News

Heritage railway launches apprenticeship scheme to train next generation of engineers

16 Jul 2026 3 minute read

Kieran and Oliver are just 2 youngsters benefitting from engineering skills training at the Railway’s Pentrefelin Depot

Mark Mansfield

Young people interested in engineering and construction are being offered the chance to help maintain one of the UK’s best-known heritage railways through a new apprenticeship programme.

The Llangollen and Corwen Railway is inviting prospective apprentices, along with their families, teachers and careers advisers, to an open day on 29 July, where they will be able to tour the railway’s engineering workshops, meet staff and find out more about careers preserving historic railways.

The apprenticeship scheme is being delivered in partnership with Coleg Cambria and is aimed at students studying, or planning to study, Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications in engineering, fabrication and welding, construction or related subjects.

Successful applicants will gain practical experience maintaining steam locomotives, restoring historic railway carriages and working on the line’s infrastructure, including bridges, tunnels and track along its 11-mile route through the Dee Valley National Landscape.

The award-winning railway, operated by the charitable Llangollen Railway Trust, was rebuilt by volunteers after the original Ruabon to Barmouth line closed during the 1960s. The opening of Corwen station in 2023 marked the latest milestone in its restoration.

Today, more than 400 volunteers help run the railway alongside its engineering team, which welcomes thousands of visitors each year.

Tim Pulford, heritage engineering manager at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway, said the apprenticeship would offer skills that were becoming increasingly difficult to learn elsewhere.

“This is a genuinely unique opportunity for young people who want to build practical engineering skills while working on something truly special,” he said.

“The Open Day on 29 July will give prospective apprentices the chance to meet our team, tour the workshops, ask questions and experience the railway first hand before applying.

“The engineers here at the Llangollen and Corwen Railway are recognised for their expertise around the world. People come here to learn specialist engineering skills and traditional techniques that are becoming increasingly rare, and we are determined to make our railway a place of learning where those skills are preserved and passed on.

“We are equally determined to create the heritage railway engineers of the future. By investing in apprentices today, we’re investing in the long-term future of our railway and helping ensure these remarkable engineering skills continue for generations to come.”

Physically demanding

The apprenticeships will cover a wide range of disciplines, including steam locomotive and boiler maintenance, machining, carriage restoration, track renewal, civil engineering, vegetation management and fencing.

The railway said the work is physically demanding and often takes place outdoors in all weathers, but offers a rare opportunity to develop specialist engineering and heritage conservation skills.

Anyone interested in attending the Open Day on 29 July or learning more about the apprenticeship programme is encouraged to contact Tim Pulford, Heritage Engineering Manager, by emailing [email protected].

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