KWVR – Re-opening Survey

KWVR – Re-opening Survey by news@kwvr

It has been a long hard slog for our operations team who, since the Railway was locked down, have been working hard to plan our strategy for reopening. It is not just a case of opening the doors, firing up a steam locomotive, pull the carriages out of the sidings at Oxenhope, man the stations and set off down the line to Keighley - there is the obstacle of the replacement of Bridge 11 as one of hundreds of jobs that have to be completed to re-open the Railway. How we wish it was that simple!

However a plan is being implemented and very soon you will start to see some activity along the line - but the road to opening will be long so we beg your patience and follow our Social Media for news in the coming months when the Railway will be open to enjoy once again.

The safety and enjoyment of our visitors is absolutely paramount to us. We would like to know your opinions to ensure that, when not just Bridge 11 but all the essential jobs has been completed, we reopen a Railway that will give you, our passengers, an enjoyable, safe and stress-free experience.

We are asking you to take part in this short survey to ensure we understand how you are feeling about returning to the Worth Valley and our unique railway.

Thank you!

K&WVR Virtual Locomotive Roster for the Weekend 30th & 31st May and Wednesday 3rd – Friday 5th June 2020

Virtual Locomotive Roster for the Weekend 30th & 31st May and Wednesday 3rd – Friday 5th June 2020 by news@kwvr

This week on our virtual look back in time, we return to the last year of the decade, 2019, but this year we have the added bonus of a virtual Diesel & Ale Saturday. The week's virtual steam services will be handled by a combination of BR Standard Class 2MT 2-6-0 78022 at the weekend and Midland Railway 4F 0-6-0 43924 in operation on Sunday and weekdays. The virtual Diesel & Ale train on Saturday will have Class 20 20 031 at its head. In 2019 the weekday services from now until September ran Monday to Friday but cut back to Wednesday to Friday in 2020 for June and early July.

• Saturday 30th May:
  Virtual Steam service - British Railways Class 2MT 2-6-0 78022
  Virtual Diesel & Ale service - British Railways Type 1, Class 20 BO - BO Diesel Electric No. 20 031
  
• Sunday 31st May:
  Virtual Steam service - British Railways Class 2MT 2-6-0 78022
  
  Virtual Steam service - Midland Railway 4F 0-6-0 43924
• Wednesday 3rd June - Friday 5th June:
  Virtual Steam service - Midland Railway 4F 0-6-0 43924

Haworth station today

Doing my security rounds this afternoon at Haworth

A sad sight on a bank holiday Monday. However 

we shall soon be back in the very near future.

Steaming Around Yorkshire Supports the ‘Worth Saving’ Appeal

Steaming Around Yorkshire Supports the ‘Worth Saving’ Appeal by news@kwvr Last week we introduced a substantial offer from the Steaming Around Yorkshire (SAY) team in support of our 'Worth Saving' Appeal, helping our target of raising a minimum of £200,000 to ensure steam hauled passenger trains remain in the Worth Valley. The SAY team came up with an offer that not only staves off the continued television boredom but brings you right to the heart of KWVR action, even though there are no passenger services in the Valley for the foreseeable future. To date our 'Worth Saving' appeal has raised almost £135,000 but that still leaves a long way to go. SAY are donating ALL PROFITS from the sale of their KWVR DVDs, bought through their online KWVR Shop with those profits going straight into the 'WORTH SAVING' APPEAL. Last weeks selection of videos was a great success and this week we have something special for followers of the most famous locomotive in the world. In 2017 'Flying Scotsman' visited the KWVR in a fantastic week for both weather and steam action, with the event attracting visitors to the Railway from across the UK. Did you travel with us that week? Now here is your chance, not only to relive the experience you enjoyed that week, but to see ;'Flying Scotsman' attacking the Worth Valley gradients from the other side of the tracks. With the Railway closed and all our volunteers and staff not allowed on KWVR property, SAY will administer the orders and post them out to you. On their website they also have videos of other preserved railways, BUT only the profits of KWVR videos bought from KWVR Shop are included in this Appeal promotion. This weeks 'Worth Saving' Appeal DVDs : 24th - 30th May Just click on the image below to go straight to the SAY - KWVR ONLINE SHOP

K&WVR Rail Park and Remnants of the GNR

As you all know I am a volunteer with Keighley and Worth Valley Railway; needless to say at the moment we are on shut down. We are operating a volunteer security watch and so I did one if my turns yesterday evening and took a few pictures.

