One of the district’s top tourist attractions could become even more popular, thanks to a partnership with a national museum.

The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway has revealed it has entered into a partnership with the National Railway Museum in York.

It could lead to a new visitor attraction at one of its stations and exhibitions from the national collection being loaned to the line.

The museum described the partnership as an “exciting opportunity” to allow people to see its collection in a traditional environment.

Attracting more than a million visitors a year, the museum is the largest railway museum in the world, with 300 vehicles, rail- themed art and a thorough history of the nation’s 300-year-old rail network.

The partnership means exhibits could soon be seen at stations along the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, including items not on display at the museum in York or its sister site in Shildon.

The line and its trains will receive much wider promotion and the museum will offer expertise to volunteers on how best to display the exhibits already at the various stations.

A museum spokesman said: “This is an exciting opportunity to take our collection beyond the boundaries of the York museum and showcase a part of the collection that otherwise doesn’t get to be on display.”

Rail enthusiast and Bradford councillor Ralph Berry said the partnership was a coup for the area. He said: “Visiting exhibits will draw more visitors to the area, especially from the enthusiast fraternity. For the railway to get something like this shows they have a high level of quality in how they look after things. It is a tribute to the volunteers.”