RONALD Dean has volunteered at  Bendigo Tramways for the past six years. 

The 65-year-old fitter and turner is responsible for restoring the controllers.

"We strip them down so there is nothing left of them and then we completely rebuild them," he said. 

"I love to work with my hands.

"It's impossible to get a paid job these days, so volunteering at Tramways is perfect for me."

After working as a fitter all of his life and moving to Bendigo, Ron tried his hand at Hazeldene's and realised it wasn't for him. 

"I enjoy the company of the other fellas here," Mr Dean said.  

"I get satisfaction out of seeing a tram run again.

"It's my job to keep them on the tracks."

Mr Dean has had a fascination with trains since he was a young boy. 

"I used to go down and see the trams in Ballarat with my uncle as a kid."

Mr Dean said he is mostly self taught. 

"When I first started we had to pull apart one controller and restore another completely stripped controller," he said. 

"You've got to know what you're doing to work with this sort of equipment, there is a lot of work involved."