is a total distance of 16 miles, and will take about two and a half hours including a break at Welshpool.

Health & Safety: The footplate environment requires a good general level of health, and satisfactory completion of a medical form is required. Good eyesight (with glasses if required) and hearing are obviously important, as is the ability to climb into and out of the cab.

You will need to provide your own protective clothing, including stout boots (preferably with steel toecaps) and some form of protective overall (a non-nylon boiler suit or “bib and brace”).

One return trip (16 Miles) at the controls of original 1902 locomotive 'The Earl'. Morning or Afternoon sessions available.

Includes up to 4 guests travelling with you on the train (additional guests charged at normal return ticket fare).

Participants must be at least 18 years of age.

Acceptance of your booking will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a basic Medical Questionnaire.

Footplate Ride

Selected mid week dates

Footplate Ride £TBC
Welshpool Steam Train in the fields and trees

General Information

–

Health and Safety

Acceptance of your booking will be subject to the satisfactory completion of a basic Medical Form. You will need to provide your own protective clothing, including boots, preferably with steel toecaps. For safety reasons, outer clothing should be 100% cotton.

-

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Customer Support Team

Do you love helping people? Join our Customer Support Team:

  • Deal with customer queries and offer information and advice.
  • Help to ensure all visitors have a positive experience.
  • Assist with keeping our background administration up to date.
  • We offer a traditional service where customers can talk to ‘real people’ if they want to.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Archives & Education Team

Do you love building and sharing detailed records of history? You might enjoy volunteering in our Archives and Education Team:

  • Help to find and store accurate and detailed records of our history.
  • Gather and record oral and written memories of our railway’s past.
  • Share our heritage stories with community and school groups.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Events Team

Do you like making good things happen? Could you help us to organise our special events?

  • Be part of the team planning and running special events throughout the year.
  • Vintage weekends, children’s events, themed events and the annual steam gala.
  • You can help with just one event or several during the year.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Museum & Visitor Centre Team

Do you love museums and heritage centres? You might enjoy volunteering in our Llanfair Connections Visitor Centre:

  • Meet and greet visitors.
  • Open weekends and school holidays from March to October.
  • Support children’s activities and learning.
  • Support heritage conservation and visitor interest.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Buildings & Grounds Gang

Do you want to help us to keep our station sites looking tidy? Can you spare some time on Tuesdays or Wednesdays?

Then join our Buildings and Grounds Gang:

  • Help to keep our stations and facilities well cared for.
  • Carry out routine and general maintenance as part of a team.
  • Regular Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the year.
  • Join the team on a regular or occasional basis.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Lineside Vegetation Gang

Do you want to help us to keep our railway line looking tidy? Can you spare some time on occasional weekends - one weekend per month or less?

Then join our Fence-to-Fence gang:

  • Be part of the team managing vegetation alongside the railway line.
  • Work outdoors as part of the team.
  • Regular two-day weekends throughout the year.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Track Gang

Are you happy working outside in the fresh air? Do you love the satisfaction of seeing a job well done?

  • Be part of our track gang, maintaining eight miles of railway track.
  • Work outdoors as part of the team.
  • Repairs and routine maintenance.
  • Weekday operations – currently every Friday.
  • Light tasks included, so no need for physical strength.
  • Reasonable mobility is required.
  • Supervision and training provided.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Engineering & Workshops

Do you love tinkering with cars? Then you’ll love volunteering in our engineering workshop!

  • Maintain and restore heritage locomotive engines.
  • Fabrication, fitting and machining of specialist parts.
  • Well-equipped workshop and facilities.
  • Both specialist and general roles.
  • Full training and supervision provided.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Shopkeeper

Do you want to volunteer and prefer to be indoors? Then join our busy station team as a Shop Keeper:

  • Serving customers in our station shops.
  • Restocking shelves.
  • Helping visitors with their purchases.
  • Full training provided.
  • Can be combined with the Assistant Station Master role if desired.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Locomotive Team

Do you dream of being a train driver? Make your dream come true!

  • Learn ‘footplate roles’ from Fireman through to Steam Engine Driver.
  • Train on heritage steam and diesel engines.
  • Drive our interesting and challenging line.
  • Shunt rolling stock around the stations.
  • Full, progressive training provided.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Guard : Signalman

Are you looking for a new volunteering experience? How about becoming a Guard or Controller Blockman for our heritage trains?

  • Manage all aspects of passenger train journeys.
  • Oversee train movements and timekeeping.
  • Help visitors to their seats and check tickets.
  • As Controller Blockman, take control of signals and points.
  • Full training provided.
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway - Station Master

Do you enjoy making people happy? Then you’ll love volunteering as our Station Master!

  • Despite the title, women are very welcome too!
  • Oversee smooth operation of the station site.
  • Ticket sales.
  • Ensure station safety and cleanliness.
  • Make our visitors feel welcome.
  • Full training provided.
  • Start with Assistant Station Master role if preferred.

Volunteer Enquiry Form

Please complete the following information so that the Volunteer Liaison Office can deal with your enquiry. The information helps us to consider where we might be able to place you.