Above is the last remaining complete Great Northern 

Railway's structures. It lies just south of Ingrow.

Doubtless soon to disappear in the march of our modern

world

Above and below is the New Rail park for some 

30+ pacer trains stored for Network Rail whilst they

Decide what to do with them. Many of you will 

recognise the site as the path down from Alma St

off Park Rd. 

DOES ANYONE WANT TO BUY ONE.

BARGAIN PRICE I DO BELIEVE

Good for man cave at the bottom of the garden.

K&WVR ‘Worth Saving’ Appeal'

As a Director of the K&WVR I know intimately the difficulties faced by our heritage railways. Can you help? Steaming Around Yorkshire Supports the ‘Worth Saving’ Appeal by news@kwvr

With the Railway closed, no steam action available and the Railway appealing for donations in a financially harsh and challenging environment, the SAY film production guys looked for a way they can help the KWVR survive in these difficult times.

With so many of us sat at home with only endless repeats to watch on our televisions, the SAY team came up with an offer that not only staves off the television boredom but brings you right to the heart of KWVR action at the same time contributing, in no small way, towards achieving our £200,000 'Worth Saving' Appeal target. ALL PROFITS from the sale of their KWVR DVDs, bought through their online KWVR Shop, will go straight to the 'WORTH SAVING' APPEAL.

Every week we will feature up to 5 DVDs that, over the next 9 weeks, chart the best of action on the Worth Valley branchline, including the 50th Anniversary week gala and the visit of the 'Flying Scotsman' that brought thousands to the railway to see this iconic engine in action.

With the Railway closed and all our volunteers and staff not allowed on KWVR property, SAY will administer the orders and post them out to you. On their website they also have videos of other preserved railways, BUT only the profits of KWVR videos bought from KWVR Shop are included in this Appeal promotion.

This weeks 'Worth Saving' Appeal DVDs : 16th - 22nd May

Just click on the image below to go straight to the SAY - KWVR ONLINE SHOP

23 Pacers in storage, at this Yorkshire heritage railway

Some of the last of Northern's Pacers are currently being stored on a heritage railway line while they await a decision on their future.

Although the 23 remaining Class 144s are still in operational service, they have become surplus to requirements as Northern are running a skeleton timetable during the lockdown period.

Northern are paying a storage fee to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, who will keep the units on their preserved track near Keighley Station until they can return to mainline service.

The buffer-to-buffer collection assembled at Keighley represents all of the Class 144 Pacers ever manufactured, as the majority of the Pacers leased by Northern are Class 142s. They have been running since 1987.

The agreement was reached as there is no space on the main rail network to store redundant stock while so many trains are not in use.

The diesel units are due to be retired in August when the phased withdrawal of the Pacers ends.

Some railway experts speculated that the stabled Pacers may not ever return to service if lockdown restrictions are extended past their retirement date.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway have had to suspend services and postpone their summer season, and have expressed concern that the volunteer-run heritage line could cease operations in 2021 unless they receive government help.

The KWVR had already incurred a large repair bill after their engine shed in Haworth was flooded during Storm Ciara in February, damaging several diesel locomotives.

The cancellation of the Haworth 1940s Weekend, which brings large numbers of passengers travelling to the festival by steam train, is also a major financial blow.

The units' arrival is a fitting swansong, as they were originally produced specifically to work on local lines in West Yorkshire. They called regularly at Keighley Station until the Airedale Line was electrified in the 1990s.

