Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

File:Ivatt tank Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.jpg

Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T 41241 at Haworth station

The Platform, Oxenhope Railway Station, terminus of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (photo by Nigel Homer, 2006)

Damems Junction signal box

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a five-mile (eight-km) long heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England, that runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley. It is currently the first and only Heritage Railway that operates a whole branch line in its original form.

History

The line was built in 1867 by local mill owners, but operated by the Midland Railway, which owned most of the rail network in the area, and was eventually bought by the Midland.

After becoming part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, ownership passed to British Railways following nationalisation in 1948. As a part of the rail cutbacks in the 1960s, British Railways closed the line at the end of 1962.

However a preservation society was formed which bought the line from BR and reopened it in 1968 as a heritage railway. The line is now a major tourist attraction operated entirely by volunteers and carries more than 110,000 passengers every year. The KWVR is currently the only preserved railway that operates a complete branch line in its original form. It is celebrated among beer lovers for operating the only buffet car serving real ale.

The line and its bridges and tunnels including a deviation were built as single track but with provision for duplication, should the need arise.

Stations and facilities

• Keighley
  • Mainline Connections to Leeds, Bradford, Skipton, Carlisle, Lancaster, Morecambe and London King's Cross
  • Railway Shop and Buffet
  • Turntable
  • Picnic Area
  • Station restored to BR 1950s condition complete with cast-iron platform canopy
• Ingrow West
  • Access to the Vintage Carriages Trust's Museum of Rail Travel
  • Access to the Bahamas Locomotive Society Museum "Ingrow Loco"
  • Car parking
• Damems
  • The smallest standard-gauge railway station in Britain, complete with Waiting Room, Booking Office, Signal Box & Level Crossing
  • Lit by gas and heated by coal stoves
  • Featured as "Ormston" in the BBC's Born and Bred
• Oakworth
  • Famous as the location for the filming of the 1970 film The Railway Children, starring Jenny Agutter, Dinah Sheridan, Bernard Cribbins, Sally Thomsett and Gary Warren
  • Restored to Edwardian condition, the station is lit by gas lamps
  • Heated by up to four coal fires in winter (around eight months each year)
  • Car Parking (for 'Horseless Carriages')
• Haworth
  • Railway shop
  • Picnic area and engine shed viewing area
  • Access to Haworth Village and the Brontë Parsonage
  • Gas lit platform
  • An example of a 1950s country station
• Oxenhope
  • New Heritage Lottery Fund-supported Exhibition Shed, contains locomotives and carriages not currently in use and explains their history and that of the line as a whole
  • Railway shop and buffet
  • Car parking
  • Bus connections to Hebden Bridge
  • Gas-lit platform, car park and waiting room

Special events

• During Summer 2008, 45212 is expected to return for the final of its 3 visits permitted during its 10 year boiler certificate, to participate in an event to mark 40 years since the end of steam on BR.

Operational steam locomotives

80002

• BR 2-6-4T Class 4MT no. 80002 (Used regularly, especially in summer, boiler ticket expires in 2015)
• L&Y 0-6-0 Class 25 "Ironclad" no. 957 (later BR Class 2F no. 52044, boiler ticket expires in 2011) (Used on summer vintage trains and during special events)
• LMS 2-6-2T Class 2MT no. 41241 (Used regularly)
• LMS 0-6-0T Class 3F "Jinty" no. 47279 (Used regularly. boiler ticket expires in 2011)
• Taff Vale Railway 0-6-2T no. 85 (Used regularly, boiler ticket expires in June 2009)
• BR 2-8-0 Austerity no. 90733 (In regular use, boiler ticket expires in 2017)
• Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T no. 1704 "Nunlow" steam tested and moved under its own power 6th June 2008. (Boiler ticket expires 2018)

