KWVR Spring Gala - 20th-23rd March 2025

Will be used on private charter trains for the Summer, not for general service trains

 

Railway Children?

 

Six from the first day.


K&WVR Steam Gala, 20/03/25.


K&WVR Steam Gala, 20/03/25.


K&WVR Steam Gala, 20/03/25.


K&WVR Steam Gala 20/03/25.


K&WVR Steam Gala, 20/03/25.


K&WVR Steam Gala, 20/03/25.

 

Great weather, shame about the forecast for the weekend

 

Todays collection of videos from Keighley

 

Update

 

Yes indeed but yesterday there were at least two lineside fires between Haworth and Oxenhope and much evidence of previous others down the line. The crews sprang into action with shovels and the slacker pipe and all seemed well afterwards. The ground looks tinder dry (and it's only March!) so the epected rain over the weekend is sorely needed.

 

Yes according to Push And Pull

 

It was an excellent first day at the busy KWVR gala, nice to see a Black 5 on a rake of marron coaches, rare sight these days


A day at the KWVR Spring gala 2025 by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


Banking the morning freight by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


Doubleheading at t'Mill by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


Roaring 20's with 1054 and Jinty 16440 by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


All shiny and new out of the works ... Black 5 44871 by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


Steam and Coal at work by Phoenix Images, on Flickr


Charging the bank ... 8F 48305 at Keighley Bank by Phoenix Images, on Flickr

Old boys outing in Oxenhope Woods by Phoenix Images, on Flickr

 

Hopefully the sun will make an appearance despite the forecast over the weekend. Due to no trains between York and Leeds, it's an early start for me tomorrow and Sunday.

 

Not sure why but trains have ran late all day, 45+ late this afternoon, last one away from Keighley 59 late tonight.

 

A handful of my pics from today

 

Some footage from the Friday and Saturday of the event. Amazing event as usual, always a pleasure to see many familiar faces. Thankful the weather was better than forecast (Until the end of Saturday when the Heavens opened!)

 

Some fantastic pictures on this page.

Genuine question because I know nothing about driving a locomotive, and I'm not trying to generate controversy for the fun of it, nor question the ability of the crews:
I've seen a fair bit of footage over the weekend of the 8F slipping when starting trains, and heard a few people say it did it quite a bit.
Now, I know it was wet which definitley is a factor, and the climb out of Keighley is uphill, on a curve, which makes it challenging, but it seemed (to my inexperienced eye, watching from my armchair) that the 8F was affected more than the other locos.

Firstly, is that an accurate assessment? And secondly, why was that? Was it down to crews not being familiar with driving an 8F, or was it being asked to do heavier work than other locos such as heavier freight unbanked, or something else? I'm just curious.

 

I noticed this when the loco was at the ELR which is of course nowhere near as steep as the KWVR.

 

A few from sunny Friday..... that's what was forecast anyway......








Richard

 

It might just be that, as KWVR crews don't handle an 8F regularly, they aren't as used to judging how much power they can put down in order to get the loco moving on a wet, curving, climbing rail without making the loco slip?

 

Think of the size of the area in contact between rail and wheel, about the size of a 10p piece per wheel.
Then wonder why it slips.

 

Possible, although I was there on the Thursday and Friday which were both dry days. I only saw the 8F leave Keighley with the goods, and rode behind it as part of double headers, so I can't really comment on how often it slipped. The loco I personally saw and felt slipping more than any other on both days was the Jubilee, not just leaving Keighley but elsewhere up the line. Presumably that's not down to the same lack of familiarity. Many of the other rides I had were on the shuttles or involved double headers, so that may have skewed the number of examples I came across. I seem to recall this departure on the Friday slipped quite a bit as the sanders in use would suggest. I stress I not criticising any of the crews involved, of course any loco can slip.