K&WVR Virtual Locomotive Roster for Weekend, 16th & 17th May 2020 and Mid-week 20th May 2020

Virtual Locomotive Roster for Weekend, 16th & 17th May 2020 and Mid-week 20th May 2020 by news@kwvr

This week our virtual roster takes us, once again, back to 2014, when not only was it the occasion of the Haworth 1940s weekend but also a special occasion when, on Saturday 17th May, Haworth Locomotive Works was witness to a ceremony of thanksgiving for the restoration of wartime locomotives WD 2-8-0 90733 from the UK, once more named for the day ‘Remembrance – less we forget’, and USTAC 2-8-0 5820 from the USA.

With last weekend's celebration of the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, it is poignant to remember our ceremony of 6 years ago, a day also celebrating the 70th Anniversary of D-Day. The Liturgy and ‘Blessing’ was given by the Reverend Peter Mayo-Smith, Rector of Haworth and Psalm 121 was read by Andrew Simkins from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society.

Our long term guest at the K&WVR 'The Yank'

Previously unpublished picture of The Yank

Other wise USATC S160 5820

BR Std 10013 Oliver Cromwell

Seen here in Haworth Yard on the K&WVR

K&WVR

Dub Dee 90733 and Nunlow

Nunlow belongs to the Bahamas Locomotive Society

K&WVR Virtual Locomotive Roster for Bank Holiday Weekend 8th – 10th May and Mid-week 13th May 2020

Virtual Locomotive Roster for Bank Holiday Weekend 8th – 10th May and Mid-week 13th May 2020 by news@kwvr

This week we take our virtual weekend back to 2018. Due to VE Day celebrations on the 8th May taking place across the UK, we will be operating a virtual Blue timetable on each day, so it will be steam locomotives on all trains, Friday and Sunday and an early morning diesel service on Saturday, with steam for the rest of the day. The steam services will be in the hands of S160 5820 being joined by MR 4F 43924.

The Saturday morning diesel railcar service will operate with the Class 101 diesel multiple unit. This week sees the virtual return of the Wednesday Diesel Railcar service on 13th May.

• Friday 8th May
  Virtual Steam service – USATC S160 2-8-0 5820
  
  Virtual Steam service – Midland Railway Class 4F 0-6-0 43924
  Timetable – Virtually Blue Timetable.
• Saturday 9th May
  Virtual Steam service – USATC S160 2-8-0 5820
  Virtual Steam service – Midland Railway Class 4F 0-6-0 43924
  Virtual Morning Diesel service – British Railways Metropolitan-Cammel Class 101 Diesel Multiple Unit No’s. M51189 & Sc51803
  Timetable – Virtually Blue Saturday Timetable.
• Sunday 10th May
  Virtual Steam service – USATC S160 2-8-0 5820
  Virtual Steam service – Midland Railway Class 4F 0-6-0 43924
  Timetable – Virtually Blue Timetable.
• Wednesday 13th May
  Virtual Diesel Railcar service – British Railways Metropolitan-Cammel Class 101 Diesel Multiple Unit No’s. M51189 & Sc51803
  Timetable – Virtually Yellow Timetable.

NYMR BR standard class 4

That class four drawing the Gresley set firmly

places this re-creation in the 1950's 60's

I do remember them for real

The little moguls had quite a bit of power

NYMR The Gresley set

Train travel in the 1930's 

The bar does look a bit utilitarian

But the standard of comfort is without doubt

You can well imagine well appointed ladies fixing 

their makeup in the mirror before alighting

All teak bodies, good weather resistance

NYMR Levisham

Levisham station takes a bit of finding by car

But is is well worth the effort

Inside the small signal box

Perfect surroundings 

Great little cafe and seating area

Always best seen by train though

Magnificent Gresly set

North Yorkshire |Moors Railway

Double headed for the bank, some years ago

A surprise at the NYMR

Could George Stephenson and Fredrick Swanwick ever have imagined

The constellations look quite magnificent

Even if the engine a little diminutive

A short ride but a great experience

Well done NYMR

Well done the Ffestiniog

Who would have thought of it