About

Revisit the much-loved children’s classic – on the very train tracks where the film was shot.

Mike Kenny’s enchanting stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s classic novel has won thousands of admirers since it premiered in 2008. Now, for the first time, we’re taking this production for a ride along the iconic Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, familiar to millions from the film adaptation of The Railway Children.

Exclusively for Bradford 2025, the show begins when you board a steam train at Keighley, then travel the full length of this historic railway. When you reach the end of the line at Oxenhope, you’ll find a purpose-built auditorium within the station’s Engine Shed – and a new version of the production, which tells the story of three children forced to move from London to Yorkshire after their father is falsely imprisoned.

Cast: Farah Ashraf as Roberta, Raj Digva as Peter, Jessica Kaur as Phyllis, Asha Kingsley as Mother, and Paul Hawkyard as Father/Russian. Graeme Hawley plays Mr Perks, alongside Elianne Byrne as Mrs Perks and Moray Treadwell as Old Gentleman. Zoe Lambert is Mrs Viney, while Chris Hannon, Max Gallagher, and Alice Proctor take on multiple roles. Jay Ramji and Nis Raza Hamilton complete the ensemble

Getting there and FAQs

Your journey begins at Keighley Station. Find out how to get to Keighley Station and lots of other useful information on our Railway Children FAQs page.

>> Explore more events in the UK City of Culture as part of the #Bradford2025 celebration.

Credits: E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children. Adapted by Mike Kenny. Conceived and Directed by Damian Cruden.

Presented by Bradford 2025 and York Theatre Royal in partnership with the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Supported by London North Eastern Railway and The Shears Foundation.

Image by Guy Farrow.