Today's counties of South and West Yorkshire were among the first to witness the birth of the Railway Age. The need to link local mills, mines and quarries with their customers, both at home and overseas, soon led to a high density network. But this golden age was not to last. Competition from electric trams, lorries, buses and cars, plus a duplication of lines, began to take its toll. Lines began to close to passengers as early as 1917 and the decline continued through later decades. Fortunately, some have been preserved by enthusiastic societies and the reopened sections of track flourish, with passenger steam trains at weekends. One such line is the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, which has also proved popular with camera crews for films like The Railway Children, and episodes of Poirot and Last of the Summer Wine. Due in 4th October.