Come and Join our Award Winning Team
Volunteers are the backbone of the Watercress Line
We currently have about 550 volunteers who do everything from driving the trains and maintaining the rolling stock, tracks and stations to providing customer-facing retail and catering services.
Some people volunteer for one day per month, whilst others volunteer for several days per week; some people fit their volunteering around their work commitments whilst others join us when they retire.
Whether you have relevant skills or you would like to do something totally different, we will make you welcome.
Why should you join?
• To be part of a historical legacy, preserving steam travel for future generations
• To work with a group of like minded, dedicated people with a common purpose
• To see and hear the delight of visitors enjoying all your hard work is a truly rewarding feeling
• Volunteering keeps your mind active and many tasks will help you keep physically active too
Volunteer benefits 2026
• 40% off food and soft drinks while on duty (20% off when off duty)
• Three free family tickets per year (2 adults + 3 children)
• One free “Day Out With Thomas” family ticket per year
• 25% HoverTravel discount for you and up to 4 guests
• 10% off retail items in shops and kiosks
• Unlimited free standard travel with valid volunteer ID
• Notice of discounted event train prices, such as reduced pricing on our dining trains
• Reciprocal free travel on selected heritage railways
• 20-year service badge and lifetime free travel if retiring after 20 years
Volunteer Welcome Days
We have launched a series of new volunteer ‘Welcome Days’ as a way of introducing you to volunteering at The Watercress Line. These events are for anyone considering volunteering within our organisation, but also for those who have recently started volunteering and would like to see more of our extensive activities.
Welcome Days will be in the following months:
July, September, October and November.
Attending a Welcome Day is not compulsory before you start; if you already know what department you would like to help in, then we can get you started straight away!
If you would like to attend a Welcome Day to help you decide what area you would like to volunteer in, please:
1. Complete and send our Volunteer Enquiry Form below.
2. We will then send an invitation to the next Welcome Day with details of the date and time. You will need to confirm your acceptance to reserve your place.
3. Admission on the day will be with your name on our reservations list.
The day will typically start after lunchtime and last about 3 hours.
Welcome Day events give you the opportunity:
• to meet current and recent new volunteers
• to see the railway at work and to take a short journey on a train
• to hear a brief but broad introduction to The Watercress Line, and to the many, varied, satisfying volunteer roles that we offer
• to meet at least one of our volunteer principal team leaders
• to briefly visit a diverse set of activities and departments, all vital to the Watercress Line and all performed by its volunteers
and will close by getting you set up to start volunteering in one or more of our teams.
Key Volunteering Roles & skills
These are The Watercress Line’s most urgent volunteer opportunities.
We are currently seeking new members for nine key teams. There’s a wide variety of roles available, and you’re very welcome to join more than one team.
Every team plays a vital role in keeping The Watercress Line running and commercially successful this year and next. All roles offer immediate start and training, along with the many benefits of volunteering: flexibility, a strong social life, valuable work experience, improved job prospects, and the satisfaction of helping visitors enjoy their day.
Most entry-level volunteer roles require no specific skills or previous experience. However, in some cases, we are also seeking volunteers with particular trade skills or relevant experience.
Skilled volunteers are warmly welcomed, and we invite anyone with expertise to share their knowledge and help us maintain and develop our heritage railway.
