FILMING AT THE KWVR
FROM THE RM AUGUST 1970
THREE locomotives were directly used in the film: USATC ‘S160’ Class 2-8-0 No. 5820 ‘Big Jim’, Midland Railway 3835 Class (LMS 4F) 0-6-0 No. 3924, and LMS ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No. 5596 Bahamas. Others were also used for behind the scenes stock moves, such as 0-6-0 diesel shunter No. D0226 Vulcan and Type 3 No. 37075, while Waggon und Maschinenbau Railbus No. 79964 was used to shuttle the cast between the filming base at Oxenhope and shooting locations along the line.
“REPAINTED in bright green, with the initials of a fictitious Great Northern & Southern Railway on its tender, former Lancashire & Yorkshire 0-6-0 No. 957 was in use on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway on May 20, with a special train for filming sequences of The Railway Children at Haworth, Mytholmes Tunnel, and Oakworth.
USATC ‘S160’ Class 2-8-0 No. 5820 ‘Big Jim’ approaches Mytholmes Tunnel (between Oakworth and Haworth) with a military-style train during filming in June 2021.
ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT STUDIOCANAL
Producer Jemma Rodgers in the cab of ‘Big Jim’, a loco she realised would be ideal for the film’s storyline.
“The budget of the film meant there was no possibility of repainting any locos,” said Noel Hartley, business and operations manager at the KWVR. “But Jemma [Rodgers, the producer] was aiming to get the right feel, and the locos and rolling stock we used give the right impression.”