KWVR Spring 2026 Steam Gala

We hadn't expected to make it to the Keighly and Worth Valley Railway Spring Steam Gala this year; normally, I (Ben) like to try and get a couple of weekdays off work to lineside on the Thurs and Fri, then we ride as a family on the other days.

This year though, a lack of staff at work meant that looked like a no-go. Then I earned so much TOIL I needed to take it somewhere, and by happy chance, it coincided with Amy having an Inset Day as well, so we were able to ride the trains Friday instead. 

After weeks of terrible weather, the sun was (largely) out on the Friday, and we were able to get some pics, mainly project-fodder for upcoming magazine work.

The railway had laid on a pair of visitors for this year, SR Pacific "Braunton" and GWR "Nunney Castle". 

Impressive as these engines are, I always struggle a bit at this time of year. Unless you catch the lighting right, it can be a bit tricky to photograph dark green locomotives against the dead surroundings. Though it helped mainly getting station shots on the Friday and Saturday, as the more urban backgrounds helped the locomotives stand out.

"Nunney Castle" was particularly impressive, and useful to get some shots for a project for Hornby that's coming up.

This was the machine we were most interested in catching though, Avonside "Dora". Very much a toy, and a rich-mans plaything (it's the privately owned loco of a millionaire owner, temporarily based on our railway), it's a lovely, characterful thing.

It was particularly impressive, shunting stock around Keighley Station, effectively on station-pilot duties.

"Anne", the Sentinel, was out as well, and provided a useful opportunity to get some pics.

The Friday and Saturday were mainly spent riding the trains (and buying bits from the VCT shop), and it was a lovely, lively atmosphere, with busy trains. I decided to come back Sunday morning for a few lineside pics too, and they'll be in the next update...

 

Salts Mill in the Spring Sunshine

We've realised it's been a bit of a grim winter, weather-wise, and consequently there hasn't been too much photography going on. That said, whenever the weather has permitted, we've tried to snap some pics. Here's some from the wonderful Salt's Mill, in Saltaire, from earlier in the year. From memory this was pretty much the first decently blue-sky saturday of the year when we went out.

 

Liverpool Waterfront

I (Ben) have been doing a lot of research on the Liverpool waterfront for an upcoming piece for Hornby; after immersing myself in photographs of ocean liners, brick-built warehouses, iron cranes and the overhead railway, it was a little odd to pay a return visit to Liverpool and see all the steel, concrete, and glass.

There's an interesting mix of buildings around the Albert Dock; I was actually quite taken with the modern look.

It has to be said though, it was all a bit austere in many ways compared to the old Liverpool, but I suspect the 'character' of the places in those old photographs was quite grim and probably a bit dangerous most of the time.

Still, it made for an interesting contrast.

More on the project later in the year, with a bit of luck...

 

Coal Tank out and about on the KWVR

Proof that it was sunny at least twice this winter... We had a second trip out on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway back in Jan, for Younger Child's birthday.

Pleasantly, the Coal Tank no.1054 was on the service. Less pleasantly, and more sadly, the loco was carrying a wreath in remembrance of a Volunteer who'd passed away.

Photography was a little tricky; both the lighting, which was bright and a bit harsh, and the lack of a proper camera, so I was shooting on the phone.

Most of the pics were taken whilst the loco was running-round at Keighley Station, where a bit of a stroll took me to the picnic area (unsurprisingly deserted on such a chilly day).

Surprisingly, a shot in print; Heritage Railway magazine. I (Ben) had been sending the odd shot off this year, but with the focus on the model-making I've not been taking many train shots, so it's nice to get something in the mags.

 

Model-making over the bleak midwinter.

As mentioned in the previous post, the photography work tends to quieten down somewhat over winter due to the weather, the Day Jobs, and real life getting in the way. That said, we don't exactly sit around doing nowt, and indeed the commissioned works for the hobby mags have somewhat kicked up a gear over the last few months.

British Railway Modelling continues to be the main focus for Ben- two pieces in the most recent issue!

This was a fun one, combining a bit of illustration work with the model-making.

Hallie ('Robot Girl From The Future!') continues her recent trend of sneaking into projects, whilst ideas are developed for a possible kids-book featuring her.

And then there's the quarterly work for Hornby. These tend to be much bigger articles, and have been a bit of a struggle to fit in over a very busy winter, but nevertheless, it's a nice regular gig.

And then there's the shared work we do for Garden Rail.

This is a lovely, steady little gig, an excuse for photography trips out, and forces us to do bits of model-making even when we're otherwise busy. Which is good, because losing yourself in a project for a little bit every day is a marvellous way to relax. 

So yeah, just because the blog is quiet, it's not that we've given up on being creative. There's plenty more info on the model-making blog, accessible from the list on the right-hand side if anyone's interested.

 

A rare sunny Jan day, on the Worth Valley

The winter is always a quiet time for us, photography-wise. This winter more than most, as it seems to have been perpetually dull and rainy.

One of the exceptions, luckily, was early in Jan where we paid one of our visits to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Since we moved from Ingrow to a bigger house down the valley, we don't spend nearly as much time on the KWVR as we'd perhaps like, so it's nice to pop over and just spend a bit of time riding the trains when we get chance.

The opportunities for photography were a little limited, in spite of the nice weather, mainly because we were busily riding the trains for a family day out. but still managed a few shots around the stations.

This was actually the first of two visits we squeezed-in during January, and so a second post should appear soon. And if this weather starts to vaguely improve at some point, hopefully some more (and more varied) pics should start appearing on the blog and insta feeds again.