HARD-WORKING young steam train enthusiasts from Keighley were given a rare treat when they visited the ‘big railway’.

The youngsters from the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway had a guided tour of the high-tech Rail Operations Centre in York.

The half-term visit was arranged as a thank you to the Young Persons’ Group’s for members’ help during last year’s visit to the KWVR by the Flying Scotsman.

The Young Persons’ Group, which has at least a dozen members, carries out a range of voluntary tasks up and down the Worth Valley line.

In York the young people toured the Network Rail Campus, including the Signalling Centre, where they talked to controllers with responsibility for tracks in various parts of the region.

At one of the workstations they were able to see where the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway joined the main line.

Some youngsters visited the training centre to learn how to signal trains on a route.