Damems Loop Webcam – Watch Steam Trains in West Yorkshire

The Damems Loop Webcam looks north along the passing loop on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire, England, toward Damems signal box and, in the far distance, Damems station. Two ballasted tracks run up the middle of the picture to the box, with rough grass and pasture on the left and a dry-stone wall below a wooded slope on the right. A passing loop is where trains running in opposite directions can pass each other on a single-track line, so on a running day a steam or heritage diesel train can roll through the loop, or wait in it for another to clear the single line ahead. Trains run only on the railway’s timetable, mostly at weekends, so on other days the scene is the empty line, the fields and the weather moving across the Worth Valley.

About Damems Loop

The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway runs 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Keighley up the valley of the River Worth to Oxenhope, calling at Ingrow (West), Damems, Oakworth and Haworth on the way. The branch first opened on 13 April 1867. British Railways ended passenger services on 30 December 1961 and freight on 18 June 1962, and the line reopened under its preservation society on 29 June 1968.

Damems station, in the far distance beyond the box, opened on 1 September 1867, closed on 23 May 1949 and came back with the rest of the line in 1968. It claims to be the smallest standard-gauge station in Britain, and trains call there only on request. The station has its own level crossing, and its last crossing keeper lived in the stationmaster’s house and had her wages thrown to her from the footplate of a passing locomotive.

The loop was laid in 1971, the year after the film The Railway Children came out, when a single track with nowhere for trains to pass could not carry the crowds the film brought. Damems signal box stands about 400 meters (a quarter mile) south-west of the station. It was not built here: it first stood at Frizinghall, near Bradford, and was rebuilt beside the loop. From its lever frame the signaller works the points and signals of the loop and the single-line sections on either side, and hands each driver the token that gives a train authority to enter the next section. Railcam UK runs the Damems Loop Webcam with the railway’s permission, and the solid black blocks on the right side of the picture are masks added to the stream, not a fault.

Weather and Climate at Damems

The nearest long-term Met Office averages come from nearby Bingley, in the Aire valley. There, January has an average high of about 5 C (41 F) and a low of around 0 C (32 F), with roughly 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain in the month. July is the warmest month, with highs near 18 C (65 F), lows of about 10 C (50 F) and around 63 millimeters (2.5 inches) of rain. The year as a whole is wet, at about 1,020 millimeters (40 inches) of rain, so overcast skies and wet rails are a normal sight on this camera.

Spring and summer turn the pasture on the left green and fill out the trees on the slope to the right, which thin again through autumn. Winter can bring frost and, in some years, snow to the open fields. Daylight swings hard with the seasons at this latitude: around the December solstice the sun is up for only about 7.4 hours, against about 17 hours in late June, so in midwinter the picture goes dark by late afternoon, while in summer the line stays in daylight until late evening.

Things to Do Near Damems

The railway itself is the obvious day out. Ingrow (West), one stop toward Keighley, has two museums: the Museum of Rail Travel, run by the Vintage Carriages Trust, and Ingrow Loco, the Bahamas Locomotive Society’s museum. One stop the other way, Oakworth station was restored to Edwardian condition and used in the 1970 film The Railway Children. Haworth is the home of the railway’s engine shed, and at Oxenhope, the end of the line, there is an exhibition shed supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Haworth village climbs the hill above its station to the Bronte Parsonage Museum, the former home of the Bronte sisters. Keighley, at the other end, is also a stop for Northern trains on the national network, so the heritage line can be reached by rail. Closer to the camera, a footpath named the Damems Nature Trail starts beside Damems station, and because the station is a request stop, walkers can ask to get off a train there.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

For more heritage railways and northern English views, try these cameras next.

• South Devon Railway Webcam
• Bewdley Station Webcam
• Hawes Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Damems Loop located?

Damems Loop is on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire, England, just south-west of Damems station on the edge of Keighley, on the stretch toward Oakworth. The line runs 5 miles (8 kilometers) from Keighley to Oxenhope, and Damems is the third station from the Keighley end.

What can you see on the Damems Loop Webcam?

The camera looks north along both tracks of the passing loop to Damems signal box, with Damems station in the far distance. Rough grass and pasture fill the left of the frame, and a dry-stone wall and a wooded slope run along the right. On running days, trains pass through the loop in both directions.

What is the weather like at Damems?

Cool and wet for much of the year. Averages from nearby Bingley give January highs of about 5 C (41 F) and lows near 0 C (32 F), and July highs near 18 C (65 F) with lows around 10 C (50 F). Rain totals about 1,020 millimeters (40 inches) a year.

Is Damems the smallest railway station in Britain?

Damems claims to be the smallest standard-gauge station in Britain. It has a single platform, and trains stop there only on request.

When do trains run on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway?

Steam and heritage diesel trains run every weekend, with extra running days around school holidays and special timetables for events. Check the current timetable at kwvr.co.uk before watching for a train: on days with no service, the camera shows an empty line.

Why is there a passing loop at Damems?

The line is single track, and after The Railway Children was released in 1970 it could not carry everyone who wanted to ride. The loop, laid in 1971, lets trains cross here and doubled the number of trains the railway could run.

Who runs the Damems Loop Webcam?

Railcam UK operates the camera, with the location provided courtesy of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. The same Railcam UK channel streams other points on the line as well.

Source: Railcam UK