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