Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (KWVR) - merged topics

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Leeds Live

Released in cinemas in 1970, The Railway Children was based on the 1906 novel of the same name by Edith Nesbit.

The drama was released to critical acclaim and provided a boost for the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway which provided a memorable backdrop for the film.

The film also featured other notable Yorkshire locations including a house in Oxenhope and the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth.

Here we take a look at what happened to the film's cast and what happened next.

Fond memories of that film ... and in modern days a strong reminder that you should NOT trespass on the railway.   We live in a different era and if you spot a landslide that could cause a derailment, phone 0345 711 4141 in preference to tearing up  you petticoat into red flags - that's even assuming any of you wear red petticoats.

But there is a connection here from The Railway Children through to Save the Train and the Coffee Shop.  In those early days, we were very much more a protest than a partnership setup (we had to be to get a seat at the table for our requests for an appropriate train service) and Jenny Agutter who played Roberta ('Bobby') in the film signed our online permission petition and was a help on significant publicity; she indeed helped us, in a little way but one in which I am still very thankful for (and alongside so many others) save our train.

Edit to correct miswording

[Oxonhutch]

I think you mean 'petition' Graham  . The Railway Magazine of the day was highly critical of the film and its depiction of gratuitous trespass. Editorials called upon the film's critics to condemn this aspect.

[grahame]

I think you mean 'petition' Graham  . The Railway Magazine of the day was highly critical of the film and its depiction of gratuitous trespass. Editorials called upon the film's critics to condemn this aspect.

Darned auto-correct. And I 100% agree the depiction of trespass - could/should have made that even clearer in the first post

[grahame]

I think you mean 'petition' Graham  . The Railway Magazine of the day was highly critical of the film and its depiction of gratuitous trespass. Editorials called upon the film's critics to condemn this aspect.

The comparison still being made ... today - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-56647135

Trespassers with pushchair seen on 'Railway Children' line

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Anonymous donor's £200,000 to restore famous loco

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The locomotive during filming of The Railway Children film which took place in various locations, including Haworth

An anonymous donor has given £200,000 towards the restoration of a famous locomotive that appeared in The Railway Children.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR^▸ (Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - heritage railway)) will rebuild steam engine No 5775 after receiving the financial gift.

It is best known for its appearance in the classic 1970 film, which starred Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins and Lionel Jeffries. The locomotive was built in 1929 at the Great Western Railway's Swindon Works but has been out of service for around 25 years.

Fran Hartley, KWVR's co-leader of the restoration project, said the donation had transformed the timetable for the work. She said: "We are incredibly grateful for this generosity. It has allowed us to begin restoring a locomotive that means so much to the railway and to the public. Our volunteers are now making steady progress and bringing this remarkable engine back to life."

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Fran Hartley is co-leader of the KWVR restoration project

No 5775, a six-wheeled pannier tank engine, operated across south Wales on Great Western Railway routes before being withdrawn by British Railways in 1963.

It was sold to London Transport where it became L89 and worked on engineering and maintenance trains across the capital. In 1970 the engine was saved for preservation and moved to the KWVR.

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The No 5775 steam engine has not steamed since 1999 and is now in parts

It was repainted in the fictional livery of the Great Northern and Southern Railway for its film role. The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 1999 in need of a major overhaul and spent many years in storage before returning to the charity's Haworth base for assessment.

Earlier this week the first tranche of a £5m pot of government money to upgrade the KWVR was released by Bradford Council, which administers the funding. The original funding was announced as part of a £19.8m Levelling Up deal for Keighley in 2023.

The charity's chairman, Matt Stroh, said: "We've worked closely with the team at Bradford Council and this is a great way to start the new year. We are delighted to be moving forward with these transformative plans. It will serve as the foundation for securing further investment, driving tourism, creating local jobs, and enhancing community pride."

The £50,000 released will pay for a feasibility study, including the appointment of a project manager, covering infrastructure upgrades, signalling improvements, track restoration, and facility enhancements.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Heritage railway buys its volunteers' favourite pub

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The Royal Oak has been a regular meeting place for staff and volunteers of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - Image © Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

A pub which closed suddenly two years ago has reopened after a nearby heritage railway bought it.

The Royal Oak in Haworth has long been popular with visitors to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and other Bronte Country attractions. It was a popular meeting place for enthusiasts who volunteer on the line, and they have now taken over its running.

Sam MacDougall, one of the volunteers, said: "We were all dismayed when it closed so suddenly. Ever since our railway reopened in 1968, The Royal Oak was a favourite watering hole."

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The downstairs bar has been decorated with a railway theme - Image © Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

Under its previous ownership, the pub's snug was decorated with railway memorabilia and photographs, and the reopened Royal Oak will have a railway-themed downstairs bar.

MacDougall added: "We see our railway as part of Haworth and the wider Worth Valley community, so reopening The Royal Oak as a community pub is a way of giving something back to the village, without whose support we would not be here."

The pub was once tied to Websters Brewery of Halifax and passed into private hands before shutting in 2024.

Volunteers behind the takeover said the building has always been "more than a pub" for the railway community.

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Volunteers from the neighbouring Keighley and Worth Valley Railway have taken over trade - Image © Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

The upper floor, which was formerly used as living accommodation, has now become office space for the railway.

The line, which runs between Keighley and Oxenhope, closed as a main route in 1962, before it was taken over by a preservation society in 1968.

"Haworth village and the railway have really missed it, so this is a really exciting project. It does mean an awful lot."