The Northampton & Lamport Railway comprises two separate entities:
All Members and Volunteer Working Members of the Northampton & Lamport Railway are members of the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society (The Society).
The Society provides Volunteer Working Members to operate, maintain and develop the railway on behalf of the Northampton Steam Railway Limited (The Company).
This is in addition to the charitable aims as detailed in the Society's Constitution.
By looking at the Railway, you can see what has been achieved by Volunteer Working Members so far!
Remember that railway preservation is not solely a male activity, we have a number of lady members.
We realise not everyone has time to spare to be a Volunteer Working Member, but your support as a member will be much appreciated and will help the Northampton & Lamport Railway develop in the years ahead.
The benefits of being a member of the Society are:
A pdf reader is available by clicking on the following icon: 
| Annual Subscriptions | Upgrade & Period Subscriptions | Life Subscriptions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary | £15.00 | Upgrade to Ordinary Life | £160.00 | Ordinary Life | £175.00 |
| Family | £20.00 | Upgrade to Family Life | £180.00 | Family Life | £200.00 |
| Retired | £10.00 | Upgrade to Retired Life | £90.00 | Retired Life | £100.00 |
| Joint Retired | £15.00 | Upgrade to Joint Retired Life | £110.00 | Joint Retired Life | £125.00 |
| Student (1 year)* | £10.00 | Student (3 years)* | £15.00 | ||
| Junior (under 16) | £10.00 | ||||
* Student Membership requires proof of student status, course length and a passport photograph.
Student Membership is classed as a Volunteer Working Membership (i.e. unpaid) requiring regular attendance at the NLR and has no voting rights conferred upon it.
Please check with the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society Membership Secretary for the latest membership rates.
Please email the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society Membership Secretary for a membership application form.
Alternatively please write to the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society Membership Secretary at the Pitsford & Brampton Station address on the Contacts page.
Note: The application form contains the option to pay by standing order, but other payment methods are equally welcomed.
Note: The society reserves the right to perform background checks on members; particularly Volunteer Working Members.
If you have any questions about membership, please get in touch with the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society Membership Secretary.
Please consider using Gift Aid when sending your Membership Subscription, as it means The Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society can recover a sum equal to the basic rate of income tax you paid, thus helping your donation go further. This means at a rate of 20% a £10 donation can be turned into £12.00, so long as donations are made through Gift Aid.
Imagine what a difference that could make and it doesn't cost you a thing!
To qualify for Gift Aid, what you pay in income tax or capital gains tax must equal or exceed the amount the charity will claim in the tax year.
If you are a higher rate tax payer you will also be able to claim a tax relief through your tax return.
More information can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm
You may have a particular skill you feel you can offer the railway; you may wish to learn a new skill or take on a particular project. Whatever your interest in the railway, you will soon find the right job to suit you.
One aspect of the Railway which is very important is that Volunteer Working Members are permitted to give as much or as little of their time to the railway as they wish. Time is a precious commodity these days and this is a fact that is very much respected by all of the Volunteer Working Members. Of course there is nothing stopping an individual from spending every moment of their spare time on the Railway if they wish to do so.
Another aspect which is essential is that everyone is permitted to work at their own speed. Slowly but surely the job is completed, which produces good end results and allows the work to be completed safely. Occasionally, staff from all departments are called upon to help with a larger project which is beyond the scope of an individual or department. Many hands make light work!
Additional benefits of being a Volunteer Working Member are:
Before you can become a Volunteer Working Member, you need to be a member of the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society.
This not only provides you with the benefits of membership, described above, but also covers you for insurance purposes.
If you are under 16, you will have to be supervised by an older volunteer to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Note: The Society reserves the right to perform background checks on members; particularly Volunteer Working Members.
There are several departments which make the railway run, they are:
If you are not sure where your area of interest lies, it may be a good idea for you to work in each department for a short while, until you have tried them all.
This will also give you the opportunity of getting to know the other Volunteer Working Members. You can always change your department if you fancy doing something different.
