Keighley Station Webcam, West Yorkshire

The Keighley Station Webcam looks along the curving tracks of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway toward Keighley station in West Yorkshire, England. The heritage line’s cream signal box and the ends of its platforms sit in the middle of the picture, with the sandstone water tower and its panelled iron tank on the left and a large modern building rising behind. A siding on the right held a short line of old goods wagons when the frames for this post were taken. The camera does not keep one view. Railcam UK set it to look toward the signal box and station, but as a train approaches it turns automatically toward Ingrow West, the next stop up the line, so the picture swings round to meet steam and classic diesel trains on their way in.

About Keighley Station

Keighley is a market town of 57,345 people (2021 census) where the rivers Worth and Aire meet in Airedale, about 13 kilometers (8 miles) north-west of Bradford. Its station is two railways side by side. Platforms 1 and 2 belong to the national network, where Northern runs trains to Leeds, 27 kilometers (17 miles) away, as well as to Bradford Forster Square, Skipton, Carlisle and Morecambe. Platforms 3 and 4 belong to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which climbs 8 kilometers (5 miles) up the Worth Valley to Oxenhope, calling at Ingrow (West), Damems, Oakworth and Haworth. The station moved to its present site on 6 May 1883; the first Keighley station had opened in 1847.

The heritage railway’s half of the station is kept in the style of 1950s British Railways. Platform 4, the usual departure platform for the branch, keeps its glass canopy on decorative cast-iron columns and its original waiting room, while platform 3 is barer. The signal box at the end of platform 3 did not start life here: it was dismantled at Bingley Junction in Shipley and moved to the railway. Also at the end of platform 3 is a turntable bought in 1990 from Garsdale, where it once turned engines on the Settle to Carlisle line. The water tower at the end of platform 4 has been restored as a visitor centre.

The branch first opened in 1867. British Railways ended passenger services on 30 December 1961, a preservation society formed in 1962, and trains returned on 29 June 1968. More than 500 volunteers now help run the line. The Railway Children (1970) was filmed along it, and Keighley station itself has appeared in Yanks (1979), Peaky Blinders and the 2020 series of All Creatures Great and Small.

Weather and Climate in Keighley

Keighley station sits low in Airedale, roughly 100 meters (330 feet) above sea level. The nearest Met Office averages come from Bingley, further down the valley and higher up at 262 meters (860 feet). There, January brings average highs of 5.7 C (42 F) and lows of 1.0 C (34 F), while July averages highs of 19.3 C (67 F) and lows of 11.2 C (52 F). It is a wet corner of Yorkshire, with a little over 1,050 millimeters (41 inches) of rain a year and rain on about half the days in most months, so damp ballast and shining rails are the usual look on this camera.

The seasons show most in the trees that crowd around the line, still green in early October before they turn later in autumn. Daylight swings hard at this latitude: around the December solstice the sun is up for only about 7.4 hours, against about 17 hours in late June. A winter afternoon train can arrive in the dark, while summer evenings stay light until late.

Things to Do Near Keighley Station

Start on the platforms. The Water Tower visitor centre at the end of platform 4 explains how the tower kept steam engines running and shows archive films of the trains, and the railway’s gift shop and buffet are on the same platform. From there the train climbs the valley. Ingrow (West), one stop up and the place this camera turns toward, has the Museum of Rail Travel. Damems claims to be the smallest standard-gauge station in Britain, and Haworth’s station sits below the village and the Bronte Parsonage Museum, the former home of the Bronte sisters.

In town, Cliffe Castle Museum on Spring Gardens Lane fills the house built in the 1880s for the textile manufacturer Henry Isaac Butterfield. It has housed a museum since 1959, entry is free, and its Victorian rooms hold local history displays and Morris and Co stained glass. East Riddlesden Hall, a 17th-century manor house on the edge of Keighley, is run by the National Trust, with gardens and a Great Barn open to visitors. Nearby Rombalds Moor has Bronze Age rocks carved with cup and ring marks.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

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

• Damems Loop Webcam
• Highley Station Webcam
• Hawes Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Keighley station located?

Keighley station stands on the edge of the town centre, in the City of Bradford district of West Yorkshire, England, about 27 kilometers (17 miles) north-west of Leeds. It is the northern terminus of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and a stop on the national network.

What can you see on the Keighley Station Webcam?

The camera looks along the curving tracks to the heritage railway’s signal box and platform ends, with the stone water tower on the left and a siding on the right where wagons can stand. When a train approaches, the camera turns toward Ingrow West to pick it up.

Why does the view on the Keighley camera keep changing?

Railcam UK set this camera to turn automatically toward Ingrow West as trains approach the station. Between trains it looks toward the signal box and station, so a sudden change of view usually means a train is on its way.

What is the weather like in Keighley?

Cool and wet. Averages from nearby Bingley give January highs of 5.7 C (42 F) and July highs of 19.3 C (67 F), and the valley gets a little over 1,050 millimeters (41 inches) of rain a year.

Which platforms does the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway use?

Platforms 3 and 4, with platform 4 the usual departure platform for Oxenhope. Platforms 1 and 2 serve Northern trains from Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Skipton, so arriving by rail means a simple change of platform.

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

Steam and classic diesel trains run every weekend, with more running days in the summer holidays. Check the current timetable at kwvr.co.uk before watching for a train.

Who runs the Keighley Station Webcam?

Railcam UK operates the camera with the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. Railcam UK runs more than 100 railway cameras, mostly on the national network.

Source: Railcam UK Ltd