Costumed fans of the ‘steampunk’ genre converged on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway from across northern England.

They travelled along the historic line from Keighley to Oxenhope during a Victorian-themed day.

Steampunks are people who dress in Victorian and Edwardian costumes which have a modern-day science fictional twist. They are inspired by writers such as Jules Verne, HG Wells and China Mieville who have portrayed bizarre and imaginative technologies in their novels.

The K&WVR social meet-up was organised by Steve Frearson, who is from Ingrow. He runs the Facebook group Steampunk Yorkshire, which has more than 330 members.

He said 28 people attended, including members of a separate Manchester-based Facebook group called the Cottonopolis Coglective.

He said steampunk began life as a literary genre, adding that the concept was based on the alternative history idea that the Industrial Revolution continued to progress using steampower and clockwork instead of electricity.

“Steampunk seems to be growing in popularity,” he said. “It’s very sociable and has become a bit of a lifestyle thing. The whole point of it is about creating your own image and making costumes as personal and original as possible.

“We’re not re-enactors – we add our own twist to our clothes, the most notable being goggles. So many people who are into steampunk wear those.

“We had booked with the railway in advance but I don’t think they really knew what to expect. They were so impressed with our presence that they’ve asked us if we could go along as a group the next time they have a similarly themed event.

“It was a good day. The comments I’ve had back about it have all been very positive.”

He added that the next major steampunk social gathering would take place in Lincoln next month.