Current Vacancies
The East Lancashire Railway is constantly on the lookout for talented people to help keep this vital spark of British Heritage alight.
Do you have what it takes to be a part of our family?
Carriage and Wagon Carpenter
Due to the ever-increasing workload of restoring and maintaining the fleet of 47 carriages, the ELR’s Traction and Rolling Stock department are looking to expand their carriage and wagon departments and have a Carpenter vacancy available.
General Responsibilities and Duties
To assist the Carriage & Wagon Manager with repair and restoration of the Company’s coaching stock assets and wagons. The role will also encompass general Joinery, plumbing and other work around the railway as and when required.
Key Performance Indicators
- Must be able to demonstrate that they can work to timescales and deadlines.
- Must be able to demonstrate good standards of work and also work safely as a team or as an individual.
- Show ability to work well within a team.
- Proven track record of previous joinery experience.
This post is Safety Critical. Access to operational parts of the railway will be necessary in execution of the respective duties.
Ability to work to tight timescales and the flexibility to ensure completion of tasks that may require worktime extending beyond contracted finishing times.
The post-holder must be capable of working to instructions and must, at all times, remain flexible and accommodating to the needs of the business, this may include some weekend working if required.
Specific Duties
- To carry woodwork renewals on the railway’s coaching stock fleet and wagons, this includes fabrication of new parts and mouldings, panelling, staining and varnishing or painting of woodwork.
- To Carry out Odd Job tasks around the railway as and when required, this could be joinery, plumbing or painting etc.
- Will be prepared to work in any other department where the railway deems fit to meet its business needs.
- Act on own initiative in the absence of the Carriage & Wagon Manager and in accordance with the laid down requirements and prevailing workload.
General Safety Requirements
- Adopt a safe working attitude and acquire a full knowledge of, and compliance with, relevant parts of the Rule Book, Safety Management System, Emergency Procedures and other company and departmental procedures.
- Take reasonable care for the Health, Safety and Welfare of yourself and of other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions.
- Do not intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of Health, Safety or Welfare.
- Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, including the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, PUWER regulations and the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 so far as they apply to you and/or those you are responsible for.
Person Specification: Carriage & Wagon Joiner
| ESSENTIAL | DESIRABLE | |
| Personal and Physical | Meets ELR requirements for engineering staff | |
| Education and Experience | Experience of joinery work in various fields.
Must be able to work to drawings or templates and be able to safely use hand tools and various wood working machinery. |
Plumbing skills, general odd job skills would be advantageous. |
| Special Skills and Knowledge | Competent in the use of workshop fixed machinery and hand tools.
Ability to be able to work closely and in harmony with the volunteer workforce. |
If you are interested in this position, then please apply to the C&W Manager Jonathan.valentine@eastlancsrailway.co.uk by 15 September 2025.
Shop Assistant (Volunteer)
The East Lancashire Railway is looking for a friendly, helpful individual to help us to run our busy Gift Shop in Bury Bolton Street Station. Duties will include working the till and handling customer enquiries, keeping the display area stocked up with products, keeping the area neat and tidy and cashing up and closing at the end of the working day.
The position is voluntary. The volunteer will ideally need to be available to work midweek during the summer months and Sunday, either all day or just for the morning/afternoon time slots. Full training and support will be given.
If you are a people person who enjoys working off your own initiative and are interested in registering your interest in this role, please contact lorna.kelly@eastlancsrailway.co.uk
Bury Station Buffet Assistant (Volunteer)
We currently have an opening for a buffet assistant to join our busy and professional team. This is a fantastic opportunity for a customer focused individual to join a unique and popular part of the business at the East Lancashire Railway.
This is a volunteer role, applicants must be aged 18 or over to apply. The successful applicant will be required to work weekends as well as some midweek days during our busy period.
If you feel you can work under pressure whilst maintaining an extremely high level of customer service and while continuously augmenting our establishment’s reputation, then this could be the role for you.
Download the full Job Description here.
Please send a copy of your CV and a covering letter to our Buffet Manager at – maggie.sayce@eastlancsrailway.co.uk
Event Support Team Member (Volunteer)
The East Lancashire Railway is looking for a reliable and helpful individual to help support our many events. One of the main perks of this role is that no 2 days are the same. One day you could be travelling on a train, the next you could be staffing radio systems in the control room.
Duties might include:
- First Aid
- Security
- Crowd Control
- Event Set Up
- Safety
- Ticket Checking
- Concert Duties
- General Station Duties
The ideal candidate will be able to:
- Ensure the safety and security of customers visiting the railway
- Provide medical response services when required
- Oversee general security operations to maintain a safe environment
- Work in the control room, monitoring and managing events to ensure smooth operations
- Collaborate effectively with other members of the team
If you are interested in taking on this varies and exciting role, please contact firstaid.eventssupport@eastlancsrailway.co.uk