Vintage Carriages

Vintage Carriages Trust www.vintagecarriagestrust.org

Contributors: © Reproduction prohibited / Paul Holroyd / Alan S Bagot / Michael Kaye / David Webdale

Events

Welcome to Yorkshire tourism cheif opens refurbished reception area
Tourism cheif opens refurbished reception area of award winning museum (19-06-2010)

Clare Morrow, the Chairperson of Welcome to Yorkshire, formally opened the refurnished reception area at the Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow Railway Centre, Keighley, today (Saturday June 19^th 2010) See photo's below.
First opened in 1990, the museum’s reception and sales area was expanded in 1996, using second-hand fittings donated by other outlets. A bequest was received in 2009, which has allowed the reception area to be improved with modern fittings more in keeping with the excellent award-winning standards of the museum and exhibits
Clare Morrow unveiled a plaque and cut a celebration cake, before having a ride in some of the museum’s restored Metropolitan Railway carriages, which have appeared in many television programmes and feature films including The Railway Children.
The Museum of Rail Travel is owned by the Vintage Carriages Trust, which is a Registered Charity and a fully Accredited Museum.
Representatives from the National Railway Museum in York and London’s Transport Museum in Covent Garden attended the proceedings.
Vintage Carriages Trust’s has strong links with the National Railway Museum – VCT’s Curatorial Advisor is Richard Gibbon O.B.E., former Head of Engineering Collections at the National Railway Museum, and phase 3 of the museum building at Ingrow was opened by then Head of the National Railway Museum, the Andrew Scott C.B.E. .
Vintage Carriages Trust is a Welcome to Yorkshire Tourism Partner, and is also a member of the Bronte Country Partnership, which promotes tourism in Keighley and Haworth. Last year, Pennine Yorkshire Tourism used a locomotive and carriages from the Museum of Rail Travel to launch their film competition.
Vintage Carriages Trust’s carriages have been used in over 60 television programmes and films and the carriages have been transported to various parts of England for filming, including Hampshire, Cambridgeshire, Shropshire, the West Midlands, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and North Yorkshire.
A full list of television and film credits is on the Vintage Carriages Trust website at www.vintagecarriagestrust.org
Until September 5^th there is a temporary exhibition marking the 40th Anniversary of the making of the EMI film of The Railway Children, which starred Dinah Sheridan, Jenny Agutter, Sally Thomsett, Bernard Cribbins, Gary Warren and William Mervyn.
Five of the original carriages from the film are based at the Museum of Rail Travel, together with the steam locomotive Lord Mayor, which appeared on the film soundtrack LP record sleeve.
To commemorate the 40th Anniversary, one of the carriages has being specially painted into an approximation of the special livery which was carried by most of the carriages for the filming. (See photo's below)

Carriage Survey
The Carriage survey has been split from the main Vintage Carriages Trust website, and is now at https://www.rhrp.org.uk

Welcome to Yorkshire Chairperson (19-06-10)
Clare Morrow, Chairperson of Welcome to Yorkshire, with Trevor England, Chairman of Vintage Carriages Trust,
and Leeds-built steam locomotive LORD MAYOR

Welcome to Yorkshire Chairperson (19-06-10)
Trevor England, Chairman of Vintage Carriages Trust, and Clare Morrow, Chairperson of Welcome to Yorkshire, with the newly-unveiled plaque.

Welcome to Yorkshire Chairperson (19-06-10)
Trevor England, Chairman of Vintage Carriages Trust, watches as Clare Morrow, Chairperson of Welcome to Yorkshire, cuts the celebratory cake

Welcome to Yorkshire Chairperson (19-06-10)
Trevor England, Chairman of Vintage Carriages Trust, and Clare Morrow, Chairperson of Welcome to Yorkshire,
with Leeds-built locomotive NUNLOW, and carriages from the Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel.

Welcome to Yorkshire Chairperson (19-06-10)
Trevor England, Chairman of Vintage Carriages Trust, and Clare Morrow, Chairperson of Welcome to Yorkshire,
with Metropolitan Railway First Class carriage no 509

Ian Dewhirst, Northern 158 Naming & Promotional Livery

Keighley station (21-09-09)
52860 of unit 158 860 was named " Ian Dewhirst" after the local historian in a ceremony on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway's Platform 4 of Keighley station. Photo shows Stuart Rand of Northern Rail, Ian Dewhirst, and Susan Mendoza of Keighley Town Centre Association.

