The railway contains an extensive archive covering many aspects of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and the immediate railway surroundings of Keighley Town and the old GN Route to Ingrow East.
The purpose of the Archive is to create a resource for future generations to, firstly, be able to research how the preserved line came into being and the decision-making processes used to reach the position we are at today and secondly, to collect material from before the line was closed in 1961 by British Railways dating back to the lines inception, dating to an unknown newspaper article dated 9th November 1961.
From the Archive material, we can see how the arrival of the Railways has altered social history into society and how it has impacted the lives of the residents who surround the railway’s route; even to this day, the line has an impact on everyday lives, providing direct and indirect employment to local people.
The Archives contain everything from photographs, through Maps and Technical Drawings, Publicity Material through the ages, railway tickets, both modern and old, locomotive records, old memorandums and paperwork about the stations, signal and telegraph and goods yards of the railway from the late 1800s through to closure of the line by British Railways and then picks up again with the preservation period.
The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Archives are held over two locations, firstly the photographic collection and the last five years of paperwork generated by the railway, along with miscellaneous items like rail tickets, pre-preservation advertising handbills and old memorandums from stations along our line, all from before preservation are all with the Volunteer Archivist in Rotherham. The bulk of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway yearly paperwork, drawings collections and all material appertaining to the Archives are held for us by the West Yorkshire Archive Service in Bradford under collection references 57D81 and WYB185.
Enquiries relating to the Archive can be directed to the Archivist, Paul Brunt, by emailing paul.brunt@kwvr.co.uk. A reply will be as soon as possible, but Please allow seven days. The West Yorkshire Archive Service also provide an enquiry service and runs a public search room where members of the public can access records. Further information can be found on their website https://www.wyjs.org.uk/archive-service/, and WYAS can be contacted on bradford@wyjs.org.uk
If you feel that you may have material which may be suitable for inclusion into the Archives to allow future generations to see how the line developed and impacted social history or artefacts which may be appropriate for display to help the railway tell the “Local Railway Story”, then please consider filling out the Archive Collections Referral Form found here on the web site so we can help.
Submit completed forms to paul.brunt@kwvr.co.uk