© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2011 The Worth Valley Railway, one of the very first standard gauge preserved lines, became particularly well known in the mid-70s on the release of the film "The Railway Children". One of the (mechanical) stars of that film was the unique ex- L&YR Barton Wright 0-6-0 no. 957, built in 1887. Painted in a fictitious livery, it was "the green dragon", which was saved from disaster by Jenny Agutter after that famous landslip... I had met no. 957 a couple of times previously in that green livery - it was displayed on the site of the former Leeds Central station in 1971. On this occasion, however, it looked much more modern - painted in BR black livery, and bearing its BR number 52044. And it was in steam - a fairly rare event at that time - ready to work a special train for filming purposes. Other than that basic fact, I can remember little else about this trip. The normal service train was in the capable hands of Ivatt 2-6-2T 41241, at that time still bearing its crimson "K&WVR" livery. Similarly, "Fred", the ex-NCB Austerity (RSH 7289/45) bore a blue variant. These were still early days in preservation - I don't think we quite knew how best to do it... The steaming of 52044 illustrated must have been one of its last before a lengthy period out of service; now fully restored, it is once again an active member of the fine fleet of locomotives on the Worth Valley Railway. Link: Keighley and Worth Valley Railway