Keighley station (21-09-09)

Externally, the unit has been branded with vinyls promoting Keighley.
Internally, the vestibules feature a map showing Bronte
Country's tourist attractions, including the two museums at the Ingrow Railway Centre.
See full story - http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/

Anniversary Exhibition opening
(22-03-08) : David Webdale

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway was opened on June 29th 1968.
Between March and October 2008 VCT staged a special exhibition to mark the 40th anniversary of the reopening. Masters of ceremony, Chairman Mr Trevor England & the Mayor of Keighley, Councillor Brian Hudson residing over the proceedings, a couple of sound blokes I thought. See the Keighley News article.

Signs & Boards

Latest refurbishments at the VCT (05-08-2025)
NOTE: The following signal box boards are no longer on display.
Acrefair, Acton Grange Junction, Arthington South, Bolton Abbey, Heaton Lodge, Horton Junction,
Leeds City Junction, Low Moor No 2 East, Low Moor No 5, Turton

Heckmondwike Central station (21-11-25) Paul Holroyd
This original totem sign from Heckmondwike is about to go on display at the Vintage Carriages Trust's Carriage Works Museum at Ingrow.

Signs & totems (17-12-25) Paul Holroyd
Heckmondwike, Shipley & Cleckheaton Central, on display.

Signal Box Boards
This original signal box board from Cleckheaton Spen is now on display at the Vintage Carriages Trust's Carriage Works Museum at Ingrow,
where it has joined several other items from the Spen Valley.

Running-in board from Keighley station : Paul Holroyd 22-03-09
Nowadays, the preserved Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is branded with maroon Midland Region reproduction totems. However, in British Railways days, the Worth Valley branch stations were part of the North Eastern Region. An original tangerine running-in board from Keighley awaits display at the Museum of Rail Travel, Ingrow on 22 March 2009.

Low Moor signal box boards : Paul Holroyd 18-03-06
Boards from Low Moor No 2 East
and No 5 signalboxes,

Mirfield totem : Paul Holroyd 18-03-06
currently on display in the Museum

John Stephenson & totem from Cleckheaton Central. see Mirfield - Low moor

Signal box board 31-10-06 : Paul Holroyd
Signal box board from Cleckheaton South, currently on loan to the Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow.

Heckmondwike Spen signalbox sign (23-01-07) : Paul Nigel Kirkup
An original sign from Heckmondwike Spen signalbox rests on a bogie from Bulleid-designed carriage no. 1469
at the Museum of Rail Travel, Ingrow, prior to being placed on display.

Totem from Heckmondwike Central (18-11-07) Paul Holroyd
On display at the National Railway Museum, York.

Spen Valley box boards (07-02-07) : Paul Holroyd
Now on display at Museum of Rail Travel, Ingrow Railway Centre.

Bradford Exchange signs (04-02-07) : Paul Holroyd see Bradford
Signs from Bradford Exchange, currently on loan to the Museum of Rail Travel, Ingrow

Running In board (12-04-08) : Paul Holroyd see Bradford
Running In board from Bradford Exchange, now on display at the Museum of Rail Travel, Ingrow Railway Centre.

Bradford Keighley Poster

Sowerby Bridge sign (04-05-08) : Paul Holroyd See Calder Valley
Sign from Sowerby Bridge, currently on loan to the Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow near Keighley

Pontefract sign (23-06-08) : Paul Holroyd
Totem from Pontefract, awaiting display at the Museum of Rail Travel, Ingrow.

Shipley totem : Paul Holroyd
Totem from the disused platform 1 at Shipley, now on display at the Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel. Website - www.vintagecarriagestrust.org

Arthington sign (23-07-08) : Paul Holroyd
Until Arthington closed on 20th March 1965, it was the junction for Pool in Wharfedale and Otley, as well as the surviving line to Harrogate, Knaresborough and York. This running in board from Arthington is displayed in the cafeteria of Bolton Abbey station, on the preserved Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway.

