The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway

Also known as ‘The Railway Children Line' the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has become synonymous with the 1970's film starring Dinah Sheridan and Jenny Agutter. With Haworth village just a short walk away, the K&WVR runs right through the picturesque heart of Brontë country. Woollen mills also feature in the landscape - a remnant of the industry that the line was built to serve.

Opened in 1867, the K&WVR has featured on-screen since 1966, so with over 40 years' experience as a location, the K&WVR boasts film-friendly staff with extensive first-hand knowledge of the particular requirements of both large and small-scale productions.

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has played host to a number of television dramas and feature films, including:

 Films:
 - The Railway Children (left, 1970, EMI)
 - Brideshead Revisited (2007, Ecosse Films)
 - Yanks (1979, Universal)
 - Fairy Tale: A True Story (1997, Icon Entertainment)
 - Jude (1996, BBC Films)


TV:
 - Spanish Flu - The Forgotten Fallen (left, 2009, Hardy Picures) 
 - The League of Gentlemen (BBC)
 - Last of the Summer Wine (BBC)
 - Housewife 49 (2006, Granada Television)
 - A Touch of Frost (ITV Productions)
 - The Royal (YTV)
 - Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (BBC)
 - Where the Heart Is (Anglia/Meridian)

The K&WVR has also featured in numerous commercials, with brands including Budweiser (for the US market), Hovis biscuits and Tetley bitter.

The compact 5-mile line offers productions a range of authentic and unusual features and can be used a location for any period between 1860 and 1960. Original features offered by the K&WVR include 6 stations, 4 signal boxes, 2 tunnels, 2 level crossings, a turntable, several bridges and a viaduct. The stone-built stations also offer authentic period features such as coal fires, gas lighting and period posters and signs. The engines themselves include steam and diesel locomotives, carriages and wagons.

Jane Soans, Location Manager, on her experiences of filming BRIDESHEAD REVISITED:
"The ease of filming with the team at the K&WVR is fantastic - they have a choice of rolling stock and engines for many periods, the working time-table tends to allow time for a shooting schedule to include exclusive use of the railway for 2 or 3 days at a time, and the staff are really film friendly and incredibly welcoming.

Oakworth Station is just a gem. The buildings are preserved in period detail and provide a perfect period setting with very little for the Art Department to do. Given a choice, I would always direct people to the Worth Valley Railway, when Steam trains are needed."

Jane has worked on a number of productions featuring the K&WVR, including Raffles (1976), Sons and Lovers (2003) as well as Brideshead Revisited (2003).

www.kwvr.co.uk

For more fantastic Yorkshire locations, go to: www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/filming/locations