EVERY weekend is a journey back in time on the railway, but that statement is never more true than during Haworth’s 1940s weekend.

We go back to our roots and provide an important transport link between our various car parks and the main line connection at Keighley to ease the pressure on space at Haworth.

When the preservation society was established in 1962, one of the aims was to keep the railway open to ensure the provision of a local rail service and so it makes us especially proud to be able to achieve the aim of our founders.

What is even better is that we can haul the trains with examples of locomotives from the 1940s, including one that was running at the weekend. We repatriated it from Sweden in the 1970s and have since converted to a UK outline to represent a very large class of locomotive that would otherwise be consigned only to the history books.

It takes dozens of volunteers to operate the railway, and thanks to them we were able to convey many visitors (including the ‘King and Queen’ who were met by a ceremonial parade on Haworth platform) to the event, and were able to contribute to its success.

Moving on from the 1940s, we are now getting ready for the period of seven-days-per-week operation, which starts in June, right after our inaugural Steam And Ale Trail event.

The event from May 28 to 30 builds on the success of the Beer And Music Festival (held in October each year) and will see a bar serving a local brewery’s ales at each station.

There will be over 40 ales to sample, as well as a range of ciders and wine to enjoy to suit your preference. Further details can be found by visiting the website kwvr.co.uk.

As well as focusing on these events (and don't forget that Wallace and Gromit will be paying us a visit on June 1 and 2), we continue to run steam trains every weekend and daily from the beginning of June until September.

To achieve this we have just a handful of paid staff, but rely very heavily on our volunteers and so we are always looking for more to join the team.

Our volunteers work together to maintain the trains (both the locomotives and the rolling stock), the track, the station and other buildings, and the infrastructure, as well as fulfilling the ‘front of house’ operational roles that you will see on your visit such as the guard, the driver and fireman, and the station staff.

We provide full training, and if you would like to join the team please do get in touch via the office at Haworth, with further details on the website.

• Wallace and Gromit will drop into the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway during the half-term holidays to allow people to say hello to their favourite TV characters. There will be face-painting, a buffet car at Oxenhope station with themed packed lunches, and public appearances. A family Day Rover ticket will cost £40.