A woman who joined a heritage railway in her early 50s because she thought it would be an interesting hobby has become so expert that she has gained a doctorate in railway studies, at the age of 70.

Jackie Cope, curator of the Museum of Rail Travel in Ingrow, Keighley, received her Masters degree from the University of York.

As well as finding a hobby when she joined the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in 1985, Mrs Cope also found a husband, Michael.

He was one of the founder members of the railway and drove the first rail bus along the line from Oxenhope after the railway was rescued in 1968.

Together the couple have helped develop the museum, which was opened in 1990, was extended in 1996 and 1997 and has won a number of awards.

The museum specialises in preserving railway carriages, many of which have featured on film and television. It is independent of the K&WVR but is located next to the five-mile line.

Mrs Cope, a retired special needs teaching adviser, even held her wedding reception on a train on the K&WVR in 1986.

"I joined the railway because I thought it would be interesting and broaden my horizons," said Mrs Cope, who lives in Oxenhope.

"I also wanted to live somewhere pleasant as well as have an interesting hobby. I decided to help on the railway and it has grown on me."

When she joined there were few women involved but now they were working as drivers, fireman and guards as well as in more traditional roles helping in the stations and catering, she said.

Mrs Cope now aims to use the knowledge she has gained in studying for her degree to help develop the museum even further.

There was only one other woman on the course - from Mexico - and others came from throughout the UK, including one man from Inverness who travelled to York twice a week.

She chose the K&WVR as her source of study, which involved looking at the changing perceptions of the railway since its birth as a preservation society in the 1960s.

Her studies highlighted the need for heritage railways to recognise the importance of developing as tourism sites and museums, to tell the story of the railways.

K&WVR spokesman Jim Shipley said Mrs Cope had been a loyal and hard-working member of both the heritage railway and the museum.

"She is undoubtedly committed but she is not an anorak. She gets on with a job and there is no messing about."

The Museum of Rail Travel is open every day of the year between 11am and 4.30pm, except Christmas Day.