Neil Carr has become one of the railway's most familiar figures. Like a number of our volunteers, he came as a member of the 'support crew' of a visiting locomotive: in this case, Great Western 2-8-0 no. 3822 which visited for a couple of seasons from 2003.  After the locomotive returned to its home at Didcot, Neil stayed. He has made an immeasurable contribution to the railway having risen to the GWSR Plc board as Operations Director, before resigning that position earlier this year to become the railway's full-time contracted operations manager.

Neil can turn his hands to many things but when in a volunteer capacity, you're as likely to find him at the regulator of a steam locomotive, swinging levers in a signal box, helping install signalling or point work or even walking the track: when he isn't managing the myriad issues that go with the Operations territory.

In his 'Five minutes' he reveals that he has been passionate about railways since he was nine; would like to have gone on to do a degree in astrophysics; holds an HGV1 licence; was a radio engineer - and is a closet baker!

Recently, he starred in a TPV video production on signalling when he was filmed at Toddington describing the principles of semaphore signalling and took the film crew 'behind the scenes'. He later discovered that his eloquent explanations are used by First Great Western in the classroom to explain aspects of semaphore operations for those who manage the remaining installations on the national network!

My business card if I had one, would say:

I actually do have one! It says Neil Carr BSc (Hons), Operations Manager, Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway.

I first got interested in railways because:

I'd liked anything mechanical and electrical from an early age and had the obligatory Lego kit and Hornby model railway. My paternal grandmother's family had a railway background and her brother first got me seriously interested in railways at age nine. He was at that time the manager of the Aylesbury-Amersham section of the Chiltern Line and he and his wife took me to what I now realise was the opening year of the NRM at York in 1975. We travelled up to Marylebone from Aylesbury and then went first class Kings Cross to York behind Deltic no. 55 018 'Ballymoss', returning behind 55 012 'Crepello'. Whilst there he bought me the 1975 Ian Allan loco handbook and from then on I was hooked.

What I do for the railway today is:

The Operations Manager position is actually a contract post and the job description is pretty much the same as that of Operations Director: except that it doesn't carry a board vote and now includes some of the day to day work of some of the other volunteer directors, such as liaison with contractors. The job involves liaison with roster clerks over provision of trains and staffing them; planning of possessions of the line for access and maintenance; planning and supervising incoming and outgoing road moves of railway vehicles. There is also stewardship of the rule book, liaison with HMRI (Her Majesty's Railways Inspectorate), RAIB (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) and HRA (Heritage Railway Association); planning of timetables, issuing of operations notices and memos, dealing with operational queries and many other jobs as they come up. Maintenance of the Safety Management System and all associated paperwork is also under my remit. The Operations Manager is also the Duty Operations Officer on all dates when he is on site and my contract also includes S&T electrical repairs and installation when required. I'm also required as a last resort to fill in any operational role for which I'm qualified, that cannot be covered by regular volunteers.

On a voluntary basis, I also:

Am a steam driver, diesel driver, DMU driver, signalman, trainee guard and Duty Operations Officer. I also do work on S&T electrics and still help in the loco department when I get the time (which unfortunately isn't that often these days). I usually volunteer to come in on big event days such as Thomas to help out and to be available should anything go wrong. I also carry out the monthly track inspection (walk) between Toddington and the current limit of operations at Hailes on the northern section of the railway.

I can usually be found:

During the week I'll either be at Toddington in the office on platform 2; at Winchcombe around the S&T or Loco dept coaches or anywhere I'm needed on the railway. At the weekends I'm nearly always here either volunteering as a driver, signalman or whatever or getting involved somewhere. I do occasionally have a day off the railway!!

I first was prompted to get involved with the GWSR because:

I came to the railway in early 2003 along with Didcot's GWR 2-8-0 loco no. 3822. As soon as I arrived I got stuck in helping with the re-naming of Schools class 4-4-0 "Repton" as "Cheltenham" for the opening of Cheltenham Race Course station. 3822 stayed for two seasons and during that time I became a fireman on the GWR and became more and more involved. When 3822 departed I chose to stay.

