KEIGHLEY’S world-famous steam railway features in a new book.

The five-mile Keighley & Worth Valley line is spotlighted in Steam Gold: A New Age for Preserved Steam.

There are photos of locos and events, including Oakworth Morris dancers in action at Keighley Station.

Engines featured include the ever-popular Big Jim.

In the book, author Geoff Swaine reflects on the work – mostly by volunteers – involved in keeping preserved railways across the country going.

The Worth Valley branch line opened in 1867, funded mainly by mill owners.

It subsequently became part of the Midland Railway and then the London Midland and Scottish Railway, until nationalisation in the 1940s.

The branch closed in 1962, but a determined campaign resulted in the launch of a preservation society and the reopening of the line six years later.

It was given a massive boost in its formative years when the classic 1970 movie version of The Railway Children was filmed there.

The legendary film still attracts fans to the line today.

More than 30 locomotives are now housed on the K&WVR, some owned by the railway and others by societies based there.

Steam Gold: A New Age for Preserved Steam, published by The History Press, is packed with nearly 200 photos.

A spokesman said: “The heritage railways of Britain have taken preserved steam into a new golden age.

“All over the country, enthusiasts flock to lavish love and attention on the preserved railways and relive bygone eras, especially through ever-popular re-enactments.

“But the appeal doesn’t only lie in recreating the past; this movement is also forging a new present.

“The Flying Scotsman ran once again on the mainline recently to great acclaim across the country, with crowds lining up to witness the spectacle.

“The book is a celebration of the evocative world of Britain’s heritage steam railways.”

Mr Swaine – a retired architect – has penned a number of books and articles on railways, football and architecture.

Steam Gold: A New Age for Preserved Steam retails at £20.

For more details, visit thehistorypress.co.uk.