Key Terms of Employment

Business/department: Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Location: Ravenglass, Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Terms of contract: Full-time, permanent
Hours: 42 hpw
Pay: From £27,000pa

How to apply: Applications should be made by submitting your CV and cover letter to jobs@lakedistrictestates.co.uk

Job Summary

Working as part of the focused traffic team, you will be required to undertake, on a rota, the responsibilities of Duty Controller and Locomotive Driver. As a driver, you will drive either steam or diesel hauled trains, transporting passengers on timetable services between Ravenglass and Dalegarth Stations. As Duty Controller, you will manage the safe operation and movement of all trains on the railway.

Key Responsibilities

Driver

• Preparation and daily maintenance, including cleaning of your rostered locomotive.
• Undertake daily safety checks of your locomotive.
• Safely and efficiently managing the boiler of your rostered steam locomotive to ensure it remains safe and has sufficient steam for the duties the locomotive is required to undertake.
• Drive your rostered locomotive between stations following given instructions, always ensuring safe and compliant working.
• Work closely with your rostered guard. Ensuring good communication at all times.
• Complying with all instructions given to you by the Duty Controller. This will include train movement instructions, temporary speed restrictions or other issues or hazards en route.
• Disposing of the locomotive appropriately at the end of its operating day.
• Record faults in the fault book for maintenance.
• Helping to provide excellent customer service by always being helpful and courteous.
• When undertaking maintenance work, ensure that records are kept by completing job cards for all tasks undertaken.
• Ensuring compliance with risk assessments and method statements when undertaking maintenance work on locomotives and rolling stock.
• Ensuring good communication between the lead engineer, engineering colleagues and specialist engineering contractors to ensure all tasks are completed before an item of rolling stock is returned to service.

Duty Controller

• Taking responsibility for the safe operation of all trains on the railway.
• Planning and recording all train movements on the train graph and ensuring all appropriate paperwork is completed.
• Completing the daily log and ensuring it is posted in the mess room.
• Ensuring that the planned roster is kept up to date and working closely with the Operations Manager to ensure all roles are covered.
• In times of emergency and degraded work, you will need to coordinate how the railway moves forward, including liaising with regulatory bodies.

General

• Contribute towards successful team working throughout the railway company.
• Comply with the requirements to complete and submit timesheets weekly and to work with the Operations Manager to schedule appropriate rest days and annual leave in accordance with company policy.
• Attend and complete training as and when required to ensure knowledge and competence are kept up to date.
• At all times, work safely, raising any health and safety concerns immediately with the management team.
• Undertaking any other tasks required from time to time to contribute towards the successful operation of the company.

Essential Qualifications, Certifications or Licences

Please note that to undertake such safety-critical roles at the railway, it is necessary to successfully obtain medical certification undertaken by a specialist occupational health provider under the requirements of the Office of Road and Rail (ORR).

Required Knowledge and/or Experience

Our ideal candidate will have some form of previous railway operational knowledge, but this is not essential as training will be given.

Staff Benefits

In addition to the above salary, the following benefits are provided:

• Death in service life assurance benefit of 2 x annual salary*.
• Enhanced employer pension contribution of 6% provided at least matched by the employee*.
• Company sick pay* (entitlement increases with length of service).
• Flexible working opportunities and family-friendly policies.
• Training and development opportunities.
• • 28 days annual leave (including bank holidays) increasing by 1 day per 5 years.
• Employee well-being programme.
• Free parking.

*Upon completion of a 3-month probationary period.

We also provide the following staff discounts:

• Free travel for immediate family on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and Ullswater 'Steamers'.
• Staff discounts in the Peter Rabbit and Friends™ and The Veg Patch shops, Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and Ullswater ‘Steamers’ gift shops and cafés, Peter Rabbit and Friends™ Keswick café and The Ratty Arms.
• Discounted accommodation rates across the group, including a friends and family rate.

Welcome to Lake District Estates

Established over 80 years ago, Lake District Estates is a family-owned business deeply rooted in the heart of the Lake District, with a proud Lakeland legacy. We offer a diverse range of tourism products and services, making us a one-stop shop for experiencing all that the region has to offer. The company's head office on Maude Street in Kendal supports the wider business, accommodating senior management, finance, marketing, human resources and property teams.

We own and operate several holiday parks across Cumbria, catering to various holiday styles, with accommodation ranging from glamping and caravanning to cottages and apartments, plus holiday homes for sale. Our sites include Buck Yeats Lodge Park, Clea Hall Holiday Park, Hill of Oaks Lodge and Caravan Park, Newby Bridge Country Caravan Park, Tewitfield Marina in Lancashire, Waterfoot Park, and Woodclose Park.

We also own two of the region's leading heritage visitor attractions: Ullswater 'Steamers' and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. Additionally, we have a collection of Peter Rabbit and Friends™ retail shops, The Veg Patch online and retail shops, and a portfolio of residential and commercial properties.