Keighley and Worth Valley Railway was awash with nostalgia this weekend as thousands came to celebrate three decades of history-making.

Camera-hugging enthusiasts rubbed shoulders with youngsters and day trippers for a two day event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the steam line's privatisation - which saved it from closure and preserved its heritage for all to share.

On Saturday and Sunday, carriages crammed with visitors made the journey from Keighley to Ingrow and on to Haworth and Oxenhope as they basked in the sun and enjoyed a train ride to yesteryear.

While the kids revelled in the delights of Thomas the Tank Engine and The Railway Children's Train, more hardened enthusiasts were treated to such sights as The Pug and The Chatham, the Sir Berkeley and the North Eastern Saloon.

Such is the attraction of the railway that onlookers arrived from all over the country .

Thomas Cross, 76, from Coventry, has been a train enthusiast for most of his life.

"The real attraction is the friendliness of the people, as well as the railway," he said. "There's a bit of everything and, of all the steam lines in the country, this is our favourite."

Mary Haward, of Wakefield, took her two children on a trip.

"It's just something a bit different for the youngsters - it's a lovely day out," she said.

Eric Bryan, 68, of Crossgates, said: "I've come to enjoy myself and live in the past. It reminds me of my youth when it was all steam - this is a special day."

The event honoured a dedicated bunch of amateurs who, 30 years ago, bought a run-down West Riding branch line from British Railways.

Now they maintain one of Britain's biggest tourist attractions - as volunteers.

Publicity secretary David Hanson said: "This weekend has been about getting the public in and looking at the trains.

"There's a new generation of enthusiasts coming along for whom the railway's a real magnet."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.