Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel
The Museum of Rail Travel at Ingrow is another excellent example of what makes Brontë Country a special place to visit – and its appeal is not just to rail enthusiasts, as it works on so many different levels. It’s great for kids too – tell them to see how many of the furry creatures hidden in various places around the Museum they can spot!
The carriages, loco and other items on display are visually quite astounding in their engineering and workmanship. They are also a delight to behold as they have individual characters – they were designed to be a joy to the eye as well as providing a comfortable mode of conveyance. Before the railways were nationalised in 1947, there was a host of different railway companies and each had its own livery to distinguish itself from its competitors. The Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel has a wide range of items from different rail companies in their appropriate colours.
But it’s not just a visual treat. Some of the carriages are available for visitors to sit in, and hear audio and watch video presentations, learn about their story, and get a real feel of what is was like to travel in the rolling stock that graced our rail lines many years ago.
The earliest carriages date back to mid-Victorian times, and the most recent is over 60 years old – having been built in 1950 for British Railways (as the newly-formed nationalised company was called). As well as rolling stock, the Museum has a wall with signage and posters from around the country, as well as many items of associated paraphernalia. There’s also a shop which has lots of souvenirs as well as back issues of railway magazines going back as far as the beginning of the last century (many of these are, of course, long out of print – so real collectors’ items).
Many of the carriages on display are stars of the screen – large and small. Indeed, rolling stock from the museum has featured in over 60 films and TV shows – from The Railway Children (1968) to BBC’s South Riding (2010), from the League of Gentlemen comedy series to Brideshead Revisited (2007), and also the film Yanks (with Richard Gere and Vanessa Redgrave). You can see the full list here. So why not try sitting in a carriage and imagining you’re the star of a forthcoming blockbuster costume drama!
The Museum is owned and run by the Vintage Carriages Trust (VCT) – a registered charity (No. 510776) founded in 1965 by a group of volunteer enthusiasts with a particular interest in wooden-bodied railways carriages. They were concerned that many of the old carriages were deteriorating through vandalism, the elements, or misuse and that they were a vital part of the country’s heritage which was in need of conservation for generations to come.
Indeed, many of the carriages which come into the VCT’s hands are in such a poor state that they need drastic and expensive renovation. Fortunately the Trust has a workshop attached where they restore carriages from what appears at first sight to be an irremediable condition. As far as is possible, original spares are used or materials which are the same as those used to first construct the carriage. Where this isn’t possible, modern materials are utilised and skilfully blended in so that only an expert could tell the difference.
It’s no wonder that the Museum has won a number of awards and been the recipient of grants from many bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Transport Trust. It has also won awards for its standards of access for disabled people, including the prestigious national ADAPT award.
You can reach the Museum by car or public transport. The best way though is surely via the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (KWVR), which has a station at Ingrow next to the Museum, and KWVR Green Day Rover tickets include free admission to the Museum of Rail Travel. The opening times for the Museum are 11.00 am to 5.00 pm (last admission 4.00 pm). The Museum is open every day of the year apart from Christmas Day.
If you can squeeze in more than one museum in the day, you can also visit the Ingrow Loco Museum, located very to the Museum of Rail Travel.
The Museum is always happy to recruit more members – either as armchair supporters or as workers in the shop or the workshop.
Other articles which may be of interest:
Haworth & Brontë Country including a section on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Pickering War Weekend including some of our favourite pictures from the 2011 weekend and news of the 2012 dates
And if you’re coming on holiday to Brontë Country, check out holiday accommodation in Haworth on Hello Yorkshire.