Ann Middleton from Didcot Railway Centre: Want to get fit? Try working on the railways.

The Remembrance Sunday steaming finished our standard steam day programme, although we are getting the centre ready to welcome Thomas and Father Christmas for our December steamings.

Once we stop running the trains, the winter is the time we catch up with all the general maintenance jobs that build up throughout the year.

One off the main tasks is keeping our permanent way in good condition.

The dictionary defines permanent way as 'The finished trackbed of a railway together with the track and other permanent equipment'.

Although our two demonstration lines are relatively short, compared with a heritage railway, it's amazing how much track we have around Didcot Railway Centre.

There are four tracks in the Engine Shed – these are called ‘roads’ so we have 1 Road, 2 Road, etc, and we have the Locomotive Works and the storage area on the north side of the shed by the main line that runs past the centre.

In the carriage shed we have eight tracks, which are called ‘lines’ – 1 Line, 2 Line, etc.

These all connect with the main track through the centre.

There are 18 sets of points that allow the trains to cross from one track to another.

In the picnic area there is track to the turntable, and the traverser outside the Carriage Shed allows us to move carriages from one line to another without the need for points.

And of course in the transfer shed area we have Brunel’s Broad Gauge, which is laid in a completely different way and has different challenges.

At the moment sadly our broad gauge engine is not running so we are having a bit of a break from Victorian track work.

Our very small team of volunteers and staff who look after our track have an average age of over 60.

When we are open, they can often be seen dressed in orange high visibility jackets checking the demonstration lines or replacing any keys (the wooden pieces of wood that hold the rails in place) that have become dislodged.

It is a great way of keeping fit as the work involves walking – the centre is ¾ mile long; strength – rails and their supporting sleepers are heavy so it is physical work, although we do use modern tools.

The team agrees that it’s much cheaper than gym membership.

So if you want to keep fit, why not get in touch and come and help.