A number of the Volunteer Working Members undertake several different roles in the differing departments; it is up to you what you do!
Most of the work involves the laying and maintenance of track, or restoring and maintaining our fleet of steam and diesel locomotives, rolling stock and signalling equipment.
There are also customer facing jobs such as working in the station gift shop, buffet or booking office and on train jobs such as ticket collector, guard or locomotive crew.
There are also the publicity/support function jobs that can be done away from the railway, examples are:
Note: Volunteer Working Members who become involved with the running of trains (Loco crew, Signallers, Booking Office & on-train staff) will need some commitment to satisfy any rotas which are drawn up.
Many Volunteer Working Members already have skills which are very useful to the railway. You may have a skill from your work or hobby which could be of great use.
For example, you may be a professional carpenter - on the railway this might mean you would enjoy working on carriage or wagon restorations.
Another example is electrical work. This covers a vast field including wiring low voltage lighting on rolling stock, ignition control circuitry on diesel locomotives, wiring for Signal & Telegraph, and 230 volt mains installations.
No special skills are needed as appropriate training will be given as required. You may find that you have a talent for something that you never even thought about.
The Railway will provide the following Mandatory Minimum Training requirements to all Working Volunteer Members:
Note: All Basic Health Checks are undertaken by a qualified Medical Professional and full medical standards of confidentiality are maintained.
The minimum training requirements help to ensure the Northampton & Lamport Railway is compliant with the applicable legislation, such as ROGS: The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Health & Safety at Work act.
If you are going to be working on or near the track, Orange Hi-Viz clothing is required (a vest, coat etc.) — it's a good idea to bring some even if you are working elsewhere.
Safety footwear and suitable outdoor clothing is especially recommended for the Infrastructure & Engineering departments' work.
The railway is open to the public on Sundays and Bank Holidays throughout the year (except Good Friday) and these are the most active days for Volunteer Working Members. Some also come along on Saturdays or in the week (if something is happening), whilst others pop in for a couple of hours on Sunday afternoons and some turn up only if the sun is shining — It's up to you!
Note: Volunteer Working Members who become involved with the running of trains (Loco crew, Signallers, Booking Office & on-train staff) will need some commitment to satisfy any rotas which are drawn up.
To apply for Volunteer Working Membership please see the Membership Application Form section above. In addition to your completed form and subscription fee, you will need send a recent UK passport size photograph (1 in x 1 in size) for use on your Staff Identity Card.
Note: The Secretary of the Society has ownership of the controlled versions of the Society's documents. Copies of the documents are available upon request.
The links below allow you to have access to "Uncontrolled" copies of the Society's documents.
The Society documents linked in the following sections are in Adobe pdf format.
A pdf reader is available by clicking on the following icon:
As the Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society is a charity the following constitution complies with the Charity Commission rules and guidelines.
Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society Constitution (Version 2) adopted 01st October 2004.
Northampton & Lamport Railway Preservation Society Constitution (Version 3) adopted 07th October 2012.
The Society expects all members to respect each other in a environment where mutual aims are worked towards in a safe and friendly way.
If a breakdown of a member's behaviour occurs the following procedure will be followed to identify root causes and remedial actions required.
Individual Disciplinary Procedure
The purpose of the individual grievance procedure is to provide a framework for dealing promptly and fairly with problems, which have not been sorted out through the normal working relationship.
The objective is to settle the matter as near as possible to its origin.
Individual Grievance Procedure
Last Amended: 31-Jan-2013
Errors & Omissions Excepted.
All locomotives and rolling stock subject to availability.
The railway reserves the right to cancel any train or event without notice and cannot accept any responsibility for any inconvenience this may cause.
The links within our website may lead to external sites.
The Northampton & Lamport Railway does not endorse, sponsor or otherwise approve of any statements or information appearing in those sites,
nor in sites referred to in or linked to those sites.
Copyright © Northampton & Lamport Railway 1996-2013