North West Family Day: Keighley & Worth Valley Railway: July 2009

The North West Section’s summer visit this year was on 4 July to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.  This 5 mile long single line railway was built by local mill owners to serve the local textile industry, and opened in 1867.  It was operated by the Midland Railway, which later became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway.  Closed in 1962, it reopened in 1968 as a heritage railway, achieving fame as the setting for the 1970 film “The Railway Children”.

The railway is interesting in that it represents the only heritage line that operates a whole branch line in its original form, and that it also offers to local residents a Local Residents Card and the opportunity for them to travel by its morning diesel railcar services into Keighley for shopping and other purposes.  At busy times, two trains can operate on the line at the same time, using a passing loop at Damems.

This visit, also attended by some South Eastern and North Eastern members, consisted of a return journey by steam train to Oxenhope; we stopped on the way back for lunch at Haworth, where we were also able to view a number of items of preserved rolling stock. It was nice to see in a heritage railway context the same competence and professionalism which our Institution is seeking to deliver on the main line railway. Those who took part in this would like to thank the North West Area Council for organising this event.