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As the Railway celebrates the 40th Anniversary of its re-opening, our appeal for photos from the early days

of preservation is bringing some remarkable results. Further photos will be added over the coming weeks

Society Special 1962

During the summer of 1962, the newly formed Preservation Society ran a Bradford Forster Square to Oxenhope Special using a Manningham based Midland 3F. These photos were taken by a young Richard Smithies, who went on to become a working member of the Railway.

Winter 1967/68 - Open Day

eBay trader “Nettletea” (Mr E.A. Wood of Idle, near Bradford) has given our Archives a wonderful selection of prints which appear to be from the Winter of 1967/68 showing what appears to be an Open Day in Haworth Yard with the newly-acquired Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41241 still in BR black livery. 

(Right) Peering into a busy Haworth Yard in the days before day-glo and modern safety restrictions, two young ‘festoons’ watch the busy scene as No. 41241 appears to be about to propel the Chatham coach towards Haworth Loop

(Left) Close up of Haworth Yard from the same day: that appears to be one of German-built Eastern Region railbuses under the tarpaulin on the left; a visitor appears oblivious to the impending move of the Chatham and No. 41241 and the LYR brake-composite (now handsomely restored by the LYR Society) is on the right.

(Left) BR-built this 0-6-0T No. 69023 to a North Eastern Railway design from the late 1800’s and used it as station pilot at York – but although it was in Haworth Yard for many years, agreement on its use could not be reached with its owners and it eventually left.

(Right) Another disappointment for many was that the handsome N2 0-6-2T, LNER No. 4744 similarly was not the subject of an agreement and although used for some early stock moves from Keighley, soon left its base in Haworth Yard and played no part in the re-opening of 1968

(Left) The Ivatt tank still in original BR livery with the Chatham coach in Haworth loop

(Right) A particular disappointment for many was that another early resident at Haworth yard, LMS ‘Royal Scot’ 4-6-0 No. 46115 did not operate and while it may have seemed wildly over-powered for 1968, 40 years later its powerful qualities could be put to good use on today’s busy Railway.

The Branch Rises From The Ashes - Mid Sixties

(Left) Proving that topping and tailing a train is nothing new – this appears to be a pre-reopening operation at Oxenhope with BR-built Worsdell NER designed 0-6-0T No. 69023 nearest the camera. The LNER buffet (now preserved at the Great Central?) is next to it, then two Pullman cars (presumably ‘Zena’ and the one retained on the Railway, ‘Mary’), an LNER or GNER brake-composite and what may be the Ivatt 2-6-2T No. 41241.(Photo by ‘Steamchest’ who died some years ago).

(Right) Undated, not credited photo from Haworth Yard, either 1967 or 1968: No. 69023 again showing its nameplate Joem and the front of No. 41241 just visible behind it.

(Left) A work-stained N2 0-6-2T (now at Loughborough) showin gboth its old BR number, 69523 and its LNER guise, No. 4744, in Haworth Yard, not long after delivery (1966?) Photo was from the G.W. Sharpe Collection.

(Right) Close-up of someone apparently cleaning the dome cover on No. 69023 in Haworth Yard – just the sort of snap from a family day out that sadly, all too often, is consigned to the dustbin on household clear outs or after a bereavement. 

Timetable Trials - Easter 1968

(Left) Peckett 0-4-0ST No. 1999 and Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 2226 during the now famous timetable trials of Easter 1968

(Right) The locos in Haworth yard following their somewhat less than successful main line outing.

29th June 1968 - The Railway Re-Opens

A remarkable series of photographs taken on and around re-opening day has been presented to our archives from the estate of the late Mr Bernard Lumb, a Yorkshire railway enthusiast who enjoyed his visits to our line over the years.

(Left) - The Re-opening Special behind Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41241 and USA 0-6-0T No. 30072 preparing to leave Haworth Yard

(Right) - The maroon livery adopted for 41241 is shown to good effect on this view as it hooks onto its stock after running round at Oxenhope

(Left) - While most eyes were on the two locos preparing to operate the reopening special, the Manning Wardle saddle tank Sir Berkeley (now at the Middleton Railway on loan from the VCT) and former Midland open cab 0-6-0T 41708 stand in Haworth yard – Sir Berkeley apparently in steam.

(Right) - The “inside” Re-opening loco USA 0-6-0T No. 72 prepares to run round at Oxenhope.

(Left) - Huge crowds greet the arrival at Oxenhope of the Re-opening Special.

(Right) - No. 72 prepares to operate one of the first timetabled trains

(Left) - Great Northern N2 0-6-2T, used in some of the earliest stock moves on the branch, waits in Haworth Yard.

(Right) - As the first of the timetabled service trains began to operate, No. 41241 prepares to operate one from Keighley.

(Left) - Large crowds watch as the inaugural train prepares to return from Oxenhope to Keighley.

(Right) - Also sidelined was LMS ‘Crab’ 2-6-0 No. 42700

Haworth - 1969

(Left) A collection of what would now be considered classic cars surrounds the station entrance. The toilet block is yet to be built and we can see the small lamp room at the end of the building.

(Right) You can almost smell the new paint on Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41241 as it gleams in Haworth Yard next to the pioneer LMS ‘Hughes Crab’ 2-6-0  No. 42700 – a loco which slipped and slithered spectacularly when tried on some of the early Santa Specials, before it was returned to the National Collection. This print was made from what’s thought to be a Box Brownie negative - photo courtesy EA Wood

Early 1970s - Mrs Webb, The Haworth Yard Greengrocer

How many people remember Millicent Webb, who ran a greengrocers shop on Haworth station forecourt. When this row of shops wasdemolished, she relocated to the old weighbridge hut at the entrance to Haworth Yard? Sadly, Mrs Webb has now passed away but her memory lives on with pictures such as these coming to light. A fascinating piece of local history and a reminder of a remarkable woman

(Photos courtesy of Chris Smyth)

The Mid 1970s

(Left) This excellent view appears to show No. 75078 on the approach to Keighley. The old Keighley West signal box is still in situ and it may be at the time this photo was taken, that trains arriving at Keighley still had to be emptied of passengers, and then propelled into the head shunt to enable the loco to run round before reversing with the stock into Platform 4 - Photo courtesy EA Wood

(Right) A fine portrait of Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75078, restored by the Standard 4 Locomotive Society in the 1970’s, showing the handsome lines of this popular machine as it awaits its next turn of duty at Keighley Station. The loco is being overhauled in Haworth Locomotive Shed and donations towards the cost are welcomed by the KWVLR Trust - Photo courtesy EA Wood

(Left) The You-Couldn't-Do-It-Now-Department: no smoking in trains and certainly no drinking in 'duty clothes', even when off duty as was the case here. In the mid 1970s, the Railway converted a disused Mark 1 TSO (from York) to its celebrated Jubilee Bar. This photo from that period shows a youthful Robert "Dumpy" Hustwick, the late Trevor "Squawk" Owen (an immensely popular driver both on BR and the KWVLR) and Graham "Tiny" Hartley on quality control duties after the installation of the bar and beer pumps from a closed railwaymen's pub adjacent to Holbeck Loco Depot. Photographer -- unknown.

(Right) Ivatt No. 41241 during its mid 1970s visit to the 'Shildon Cavalcade'