Most urgent volunteering opportunities
Roles | Aim of Role | More Information |
|---|---|---|
Catering Counter Assistant | To have all The Watercress Line Catering outlets open on every day that trains run and especially for all events including Galas. | Find out more |
Steward in the Mid-Week Catering Team | To give good on-train service by preparing and serving food and drink pre-booked passengers in a ‘Restaurant Car’-like setting. | Find out more |
Real Ale Train Bar Staff | Help give passengers a great evening out, by serving real ale, cider and merchandise on the train. | Find out more |
Retail Counter Assistant | To have all The Watercress Line Retailing outlets open on every day that trains run and especially for all events including Galas. | Find out more |
Ropley Site Care | To create and give a welcoming, pleasant environment, maintained & developed ecologically, to The Watercress Line visitors. | Find out more |
Event Car Park Team Member | All visitors to The Watercress Line will be 100% welcomed and 100% safely parked and 100% fully stewarded at entrances. | Find out more |
Events Meet and Greet Team Member | All visitors to The Watercress Line will be 100% welcomed and 100% safely parked and 100% fully stewarded at entrances. | Find out more |
Dining Train Manager | To manage the evening dining service on the Watercress Belle and lunchtime service on the Royal Wessex. Act as the interface between the guests and the food service contractor. | Find out more |
Dining Train Assistant Train Manager | To assist the Train Manager to manage the evening dining service on the Watercress Belle and lunchtime service on the Royal Wessex. Act as the interface between the guests and the food service contractor. | Find out more |
Desired Skills
Skill/trade/experience | Department |
|---|---|
Tree Surgeon / Chain-Saw Operations | Estates – Buildings & Permanent Way / Lineside |
Boilersmith / Coppersmith | Engineering – Locomotives / Maintenance & Servicing |
Welder | Engineering – Locomotives / Maintenance & Servicing Carriage Works – Servicing & Restoration Wagon Group – Maintenance & Servicing |
Machinist / Fitter | Engineering – Locomotives / Maintenance & Servicing Carriage Works – Servicing & Restoration Wagon Group – Maintenance & Servicing Signals Engineering |
CAD / Technical Drawing | Engineering – Locomotives / Maintenance & Servicing |
Metal Fabricator | Engineering – Locomotives / Maintenance & Servicing Carriage Works – Servicing & Restoration Wagon Group – Maintenance & Servicing |
Upholsterer | Carriage Works – Servicing & Restoration |
Carpenter / Joiner | Estates – Buildings & Permanent Way / Lineside Carriage Works – Servicing & Restoration Wagon Group – Maintenance & Servicing |
Plumber | Estates – Buildings & Permanent Way / Lineside Carriage Works – Servicing & Restoration |
Painter | Engineering – Locomotives / Maintenance & Servicing Estates – Buildings & Permanent Way / Lineside |
Bricklayer | Estates – Buildings & Permanent Way / Lineside
|
Signals Engineer | Signals Engineering
|
Most urgent volunteering opportunities!
1. Real Ale Train (RAT) Check-In Team
We need a cadre of people able to manage client check-in at Alton between approx. 5:45pm and 7:15pm on evenings that the RAT runs. This involves issuing tickets and drinks vouchers, so a knowledge of the workings for EPOS would be a benefit but could be taught.
2. Catering Team
People with good interpersonal skills are needed to provide services in all of our catering outlets both on stations and in our on-train facilities. The role involves taking and processing orders, dispensing drinks and food products and taking payment via the EPOS system. A food hygiene qualification would be welcome, but training can be given.
3. Retail Team
The role involves sales in our retail outlets. Good interpersonal skills are needed and the role involves sales of goods and use of the EPOS till system for taking payment. Preparedness to work some weekends as well as weekdays would be expected.
4. Watercress Belle Team
Additional on-train managers are needed to operate the Belle Saturday evening dining service. The role involves passenger check in, interfacing between guests and the food service contractor, and accounting for and taking electronic payment via the EPOS system for all bar sales.
5. Traffic (station platform staff) Team
Station Porters are fundamental to keeping our four stations open. The role is about the safe and effective operation of stations for passengers and visitors especially as trains arrive and depart. Duties are most commonly at weekends. Station Porters need to be comfortable dealing with the public, to create a good impression and to be an ambassador for the railway. With extensive training, station volunteers progress to advanced roles to be proud of, e.g. to Foreman, Guard and Signalman!
6. Events Support Team
Working to the Events Manager, team members would take responsibility for detailed planning and co-ordination for events and their implementation. Experience of planning events is desirable. Some working from home would be acceptable and experience of collaborative working in such an environment would be essential.
7. EPOS System Support Team
The Electronic Point of Sale system is vital to the economic health of the railway by providing data on which all commercial decisions are made. We need people with IT experience to help support the operation of the system and those with experience of embedding such systems in a business to ensure the full potential is utilised. In time, people in this team may migrate to form a digital transformation team.
8. Education/Outreach Team
We need additional people to help deliver our educational commitments. These include helping with school and college visits, conducting tours of our facilities for interested parties, conducting outreach activities such as speaking to schools, colleges and other organisations. Good communication and interpersonal skills are required along with the ability to learn detailed knowledge of key subjects.
Find Out More
If you would like to hear more about the wide variety of volunteer roles that are available, or if you have a specific role in mind, please contact us, and we will forward your details to the relevant department recruiter.
NOTE: Minimum age to volunteer is 16 years old. Membership of the Trust (WCHRT) is NOT required for volunteers.
Contact
Email: volunteer@watercressline.co.uk
Tel: 01962 587058
Calls taken between 8am – 8pm.
Outside 8am – 8pm, callers can leave a message and we will get back to you the next day.
Apply to Volunteer Now
Please complete our Volunteering Enquiry Form.
