50 years on, and help still needed

Left to its own devices, the Leighton Buzzard Railway would not have survived for 50 years as a working museum - and 100 unbroken years in total. Fortunately, it has had friends to help out

The Railway was 100 years old in 2019, and there is still a lot to do – please help if you can!

Give your time

From the start, we have had a hard core of dedicated people, ready and willing to give up some of their time and energy, in return for the satisfaction of seeing a unique piece of history develop and thrive.

Some of the original volunteers are still with us-a little more grey and wrinkled now than they were in their gilded youth-and have been joined by later generations, inspired by what has been achieved with what was a very worn-out railway in 1967.

But as ever, we always need more volunteers-not just to do the operational jobs, but to work behind the scenes as well. There are plenty of opportunities to put existing skills to good use, and to learn new ones.

Check out the volunteering page for more information.

Give your money

Through careful management, the Leighton Buzzard Railway has avoided the twin traps of either relying too heavily on external finance to pay the day-to-day bills, or building up unsustainable debts.

Our principal source of everyday income is the money we earn from satisfying our customers. When it comes to the really big projects, however, we have to rely either on the generosity of individual or corporate donors, or on successful applications for grants from a variety of sources.

An example of what can be done with our own resources is the rebuilding of Platform 1 and associated trackwork at Page's Park station.

This was financed entirely by an appeal to members, which brought in sums ranging from a few pounds to several thousand-supplemented in most cases by a Gift Aid tax refund. Most of the construction work was also done by our volunteers.

Over the next few years, we expect to have a heavy programme of capital expenditure at both terminal stations, and to improve the track and other infrastructure. 

Check out the donate page for more details.