Steam locomotives under overhaul or restoration

• BR standard class 4 4-6-0 no. 75078 (Undergoing a ten year overhaul. Boiler away for overhaul. Completion is due for 2014)
• Midland Railway 3835 Class 0-6-0 (LMS Class 4F) no. 43924 (Stripped down for restoration. Good progress is being made on the overhaul, which is focusing on the frames presently. Boiler away for overhaul. Completion is expected in 2012)
• LNER 0-6-0ST Class J94 no. 68077 (Undergoing overhaul at the Spa Valley Railway where the loco's dismantling is nearly done)
• SR 4-6-2 West Country Class no. 34092 "City of Wells" (The boiler cladding is now all on and the boiler is now being tackled. The engine is expected to steam in 2009)
• USATC S160 Class 2-8-0 no. 5820 "Big Jim" (Under restoration; the frames are making good progress. Driving wheels re-tyred. Most brake and suspension parts have been overhauled or renewed. Refitting has begun. New tender bogies require some modification.)
• LNWR Webb Coal Tank 0-6-2T no. 1054 (Undergoing restoration at Ingrow Workshops with work on the frames and boiler going well)
• LMS 0-6-0ST L&YR Class 23 No 752. Undergoing restoration, the frames, smokebox and saddle tank are just about finished and the boiler has been steam tested, a few more jobs need to be done like putting the locomotive back together again, planned to be in traffic in 2008.

Stored and static steam locomotives

• BR 2-6-0 Class 2MT no. 78022. (Withdrawn for ten year overhaul in 2002 and is currently on display in the museum at Oxenhope. It is expected that the overhaul will begin in 2010)
• GWR 0-6-0PT 5700 Class no. 5775. On display at Oxenhope. (Not expected to enter the workshops before 2019)
• L&Y 0-4-0ST Class 21 "Pug" no. 68 (later BR Class 0F no. 51218). (Stored awaiting overhaul which is planned to start once 752 is finished)
• LMS 4-6-0 Class 5XP Jubilee no. 45596 "Bahamas". (Awaiting overhaul. Funding is being arranged by the Bahamas Trust, and work will begin upon completion of the 'Coal Tank')
• LMS 2-8-0 Class 8F no. 48431. (On display in the museum at Oxenhope)
• SR 0-6-0T Class USA no. 30072. (On display in the Oxenhope museum, requires extensive firebox repairs. Not expected to enter the workshops before 2019)
• MSC 0-6-0ST no. 31 Hamburg. (Requires a new inner firebox and a general overhaul)
• LMR 0-6-0ST no. 118 "Brussels". (Requires a general overhaul)
• Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST no. 2258 "Tiny". (On display at Ingrow awaiting a general overhaul, owned by the Bahamas trust)
• Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-4-0 crane tank no. 7069 "Southwick". (On display at Ingrow awaiting overhaul)
• Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST "Lord Mayor". (On display at Ingrow awaiting overhaul)

Operational diesel locomotives

• BR 0-6-0 Hudswell Clarke (British Rail Class D2/12) shunter no. D2511. In use as the Works train shunter after a recent engine and cylinder liner repair.
• BR 0-6-0 Class 08 no. 13336 (ex-08266). In use but restricted to Haworth yard duties as the Locomotive is currently suffering from worn tyres. Appeared at 2008 Diesel Gala working shuttles between Keighley and Ingrow.
• Port of Bristol Authority Diesel Mechanical 0-6-0 no. 23 "Merlin". In use, currently at Oxenhope station as it is the carriage and wagon shunter.
• BR Bo-Bo Class 25 no. 25059 (ex-D5209). In service following repairs.

Diesel locomotives under repair

• BR 0-6-0 Prototype EE shunter no. D226 "Vulcan". Suffered a main generator failure in June 2006 and has also developed bearing problems. A group have now started the overhaul of the engine.
• Mersey Docks and Harbour Board Diesel Mechanical 0-6-0 no. 32 "Huskisson". Currently undergoing a long delayed axlebox overhaul.
• BR Bo-Bo Class 20 no. D8031 (ex-20031). Returned to traffic in July 2006 after a generator repair. Out of service again due to main generator bearing failure.

