Love Your Railway – Week Four – is themed around “Education”. The Moseley Railway Trust has its roots in a school – at Cheadle, near Stockport – where the railway ran around the school playing fields (see the photos!). Obviously, a lot has changed since those early days, but the concept of Education is still a core Trust objective. It really takes two forms. Firstly, we attempt to tell the story of industrial narrow gauge railways to our visitors, and how such railways formed the world in which we live. We don’t expect our visitors to leave with the ability to confidently differentiate a Motor Rail from a Lister loco – but maybe we can pique a little interest and curiosity. Secondly, but equally important, is benefits (label education if you wish) which our members gain from volunteering. These include learning engineering skills or maybe perhaps more general life skills – working as part of a team, interacting with the public. Or just allowing older members to retain social contact, and feel that they have a useful and valued part to play. However you look at it, the educational ethos originating from a school club lives on.