Please note before you complete the online enquiry form:
Some volunteer teams are currently closed to new applications as they are at full capacity.
Please click here to see the list.
Many other Watercress Line teams are still welcoming volunteers – please consider starting with one of those. This status is reviewed quarterly and was last updated on 1 May 2026.
Volunteer Leaflet
We’re excited to announce we have a new leaflet to help recruit volunteers to the railway called ‘Join The Watercress Line Community’. It’s a new introduction to our wonderful community of volunteers, the benefits of volunteering and how to get involved.
Click here or on the image to view and download the leaflet.
Radio Interview
Listen to a local radio interview of one of our young volunteers, Jake Butt, on Wey Valley Radio (Alton), chatting with Des Shepherd about volunteering on the Watercress Line. First broadcast 2 & 3 July 2023.
With thanks to Des Shepherd of Alton’s local radio station, Wey Valley Radio, 101.1FM.
Six things you might not know about volunteering on the Watercress Line
99% of the Watercress Line - everything from Locos to Archives - is run by VOLUNTEERS. (Yes, there are a few employees providing specialist skills like engineering).
We have about 350-400 working volunteers, and we are now looking to get another 200. They contribute the time they can, from as little as 1-2 days per month to 1-2 days per week.
We welcome just about ANYONE as a volunteer. You DO NOT need to be a "railway enthusiast". Whatever your interest or aim, we think we have a volunteer role or team for you.
It’s good fun volunteering at the Watercress Line, and very satisfying. If you want to, WCL volunteering lets you build all kinds of new skills, both personal and professional, which if you’re young, are sure to help you get a better next job or even to get into your first paid job. All our teams provide training & support; you don’t need to know anything to get started.
As a WCL volunteer, you’ll enjoy teamwork, and there’s plenty of social life on and around our widely diverse roles and different volunteer teams. At a rough count there are between 50-100 different volunteer teams across the whole of the Watercress Line organisation (see list below), offering well over 100 different volunteer roles from gardening to recording oral history, to pouring cups of teas and topping up our thirstiest locomotives!
The Watercress Line is an inclusive and equal opportunities organisation and we really want to build up the diversity of our volunteer teams.
So whether you are 18 or 80, whatever your gender, whatever your ethnic background, as a Watercress Line new volunteer, we welcome you to the fold!
Volunteer Teams
Overview of Volunteer Teams
• CATERING: buffet & bar staff, on-train stewards & waiters, customer service, kitchen/food-preparation
• RETAIL: shop staff, counter service, customer service
• CUSTOMER RELATIONS: visitor meet & greet and passenger check-in
• EDUCATION & OUTREACH: explainers, STEM & nursery organisers, ambassadors
• ENGINEERING: Train care (carriage cleaning for customer satisfaction & running maintenance), and longer-term maintenance & full restorations of locomotives, carriages, wagons
• EVENTS: event creation/promotion, event delivery (set-up/decorate/run/take-down), car parking, First-Aid, security, risk-management
• GUIDES & HERITAGE TOURS: heritage guides, engineering guides & tour organisers
• MINIATURE RAILWAY: operate and develop all aspects
• MUSEUM & ARCHIVES: guides, archivists, curation & collecting, IT/database
• OPERATIONS: operations/traffic (locomotives, uniformed station & on-train staff, and signalmen), train-services planning/timetabling, and traffic and footplate training schools. N.B. Volunteers enter as station Porters or Travelling Ticket Inspectors, or enter the footplate training school
• PERMANENT WAY & ESTATES: Track & Permanent Way engineers & patrollers, Vegetation controllers, Buildings restoration (trades incl. carpenters, tilers, brickies, plumbers, electricians), and Stations’ Site care teams for minor repairs, decorating and gardening
• RAILWAY SAFETY: railway safety, health & safety, legal & compliance
• SALES & MARKETING: booking offices, reservations, information office, social media posters, SEO, Public Relations, WCL Film Unit
• SIGNALS & TELECOMMS: Signals Engineering (design, testing and maintenance), Telecomms technicians, and IT technicians (including EPOS, networks, hardware & software leads and Helpdesk)
• STOCK MANAGEMENT: for catering & retail
• WCL HERITAGE TRUST: magazine content creators, membership management
Volunteer Handbook
The Volunteer Handbook is your full guide to volunteering on the Watercress Line. It explains the relationship and code of conduct between volunteers and the organisation, and it provides useful and important information for prospective and current volunteers.
Please take a read through now and again later along with other documents you’ll receive during your volunteer induction or training. Download the pdf by clicking on the button below.
