Locomotive Engineering Foreman

KEIGHLEY AND WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY – LOCOMOTIVE DEPARTMENT
JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE:

HOURS:

Locomotive Engineering Foreman

40 per week Mon-Fri, one Saturday per
month.

BASE:

Haworth MPD

REPORTS TO:

Business and Operations Manager

KEY RELATIONSHIPS:

Locomotive Department Chair
Locomotive Superintendent
Engineering Director

About the Company

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society has been running heritage steam
and diesel trains for over 50 years. The charity’s aim is to preserve, maintain and operate the
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway as a working museum of railway history for the education and
enjoyment of present and future generations. The charity’s wholly-owned subsidiary, the Keighley
and Worth Valley Light Railway Limited, is the organisation’s operating and commercial company.

Alongside our 700 volunteers, the Railway’s operating company, the Keighley and Worth Valley
Light Railway Limited, employs a team of paid staff to ensure consistent and high quality delivery
of our services and events.

Job Summary

The  Locomotive  Engineering  Foreman  is  responsible  for  the  safe,  efficient,  and  historically
sympathetic  maintenance,  repair,  and  overhaul  of  the  Railway’s  locomotive  fleet.  This  role
provides  day-to-day  leadership  within  the  locomotive  engineering  department,  ensuring
compliance with statutory requirements, supporting volunteers and staff, and delivering reliable
motive power for operations. The post-holder will be required to organise and prioritise jobs and
projects, liaising with the Board, Directors, paid staff, volunteers, and contractors as appropriate.

Core Skills:

  Good organisational and strategic thinking skills
  Good communication skills
  A good understanding of locomotive engineering and steam fitting
  Leadership skills


  Good IT skills and the ability to do some administration

Ideally experience with machining
Ideally experience with fabrication and welding

In pursuing these duties, the post-holder will ensure compliance with the KWVR Code of
Conduct, Safeguarding Policy, Environmental Policy, Health & Safety Policy, Safety
Management System (SMS), and ORR and HSE guidance.
Key Responsibilities

1.  Engineering and Maintenance

1.1.  Plan,  manage,  and  oversee  the  maintenance,  repair,  overhaul,  and  restoration  of  steam
and/or diesel locomotives in accordance with heritage railway standards and best practice.

1.2.  Ensure  all  locomotives  are  maintained  to  meet  operational,  safety,  and  regulatory

requirements (e.g. boiler regulations, pressure systems, lifting equipment).

1.3.  Diagnose  mechanical,  electrical,  and  boiler-related  faults  and  determine  appropriate

corrective actions.

1.4.  Maintain engineering records, maintenance logs, and certification documentation accurately

and in a timely manner, in accordance with the Railway’s practices.

1.5.  Ensure work is carried out using historically appropriate methods where practicable, while

maintaining modern safety standards.

1.6.  To  coordinate  and  monitor  the  maintenance  of  workshop  and  plant  equipment,  including

flange lubricators.

1.7.  To qualify in, and undertake the duties of, an Examining Fitter (Steam) role.

1.8.  Ensure equipment is used, stored and maintained in adherence with relevant policies and
ensure  own  competencies  to  use  equipment  within  the  Locomotive  Department  are
maintained.

2.  Leadership  and Supervision

2.1  Provide day-to-day supervision and technical leadership to paid staff and volunteers within

the locomotive department, supporting wider operations through additional duties as required.

2.2  To provide line management to engineering staff as required by departmental chairman.

2.3  Allocate work, set priorities, and monitor progress to meet operational deadlines.

2.4  Mentor, train, and develop staff and volunteers, encouraging skills transfer and best practice.

2.5  Foster a positive, inclusive, and safety-focused workshop culture.

2.6  To  maintain  good  communication  with  the  Locomotive  Department  Chairman  and
Locomotive Superintendent to identify workload requirements and to undertake such work
in close collaboration with the volunteer workforce, this may include attendance at meetings
either online or in person outside of normal working hours.

2.7  To work collaboratively within the team and with other departments across the organisation
and understand and demonstrate the principles of team and partnership working within the
Railway and across partner organisations.

2.8  Contribute to the development of the Locomotive Department.

2.9  Liaise with the Operations Team about planned servicing and maintenance of locomotives

and allocation of locomotives to meet diagrammed requirements.

2.10  Undertake  operating  duties  as  and  when  required,  in  accordance  with  competence,  for

example: Yard Foreman’s duties when no Yard Foreman is rostered.

2.11  Be prepared to work flexibly in terms of time and workload to meet department needs.

3

Safety, Compliance and Standards

3.1  Actively  promote  and  enforce  safe  working  practices  within  the  workshop  and  yard

environment.

3.2  Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, standards, and internal safety management

systems.

3.3  Participate in risk assessments, method statements, and incident investigations as required.

3.4  Liaise  with  the  KWVR’s  appointed  person  responsible  for  pressure  systems,  external

inspectors, boiler examiners, and regulatory bodies as necessary.

4

Planning and Resource Management

4.1  Assist  with  long-term  overhaul  planning  and  fleet  availability  forecasting  as  part  of  the

locomotive department’s 10-year planning strategy.

4.2  Manage department and workshop resources, tools, materials, and consumables efficiently.

4.3  Support budget planning and cost control for locomotive engineering activities.

4.4

Identify opportunities to improve reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.

4.5  To order consumables, engineering components, repair / replacement of tools in accordance

with Locomotive Department delegated authorities.

5

Collaboration and Communication

5.1  Work closely with operations, Carriage and Wagon, infrastructure, and management teams

to support the Railway’s operating timetable and special events.

5.2  Provide clear technical advice to senior management and trustees when required.

5.3  Represent the engineering department professionally to visitors, supporters, and external

partners.

6  Manual Handling

Manoeuvre  light  and  heavy  goods  and  equipment,  in  accordance  with  manual  handling
regulations and good practice.

7

Equal Opportunities

Carry out your duties in line with KWVR equality policies and procedures, including relevant
legislation, to deliver and promote equality of opportunity at work at all times.

This job description is not exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake
other reasonable duties as required for the successful performance of the role.

This job description is a reflection of the current position and may change in emphasis or
detail in light of departmental and Railway developments. It will be reviewed annually as
part of the appraisal/performance development review process.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

  Significant practical experience in locomotive, heavy engineering, or mechanical

maintenance (steam and/or diesel preferred).

  Proven experience of leading or supervising a workshop team.

  Strong understanding of engineering safety practices and risk management.

  Ability to work effectively with volunteers of varying skill levels.

  Good organisational and communication skills.

  Commitment to the values and aims of heritage railways.

Desirable

  Experience specifically within a heritage railway or museum environment.

  Knowledge of steam locomotive boilers and pressure systems.

  Formal engineering qualifications or relevant trade apprenticeship.

  Experience with maintenance planning and record-keeping systems.

  Understanding of heritage conservation principles.

Additional Information

  This role includes working one Saturday per month plus occasional weekend or evening

work to support operations and special events.

  The position may involve working in workshop, yard, and outdoor environments, in

varying weather conditions.

  A medical assessment and/or safety-critical competence assessment may be required.