I KNOW that I often end these articles with an invite to join the volunteering team, but this time the plea is right up front!

Many of you saw how busy we were during the Flying Scotsman visit in April, which took hundreds of volunteers to staff, and the same during an even more intensive timetable for the 1940s weekend.

We have now commenced our seven-day per week service, running until September 10, as well as various events and special trains, such as Cream Teas on board the trains and the forthcoming Model Rail Exhibition on July 1 and 2.

Whilst we have a small team of paid staff, all of this increased operation requires us to ask more and more of our volunteers, both in front-of-house and increasingly behind-the-scenes activity.

As a result, we have a number volunteering opportunities across the railway.

We would welcome new volunteers to our stations team, which sells the tickets and helps ensure the safe departure of trains, as well as maintains the station buildings and fantastic gardens.

There are opportunities to train as a guard, those people who wave the flag to signal to the driver that the train is ready to leave.

Then there’s the chance to join the groups of volunteers that maintain the rolling stock, our historic carriages, as well as the locomotives and freight wagons, the track work and other infrastructure that they care for; and the retail and catering departments.

There is also the increasingly demanding ‘business’ of running the railway, which requires financial and business administration expertise.

Looking to the slightly longer-term, we have a number of projects that need managing and driving forward, including support for fundraising and grant claim applications.

A great example of the result of concerted fundraising, and overhaul activity is the restoration of our steam locomotive, number 41241.

This was one of the two locomotives that hauled the Preservation Society’s re-opening special 49 years ago almost to the day that you’ll be reading this.

We have been fundraising for its overhaul to ready the Ivatt for traffic so it can haul the 50th Anniversary special next year.

Thanks to a huge effort by our volunteers, both on the fundraising and engineering aspects of the overhaul, we are making good progress, and you can see the work-in-progress on display at Oxenhope during the Model Railway Exhibition in July.

Raising over £200,000 and putting in many hours in the overhaul is no mean feat, but it is a great example of what we have achieved.

I do hope that you will consider joining our team so you can be part of the next achievement!

• Have you missed any of Matt Stroh’s previous articles about life and work on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in our long-running On Track series? Don’t get steamed up, simply visit keighleynews.co.uk, click on What’s On then Out & About, and you go loco over the choice!

I KNOW that I often end these articles with an invite to join the volunteering team, but this time the plea is right up front!

Many of you saw how busy we were during the Flying Scotsman visit in April, which took hundreds of volunteers to staff, and the same during an even more intensive timetable for the 1940s weekend.

We have now commenced our seven-day per week service, running until September 10, as well as various events and special trains, such as Cream Teas on board the trains and the forthcoming Model Rail Exhibition on July 1 and 2.

Whilst we have a small team of paid staff, all of this increased operation requires us to ask more and more of our volunteers, both in front-of-house and increasingly behind-the-scenes activity.

As a result, we have a number volunteering opportunities across the railway.

We would welcome new volunteers to our stations team, which sells the tickets and helps ensure the safe departure of trains, as well as maintains the station buildings and fantastic gardens.

There are opportunities to train as a guard, those people who wave the flag to signal to the driver that the train is ready to leave.

Then there’s the chance to join the groups of volunteers that maintain the rolling stock, our historic carriages, as well as the locomotives and freight wagons, the track work and other infrastructure that they care for; and the retail and catering departments.

There is also the increasingly demanding ‘business’ of running the railway, which requires financial and business administration expertise.

Looking to the slightly longer-term, we have a number of projects that need managing and driving forward, including support for fundraising and grant claim applications.

A great example of the result of concerted fundraising, and overhaul activity is the restoration of our steam locomotive, number 41241.

This was one of the two locomotives that hauled the Preservation Society’s re-opening special 49 years ago almost to the day that you’ll be reading this.

We have been fundraising for its overhaul to ready the Ivatt for traffic so it can haul the 50th Anniversary special next year.

Thanks to a huge effort by our volunteers, both on the fundraising and engineering aspects of the overhaul, we are making good progress, and you can see the work-in-progress on display at Oxenhope during the Model Railway Exhibition in July.

Raising over £200,000 and putting in many hours in the overhaul is no mean feat, but it is a great example of what we have achieved.

I do hope that you will consider joining our team so you can be part of the next achievement!

• Have you missed any of Matt Stroh’s previous articles about life and work on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in our long-running On Track series? Don’t get steamed up, simply visit keighleynews.co.uk, click on What’s On then Out & About, and you go loco over the choice!