KEIGHLEY schools are making tracks to a new teaching facility housed in a railway carriage at Ingrow station.

Ingrow Education Centre is piloting lessons in the refurbished coach as part of an ambitious project to restore the historic locomotive Bahamas.

Children are able to ride on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway as well as taking maths, science, literature and history lessons in the ‘learning carriage’.

Several schools have already tried out the sessions in advance of the official launch of a wide-ranging education programme next year.

The project is the brainchild of the Bahamas Locomotive Society, whose volunteer members are dedicated to maintaining the 80-year-old Jubilee class locomotive 45596 Bahamas.

The society, which also runs Ingrow Loco Museum, won a £776,000 lottery grant in 2013 to help return the 135-tonne Glasgow-built engine to working order.

The grant has also paid for the restoration of an historic coach to house both exhibitions and school lessons next to the museum.

Debbie Cross, the society’s audience development director, has created a range of lessons covering maths, science, literature, technology, engineering, literature, art and design.

Bahamas Locomotive Society spokesman, John Hillier, this week said he was pleased with the progress of the entire project.

He added: “The teaching area in the learning coach has been finished and Debbie has been in contact with lots of schools.

“Some schools have already experienced some of our packages. The sessions went very well.”

Mr Hillier said the society had commissioned renowned railway artist, John Wardle, to paint pictures of animals, which played a central part in the development of the railways.

The pictures, including horses, cats, dogs and elephants, will form the surface of tables in the learning carriage to inspire the children as they learn.

Mr Hillier said the Bahamas locomotive is currently in several pieces, undergoing restoration across the UK at locations including Derbyshire, Birmingham, Devon and the society’s own workshop at Ingrow.

He said the overhaul is going “very much according to plan”, with the projected completion in early 2017.

He added: “We are beginning to give some thought to put the locomotive back into working order and how to get it back to Yorkshire.”

The Bahamas Locomotive Society still has to raise thousands of pounds to complete the project, and also needs volunteers to help with the restoration. E-mail info@ingrowloco.com if you can help.

Schools wishing to visit the learning carriage should visit kwvr.co.uk/ingrow-education-centre for more details.