Timetables

War Timetables LMS 13 May 1940

LMS Cheap Day tickets to Liverpool. Whit Monday, 13th May 1940. This was the same day that the last reinforcements of the ill-fated British
Expeditionary Force arrived in France.
The neutral countries of Netherlands, Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg had been invaded by the Nazis on Friday 10th May 1940.
On Tuesday 21st May 1940 senior officers of the Southern Railway met with War Office personnel and were tasked with making provision for the landing of up to 300,000 troops at a rate of up to 30,000 per day, mainly at ports on the south coast.
On Wednesday 22nd May 1940 representatives of the LMS, LNER and GWR met with their SR colleagues and War Office personnel, to make arrangements for the transport of troops from the landing ports to suitable dispersal locations further afield.
On Sunday 26th May 1940 at 04.10 hours Anthony Eden, the British War Secretary, authorised the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force.
At 06.57 hours Operation Dynamo was initiated by a signal from the Admiralty. In total, 338,000 men escaped from Dunkirk.
On 14th June 1940 German troops entered Paris. On 22nd June 1940 the French government surrendered.

Calder Valley time table 1962 See Calder Valley Mainline

Trans Pennine time table

Keighley Oxenhope 1958 See KWVR

Osmondthorpe & Penda's Way

Air Valley Sundays 1958

Bradford Huddersfield Penistone 1962

Leeds New Line Timetable 1943 See Leeds New Line

LMS timetables - ex- L & Y (Central) line 1943

London to Leeds and Bradford timetable 1943

Keighley - Oxenhope timetable 1943 See KWVR

Fares to Kings Cross 1958
Single fares to London King's Cross, September 1958. Sadly, a number of stations on the list succumbed to the Beeching axe.

Cleckheaton Sidings (15-04-1963) : Paul Holroyd

On 27 March 1963, The Reshaping of British Railways was launched by Dr. Richard Beeching
Special Traffic Notice for Easter Monday 15 April 1963. A set of side corridor carriages was booked to be collected empty from Cleckheaton Spen sidings at 11.32 a.m. to form train 1X84 - a Huddersfield to Blackpool Central excursion, booked to arrive at Blackpool Central at 2.17 p.m..
Departing from Blackpool Central at 9.05 pm, after passengers had alighted at Huddersfield, the carriages were due to return empty to Cleckheaton Spen sidings at 11.55 p.m.

Cleckheaton Sidings (15-04-1963) : Paul Holroyd
Departing from Blackpool Central at 9.05 pm, after passengers had alighted at Huddersfield, the carriages were due to return empty to Cleckheaton Spen sidings at 11.55 p.m.

Timetables for the Charrington Hargreaves oil depot (17/05/82) : Paul Holroyd
Extracts from the 17 May 1982 - 3 October 1982 Working Timetable,
showing freight services to and from the Charrington Hargreaves Oil Terminal at Liversedge Spen.

See Leeds New Line 3

Plans for run-round facilities for the Charrington Hargreaves oil depot (22/12/65) : Paul Holroyd
A small part of the plans for building the connecting spur between the L & Y and LNWR lines at Heckmondwike, and associated works.
There is a handwritten note saying "Plan enclosed with DE's letter 22/12/65" on my copy
Run-round facilities for the Charrington Hargreaves oil depot at Liversedge Spen. See Leeds New Line 3

Cleckheaton Central shunting records 1958
Until the Beeching axe, Cleckheaton Central had a busy goods yard. Fortunately, a number of Freight train and shunting records survive from 1958, covering the periods February 24-26, April 1-May 30 , August 2-31 and October 2-13.

The example shown is a fascinating historical document, showing the arrival and the departure times at Cleckheaton,
the locomotives involved: nos 52461, 44485, 90397 and 90124 as well as the origin points and final destinations of the trains,
and the number of wagons detached at Cleckheaton Central.
The 06.00 from Mirfield to Cleckheaton which arrived at 06.40 consisisted of 30 wagons , while 14 wagons were detached from the Sowerby to Low Moor train which arrived at Cleckheaton at 12.1 See Cleckheaton Central

Timetables September 1949 York, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester Victoria : Paul Holroyd

From York to Manchester Victoria. Via Leeds Central & Bradford Exchange.

Cover, pages 4-5, 6-7- 8-9

Pages 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, 16-17

Pages 18-19, 20-21, 22-23, 24-25

Pages 26-27, 28-29, 30-31, 32-Sunday

Tickets

Post closure trains Spen Valley Line : Paul Holroyd
On 11 June 1966 Millbridge W.M.C. organised an excursion from Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Heckmondwike to Bridlington.

Post closure trains Spen Valley Line : Paul Holroyd
On 18th June 1966 British Belting & Asbestos Ltd organised an excursion from Bradford (Exchange),
Cleckheaton, Liversedge and Heckmondwike to Bridlington.