The thing I like most about our railway is:

Difficult to single any one thing! The friendly people, the countryside are just two of myriad reasons.

The thing I like least:

The inevitable nastiness and politics. Railway enthusiasts are by their nature passionate about their railway and unfortunately this can lead to people becoming very bitchy about things that they personally think are wrong. Often this is brought about by misunderstanding and rumour and a simple conversation could resolve the issue.

I think the greatest achievement of our railway is:

Growing from effectively nothing to the amazing railway that it is today.

My 'real job' or profession was:

This is a difficult one - how long have you got? I'm a graduate electrical engineer but I've always preferred practical hands-on things. I've been a director of a small building development company, involved in design and build of small areas of housing and industrial units and working as anything from a machine driver doing foundations and earthworks through carpenter, roofer and scaffolder to plumbing and electrical installation work. I have a Class 1 HGV licence and have driven artics and low loaders in the past. I worked for the BBC as a radio broadcast engineer and repaired/operated the control room and on air studios in Broadcasting House before being made redundant by John Birt. I then freelanced as a broadcast engineer before becoming Regional Technical Manager for Chrysalis Radio for eight years. Shortly after I joined the GWSR I left Chrysalis (then bought out by Global Communications) and became a freelance driver/engineer again; working on restoration of steam engines and vehicles, signal and telegraph installations, some small radio station builds and some HGV driving.

I always read (newspapers or magazines):

I don't, unless you count the Cornishman. I get my news from Radio 4.

The headline I would most like to read in the media is:

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway opens its Broadway Station this weekend.

My favourite railway company / operator is or was:

I don't really have one although from a driving and engineering perspective you can't go far wrong with a Churchward-designed GWR loco.

My favourite locomotive class(es) is/are:

On the steam front GWR 38xx (such as 3822) and the GWR Modified Hall, such 'Foremarke Hall' based on the railway. As for diesels, I have an affection for the Class 37s; Hymek and Western diesel-hydraulics and the Deltic - I well remember my first journey to York and back behind these impressive machines when I was a youngster, as mentioned earlier.  But if I had to choose one it would be 3822!

If I was lucky enough, I would invest a £1 million windfall on:

Repairing Chicken Curve and if there was any spare I'd buy myself a narrowboat.

If I wasn't involved with the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway I would probably:

Move to Lancashire and get involved with the East Lancashire Railway.

In other spare time I also enjoy:

Walking, cycling, reading, canal boating and music, mostly Progressive Rock.

If an MP3 player really only could play three pieces of music, I would choose:

Gosh, that's a tricky one. Let's say L'Auberge du Sanglier (A Hunting We Shall Go/Pengola/Backwards) by Caravan; Stone Dead Forever by Motorhead and Cymbaline by Pink Floyd. There are far too many to choose from however.

My greatest achievement is:

Off the railway probably designing and building "The Arrow", a mostly automated regional DAB rock radio station with automated separate news, travel and adverts for six regions. Sadly now confined to history since Chrysalis radio was bought out. On the GWR it's a toss up between chairing and organising the Centenary Gala in 2006 (with the help of Ian Crowder, Ian Carpenter and many other worthy volunteers) and the Toddington north re-signalling scheme when Malcolm Walker and I re built the Toddington frame over the closed season, ably assisted by the Tuesday S&T gang. We installed all the signals and cabling and successfully brought it all into operation on time. I designed, installed and commissioned the entire electrical side.

My biggest regret is:

I don't really have regrets. Given enough extra time and money I'd have liked to have done a second degree in astrophysics.

What my family thinks of my railway interest:

They are always supportive but I don't think that they really understand it. My father and brother have always been sports enthusiasts and were always playing cricket or football of a weekend. My mother used to allow herself to be dragged on various rail tours before I was old enough to go on my own or with friends.

In ten years' time I think the railway:

Should be successfully running between Cheltenham Race Course and Broadway.

No-one on the railway knows this about me, but:

I don't keep many secrets. But I do bake my own homemade bread occasionally.