Friday, June 28, 2013

Vintage Railway Plans Expansion

By Daniel Lynch

A vintage railway route in West Yorkshire could be set for a £750,000 makeover.




Keighley and Worth Valley Railway bosses have discussed potential plans to expand facilities at the tourist attraction.

The tourist route which has been running trains for over 40 years welcomes over 210 000 visitor per year.

Chairman of the railway Dr Matthew Stroh says if the scheme goes ahead, there will be plenty of new things to see.

"A key part of the plan is to extend our engine shed at Haworth Station, so we can add a bit that visitors can come and have a look around at the engines that aren't working at the moment", he said. 

Increasing the number of locomotive sheds is a bid to draw more visitors in to sample the old-fashioned railway experience.

"The other key attration will be at Haworth station, where currently, it is great catching the train to Haworth village, but you can't see around our locomotives.

"And what I really want to do is to give them something to see, so they can see what it is like to look after these engines and learn about the engineering that goes into looking after them", he said.
 
The line which first opened in 1867 was famous for transporting coal to West Yorkshire's industries before it closed in 1962.

It reopened again to passengers in 1968 following the efforts of local enthusiasts who's preservation society and volunteer work breathed new life into the route.

Popular spots on the line include Oakworth, where the Railway Children movie was filmed, and Haworth which was home to the Bronte family.

A new cafe, improvement to the Haworth, Oxenhope and Keighley stations and refurbishment to the on-sight museum are just some of the few facilities which could benefit from the scheme.


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