Saturday 10th January saw a special train running on the KWVR to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the preservation of our Manning, Wardle 0-6-0ST “SIR BERKELEY”, which arrived on the KWVR back in January 1965. The locomotive was then owned by Roger Crombleholme, who subsequently presented the engine to the Vintage Carriages Trust. The 1891 built engine normally lives on the Middleton Railway in Leeds but has been made available for use at VCT for the next few months to celebrate this and other significant anniversaries.
The loco hauled a special train comprising Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire 4 wheel coach No 176, built in 1876 and South Eastern & Chatham Brake 3rd no 3554, actually built by the Southern Railway in 1924. Both these vehicles first appeared on the Worth Valley in 1965.
And to cap everything the VCT has now been in existence for 50 years in 2015, so the special train celebrates this as well!
The train ran three round trips from Ingrow to Keighley & return at 1200, 1330 and 1500 and many people both rode on the train and enjoyed this wonderful sight.
It is intended to use SIR BERKELEY on the KWVR Gala in February and also at a Model Railway Exhibition at Ingrow on 15th February this year.
Keighley Mayor Graham Mitchell and VCT Chairman Trevor England are shown immediately above.
Photos by Andrew Dennison, Ian Smith and Paul Holroyd
