Chuffed volunteers on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR) have received top-level praise.

The Heritage Railway Association (HRA) this week paid tribute to the workers for their response when a derailment hit the line's 40th-anniversary weekend gala celebrations a fortnight ago.

A diesel locomotive was derailed at Oxenhope early on the Saturday but a replacement steam train service was quickly on track between Keighley and Haworth and a vintage bus service introduced to take passengers to Oxenhope.

Representatives of the HRA, the national body representing independent railways, were at the event and chairman David Morgan said: "The swift and professional response by the entire K&WVR team turned what could have been an unpleasant situation into a triumph of organisation which showed just how far the railway has come in its 40 years of operation."

Paul Brown, chairman of the K&WVR preservation society, said he was delighted at the praise. He said: "Despite the difficulties experienced on the Saturday, the three-day birthday celebrations were enjoyed by members and visitors alike. Early indications suggest that all records for visitor numbers were broken, with just short of 13,000 tickets being sold."