Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR)

Nestled in the rolling dales of West Yorkshire, the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is a five-mile heritage line connecting Keighley to Oxenhope through the heart of Brontë Country. Built in the 1860s by local mill owners eager to transport goods and coal, the line opened after a few lively setbacks, including one legendary tale of a cow munching on the construction plans!

Originally operated by the Midland Railway, the line later passed through the hands of the LMS and British Railways before closing to passengers in 1961. But the story didn’t end there. A passionate band of volunteers formed the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society in 1962, bought the line, and brought it back to life. By 1968, steam whistles were echoing through the valley once again, making it one of Britain’s earliest and most successful preserved railways.

Today, the KWVR carries more than 100,000 passengers a year and remains a cinematic favorite perhaps most famously starring as the railway in the 1970 classic film “The Railway Children”. From hand-painted station signs to the rhythmic clatter of vintage wheels, every inch of track is a love letter to Yorkshire’s industrial past and cinematic charm. (And yes — even the “Toilet” signs are picture-perfect)!