A POPULAR miniature railway has ground to a halt after a mass walk out by volunteers.

More than 40 volunteers at the much-loved tourist attraction have launched the unlikely ‘industrial action’ following a series of ‘disputes with the new management’.

The railway in Poole Park has been closed for several weeks and is losing thousands of pounds in lost income.

The volunteers, mostly retirees who act as train drivers, guards, engineers and ticket office clerks, walked out on April 25.

A Poole council spokesperson said the railway had been suspended following a minor derailment last month and the operators and volunteers had until mid-June to get it back up and running otherwise the existing contract could be ripped up. It is thought the repair work to the track would take a day or two to fix and cost several thousands of pounds.

If the volunteers can’t or won’t do it then the more expensive alternative of an external contractor would have to be brought in.

The council spokesman said: “Following recent derailments the operation of the miniature railway has been suspended. In addition we have been notified of resignations at director, management and operational levels of the operating group the Friends of Poole Park (FoPP) and its wholly-owned operational subsidiary, Poole Park Railway Community Interest Company (CIC).”

Anthony Rogers, recreation and community manager at Poole council, said, “We have requested reassurance by mid-June that the operators have the structure, governance and processes in place to safely manage this attraction.

“We have also asked for an action plan that includes proposals for the repair and maintenance of the track and related operating procedures, to guarantee safe operation and enable the reopening of the service in a timely manner.

“Evidence that a financial plan is in place to fulfil these proposals and those within the original tender has also been requested.”

The miniature railway had been run by local businessman Chris Bullen for 13 years until Poole council decided not to renew his contract last year. Instead they put the venture out to tender and the Friends of Poole Park, a Community Interest Company, won the contract.

It is claimed the volunteers who operate the railway on a daily basis have since fallen out with the management team over way the service was being run.

Some of the senior volunteers are said to now be engaged in a resolution talks with Poole council who are trying to get them back on track as soon as possible.

One volunteer, who refused to be named, said: “Issues have been brewing for many months. We had a staff meeting and everyone agreed to put down tools on the spot. More than 40 volunteers run and operate the railway and without them it can’t run.”

He added the track issue was “a diversion”, and a minor derailment a few weeks ago “could be fixed in 24 hours but it requires volunteers to do it.”

“People do really need to know the truth about what has been happening,” he said.

“We are trying to resolve matters with Friends of Poole Park. We have had good weather lately and we have probably lost several thousands of pounds in income and disappointed lots of kids.”

Harvey Bennett, one of the senior volunteers, replied to a Facebook post in which the railway advertised for new volunteers.

He posted: “I am reminded of a line from one of Oscar Wilde’s plays ‘To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

“What word would YOU use to describe the loss (via a mass resignation) of 40 Poole Park Railway unpaid volunteers who restored the railway to full operation, and ran it for the past eleven months.

“‘Carelessness’ might be a bit of an understatement, perhaps?”

Poole resident Eunice Marsden posted on the Friends of Poole Park’s Facebook page: “40 new volunteers both interested in and knowledgeable about miniature railways is too tall a task to be at all achievable.

“Far better surely to deal with the issues of the 40 or do you think they are all wrong and you are right?

“Time to step back and do what is best for Poole Park. That is after all the only thing that should be of any importance to you as the Friends of Poole Park Railway.”

But Michael Collins, chairman of the Friends of Poole Park, said the reason why the railway is closed is because of the repair work to the track which is being delayed by bureaucracy. He added : “I haven’t received one resignation.”

“The railway has closed because a section of track needs replacing. It is not considered safe.

“We are waiting for permission from the council to perform the works.

“The landlords are Poole council and we have to wait for the authority to do the work. We have got engineers ready to go.

“I haven’t received one resignation. There are some great people working on the railway who are highly valued and all of them have been notified of the fact we cannot open at the moment because we don’t have a certificate of worthiness.

“Lots of miniature railways are having problems finding volunteers.”

The miniature railway has been operating since 1949 and carried passengers on a loop of the park at a gentle 4mph.