FAMILIES and rail lovers braved the rain over the Bank Holiday weekend to celebrate the 45th anniversary of a classic movie filmed in the district.

The Railway Children was filmed on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and in Oakworth, and released in 1970.

Over the weekend the rail line held its three-day annual Railway Children Weekend, which featured actors recreating scenes from the family favourite as well as family activities and special rail rides on the line's steam trains.

The event has become one of the tourist attraction's annual highlights. In attendance on the Sunday and today was one of the film's stars, Christopher Witty, who played Jim in the film. He also took part in the weekend last year, the first time he had returned to the location of the film since the cameras stopped rolling.

He now lives in Bath, and starred in the film when he was 20.

He said: "When I came up last year it was totally eye opening and a great bit of nostalgia. This year I'm a bit more familiar with the surroundings.

"The actors who played the Railway Children weren't able to make it, but I think we are going to try and arrange something for the 50th anniversary.

"For much of my life the only time I saw the film was when it was on TV. I had these images in my head, and when I came back last year it all came back to me. It was a very pleasant experience, like looking back in time.

"A lot of people still love the film."

Jim Shipley, one of the members of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, said the event had been well attended, despite the weather.

He said: "The weather was a bit mixed and there weren't as many people as we'd liked on the Saturday, but the weather is meant to improve over the weekend."

He said the event was expected to be boosted by the weekend's Tour de Yorkshire.

"There is a lot of great stuff going on. There is not much we can do about the weather," he added.