An antique locomotive, famous worldwide for its starring role in a children's film, will steam along the tracks of a heritage railway again after 20 years in the doldrums.
The Green Dragon, which featured in the classic film The Railway Children, will start to pull passengers again on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, where the movie was filmed in 1970 - this time in its original black and red livery.
It is back on track thanks to Bradford businessman Roger Bowers, boss of an engineering company in Thornton, who set up a trust to buy and restore the engine. He says: "I celebrated my 50th birthday on the line and liked it so much I decided to put some sponsorship into the railway. I'm a sentimental enthusiast who enjoys the railway and an admirer of our engineering heritage."
Railway chairman Graham Mitchell says the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Co engine had been in storage on the line for about 20 years.
Meanwhile, a new colour leaflet illustrating the railway's services and events for 1999 was launched this week.
The brochure provides train times for every operational day in 1999 with a detailed map of the Worth Valley featuring, among other things, the Rail-way Children Walk. Among the events listed are enthusiasts' weekends, santa specials, vintage train runs and a diesel weekend. Copies are available from stations and Keighley Town Hall or by phoning Haw-orth station on 01535 645214.
Meanwhile, parents are urged to book the last few seats on this year's Santa Specials. Seats for the popular Specials have all sold except for a few for this weekend. For details phone 01535 645214.
from 9.30am-5pm.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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