Toronto Railway Museum is a volunteer-run organization! We have a great crew of volunteers who assist staff and support the Museum in a wide range of activities:
- Administration (Marketing, Accounting, H.R.)
- Operations (Mini-train, Construction, Maintenance, Security)
- Museology (Curation, Exhibit Development, Research)
- Communications (Writing, Publishing, Photography, Event Planning)
- Restoration and Repairs
- And more
Our hard-working volunteers are busy planning new attractions, restoring our exhibits and preparing new displays for the next season. We have specific open opportunities listed on our Volunteer page, but if there is anything else you would like to do at the museum, please tell our Volunteer Recruiter (recruitment@trha.ca) how you would like to help. Please see the following volunteer opportunities below:
The Toronto Railway Museum (TRM)’s commitment to connect people to the history of rail in
Toronto means that it engages with the community through events and programs. TRM’s
commitment to using the history of rail to bring people together is exemplified through onsite
events. We are seeking Online Events Volunteers to work with Museum staff to plan and
execute virtual events. Review details of this position by following the above link. Contact recruitment@trha.ca for further information.
Situated across the street from some of Toronto’s most popular entertainment venues, Roundhouse Park is home to the Toronto Railway Museum’s (TRM’s) miniature railway and other outdoor exhibits illustrating Toronto’s railway heritage. The park is a lively and dynamic venue in the heart of the city. TRM wants to ensure that museum staff and visitors to the park have an enjoyable outing. Unfortunately, there has been an increase vandalism and anti-social behaviour at the park. The Museum is seeking a Volunteer Security Advisor to provide analysis and recommendations for how to improve the security at the park and roundhouse. This will be an advisory position with no operational responsibilities.
Responsibilities of the Volunteer Tour Guide include the following:
- Using materials provided, study the history, operation and relevance of the various artifacts and rolling stock contained in Roundhouse Park
- Leading visitors through grounds of Roundhouse Park, providing commentary and interpretation. The Volunteer Tour Guide plays the role of educator, host and escort.
- Answering visitors’ questions and suggesting additional reference materials.
- Maintaining a safe tour environment by explain safety precautions and identifying potential hazards during the tour.
Volunteer Tour Guides will be provided with a script but will be expected to amplify the script based on their personal experiences and learnings. Volunteers should commit to at least 2 shifts per month. The volunteer shifts are nominally 12 noon to 5:00 pm.
Operations Committee Secretary
The Operations Committee of the Toronto Railway Museum meets weekly via Zoom to review and plan for the Museum’s public activities, finances, personnel, systems, restorations and maintenance. The meetings are interesting, enjoyable and somewhat informal. We are seeking a Volunteer Secretary to distribute the meeting Agenda and to take Minutes.
Webmaster
The webmaster of the Toronto Railway Museum is responsible for the operation of the museum’s website, https://torontorailwaymuseum.com The museum website runs on WordPress platform Version 6.2.2). The Contact Record Management (CRM) add-in is CiviCRM (5.58.1)
Systems Maintenance Volunteer
The Toronto Railway Museum depends on volunteers. Without active, enthusiastic, capable volunteers the museum cannot thrive. The Volunteer – Systems Maintenance maintains the volunteer records databases used by Museum staff and volunteers to manage volunteer operations. (Volunteer recruitment and communications are the subjects of separate Task Descriptions.) The museum Contact Record Management system runs on CiviCRM on the WordPress platform.
What to Expect at the Toronto Railway Museum
We hope you enjoy your volunteer experience with the Toronto Railway Museum and that you feel comfortable and safe while you are at the Museum. We ask you to work with us to keep the Museum a safe place for yourself and other volunteers, for all visitors and for our staff by carefully reading the guidelines below.
- Practice physical distancing and keep a safe distance of two metres from other volunteers. Please wear a mask or face covering when this is not possible.
- The Museum has modest dining and relaxation area for volunteers and staff, separated from the public areas of the Museum.
- We do not permit external food and drink (apart from water bottles) inside the public areas of the Museum.
- For your safety, there are hand sanitizer stations throughout the Museum.
- All interactive exhibits in the Museum including the Train Simulator sanitized frequently; the kitchen and bathrooms are sanitized by staff twice daily.