Operational diesel multiple units

• BR Class 108 unit 50928+51565. Both are in regular use but when the 101 set is in traffic this set will be withdrawn for overhaul.
• BR Railbuses No 79964. In regular use on morning diesel services.

Diesel multiple units under overhaul or restoration

• BR Class 101 unit 51803+51189. Under restoration. Both vehicle's mechanical restorations have been done and both are shortly going to be painted in BR blue. The unit is expected to start carrying passengers in 2007.
• BR Railbuses No 79962. Currently stored and sheeted over in Haworth yard, the engines restoration has been finished and once shed space is available the body, wheels and frames will be restored. It is expected to be finished in 2008 which is the railways 40th anniversery of when it was first preserved.

Locomotive notes

• 'Black Five' no.45212 is operational but currently based on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, as part of a deal which will see it running there until it has covered 70,000 miles. This could take the entire 10-year duration of the boiler ticket.
• 'Coal Tank' no.1054 is currently undergoing overhaul at Ingrow. Once its owning group have completed the repairs, attention will be focused on returning "Bahamas" to traffic.
• Steam Engines in line for a return to steam before the end of the decade are no.34092 "City Of Wells", and no.43924, which was the first engine salvaged from Barry Scrapyard in South Wales to be returned to steam on a heritage line, back in the 1970s.
• Somerset & Dorset Railway 7F 2-8-0 no.53809, currently based at the Midland Railway Butterley, is due to visit the K&WVR in Autumn for their second steam gala of the year. This will be the locomotive's second visit, as it spent time on the railway during the 1980s.
• Class 101 vehicle No 51803 is operational but out of service awaiting a repaint in BR blue livery, 51189's interior and mechanical restoration is nearing completion and it to is awaiting a reapaint. The unit will hopefully be ready for service in 2007 allowing the 108 set to be withdrawn for repairs.

Vintage carriages

The railway has a large collection of Vintage Carriages. Some are used to carry passengers on specially selected open days.

Metropolitan 465 'Dreadnought' 9-compartment third built 1919

SR 3554 'Matchboard' Continental Brake third built 1924

• Great Northern Railway 1867 (body only). Stored awaiting restoration.
• MSLR 4-wheeler Tricomposite 154 built in 1876. Operational.
• Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 6-wheeler five compartment third 1507 built in 1882. In regular vintage train use.
• Midland Railway 6-wheeler Composite 258 built in 1886. On static display at Ingrow.
• Great Northern Railway 6-wheeler Brake Third 589 built in 1888. Used for filming use.
• Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 6-wheeler 4 compartment first 279 built in 1894. In the restoration queue, could be worked on once 47 is completed.
• Great Northern Railway Composite Lavatory Brake 2856 built in 1896. In regular vintage train use.
• NER Clerestory Saloon 1661 built in 1904. In regular vintage train use.
• Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Director's Saloon 135 built in 1908. On static display at Oxenhope.
• Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Brake Third 1474 built in 1910. In regular vintage train use.
• Metropolitan Railway 'Dreadnought' Brake 427 built in 1910. In regular vintage train use.
• Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Blackpool Club Car 47 built in 1912. Interior restoration progressing.
• Metropolitan Railway 'Dreadnought' 9 compartment third 465 built in 1919. Out of service.
• Metropolitan Railway 'Dreadnought' 7 compartment first 509. In regular vintage train use.
• Southern Railway 'Matchboard' Continental Brake Third built in 1924. In regular vintage train use.

Use In film and television

The line and its stations has been used numerous period film and television productions including films The Railway Children and Yanks & in an episode of the longest running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine in 1979.

External links

• Keighley and Worth Valley Railway website
• Ingrow Railway Centre website
• British Railways in 1960 - Keighley to Oxenhope