Who We Are
The Dean Forest Railway Society (DFRS) provides fundraising and volunteers for the restoration, operation and maintenance of the Dean Forest Railway.
The Dean Forest Railway is almost entirely volunteer-run and led, and Society members work in a large variety of roles, from operational duties such as Signalman, Guard and Ticket Inspector to maintenance roles such as working with the Permanent Way gang keeping our track up to scratch, or restoring our fleet of steam locomotives to their former glory, or in commercial roles in the Shop or Catering Department, and on fundraising and promotion of the railway.
The Society also runs various fundraising schemes to help keep the railway up and running – these include our annual raffle and our share schemes. The raffle has previously funded the opening of Whitecroft Station and the purchase of a Road Rail Vehicle, among various other projects.
In addition, Society members work hard to recruit new members and volunteers, with the DFRS exhibition stand making regular appearances at local and national events, including model railway exhibitions. The Society also publishes the quarterly "Dean Forest Railway Magazine", which is distributed to members as part of their subscriptions.
All in all we provide an important role to the railway, and we always need support!
What We Do
The Dean Forest Railway Society funds developments and improvements to the Dean Forest Railway, as well as supporting its members through funding for training courses. It does not provide funds for general day-to-day running costs of the Railway.
In the past we’ve helped fund a number of important milestones for the DFR, via our draw and other fundraising schemes. These include:
- The Parkend extension, which opened in 2006
- The Whitecroft station re-opening in 2012
- The purchase of our own Road-Rail vehicle in 2013
- The restoration of various locomotives, including steam locos 5541, 9681 and Wilbert
To find out what we're currently working on, check out the link below!
Current Appeals and Projects
