The Moseley Railway Trust is looking for volunteers to join its team at the Apedale Valley Light Railway at Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire.

On Saturday, 12th March, the trust will be running New Member’s Day when potential volunteers can go along to Apedale and find out about becoming a member of the Moseley Railway Trust.

They will be shown what it takes to help run and maintain the railway and all the things which go with it, and there will be tours and talks covering the following areas:

• General membership
• Shop work
• Restoration/engineering
• Railway operations
• The WW1 trench

Events will run from 11.00 until 15.30, and potential volunteers can look behind the scenes, and have a go under supervision at jobs like driving locos and being a train guard. There will also be a special reduced rate for anyone joining the Trust on the day.

Anyone interested in joining the trust should register beforehand by sending an e-mail to [email protected] stating what area of the Trust’s work is of interest. It isn’t a problem if you aren’t sure what area you are interested in, but please let the trust know that you will be attending.

The railway is located next to the Apedale Heritage Centre in Apedale Country Park, whilst the station building used to be located at Silverdale on the North Staffordshire Railway. There is a free-to-enter museum and a cafe with a wide range of food and drinks. Tours of a genuine coal mine are also available.

Trains are hauled by either steam or diesel locomotives from the Trust’s collection, depending on the day. The coaches are also historically interesting, ranging from a replica of a coach used in a North Wales slate quarry to a more modern coach formerly operated on the Ffestiniog Railway. Some coaches are open and unheated, so if it’s a cold day visitors should wrap up warm.

There is a well-stocked shop in the main station building. On days when steam locos are operating, visitors can tour the main loco shed to view many of the Trust’s large collection of locomotives.