Gillingham through time

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is perhaps best known for its role in the 1970s film The Railway Children, based on Edith Nesbit s much-loved book. Perhaps less known is that the railway has appeared in many other television and film productions, including Yanks, Sherlock Holmes, Last of the Summer Wine, Some Mothers Do Ave Em and A Touch of Frost. Today, the recreated 1950s branch line certainly does draw the eye. The 5-mile-long line was first incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1862 and was built soon after. Built single-track and originally operated by the Midland Railway, the line would serve a number of industries in the area. As a result of the Beeching Act, the line closed completely in 1962. However, the line has been recreated and the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is once again in operation.