Alan S Bagot collection

Brochures

Brochures
LNER brochure
Following the Grouping, both the ex-Lancashire & Yorkshire and ex-London & North Western lines through the Spen Valley came under the control of the LMS.

This February 1939 booklet was issued by the LNER, and features destinations on the GWR and SR.
Ex-LNER Class A4 pacifics traversed the L & Y Heckmondwike - Low Moor route in the early 1960s

Line Closures

Queensbury Lines

Queensbury 1955 Line Closure notice & alternate bus services See Queensbury Lines

Luggage Labels

Railway luggage label 1899 : Paul Holroyd
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway luggage label, 1899. The reverse of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway luggage label reads: “ 9/12/99 From Church to Skipton via Colne Mid No. 25 “

Luggage label (06-09-08) : Paul Holroyd
LNER luggage label courtesy David Norman Carr

Excursion Handbills

Handbills from 50s & 60s

A Yorkshire Railwaymans Career

Kenneth Holland a Yorkshire railwaymans career: Photos VCT collection
With thanks to the family of the late Mr Kenneth Holland for permission to use these documents and photographs.

Kenneth in the cab (11-08-64)
In the cab of 45694, Shipley G.N. 11 August 1964.
Kenneth Holland joined the London, Midland & Scottish Railway on 12 February 1940 and worked his way through the ranks from
cleaner to driver of Inter-City 125 High Speed Trains. At the time of his retirement from British Rail, he was living in Cleckheaton.

Cab (11-08-64)
In the cab of 45694, Shipley G.N. 11 August 1964

Identification Card
London, Midland & Scottish Railway, front & reverse of Identification Card.
Cleaner, Motive Power Dept, Royston.

Permission
London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company: permission for employee to park motor cycle at Royston Loco Depot.

Fireman for Passing
14 September 1951: Fireman for Passing.
“… you have successfully passed the technical examination and may be used for driving work”

Contract of Employment
British Railways Board Contract of Employment, 24 September 1964 Grade: Driver

Low moor M.P.D (18-08-67)
E. Percival, W. Hamsom, Kenneth Holland, H. Brown and G. Bottomley with 44662 at Low moor M.P.D. 18 August 1967.
Photo believed to be by J. Marsh.

Low Moor M.P.D Closure (02-10-67)
Closure of Low Moor M.P.D. from 2 October 1967.
Drivers will be transferred to Bradford Hammerton Street, Healey Mills, Holbeck or Normanton.

Kenneth Holland
With Class 254 Inter-City 125 High Speed Train at London King’s Cross. Undated.

Kenneth Holland
In the cab of a Class 254 Inter-City 125 High Speed Train. Undated.

Kenneth Holland
In the cab of a Class 254 Inter-City 125 High Speed Train at Doncaster, September 1982.

With thanks to the family of the late Mr Kenneth Holland for permission to use these documents and photographs.

A tribute to Ken fom Michael Kaye
I secondmanned Ken at Holbeck, I joined the railway in 1974 at Holbeck at the age of 16, I remember being with Ken, the first ever time, we were on a job going to Sheffield via Cudworth and was approaching Darfield, I was looking out of the window, when suddenly, I got a right crack around my ear hole, on looking around, there was Ken, pointing his finger at me and saying, you look a very cheeky young lad, so be careful. I must admit I was cheeky (still are), but I respected Ken and still do, I miss all the Drivers what we had at Holbeck, they did look after you and taught you the job through there experience, Ken was a brilliant mate to have with you. God Bless you Ken and maybe one day we'll all be together again. Michael (Danny) Kaye 55A

Random

British Railways Illustrated : Paul Holroyd
British Railways Illustrated Vol 3 No 2 November 1993 includes an 11-page article on Shipley. See Shipley Skipton

Tramway at Goose Eye near Keighley (25-08-08)
The tramway served Turkey Mill
(and ran from Rag Mill - but little if any trace of that bit survives). 25 August 2008.

K&WVR : Darren Hosker
Hidden Secrets of Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Ingrow from 11 min 00 sec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q9FmE0Olxo

Queen Street railway museum, York. (nd) : Harry Naylor Holroyd
Inside the old Queen Street railway museum, York. Unknown date. The museum had been opened in 1922 by the North Eastern Railway.
See York

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