Duke of Gloucester drives engine at Nene Valley Railway
The Duke of Gloucester driving the Duke of Gloucester locomotive at Nene valley Railway
THE Duke of Gloucester drove an engine bearing his name at Nene Valley Railway on Wednesday.
The engine has been kept at the steam railway for the last few weeks and will be in Wansford for about another fortnight.
The duke visited the railway to see his namesake and officially open the cafe, The Barnwell Tea Rooms, which is named after his home.
He unveiled a plaque and thanked everyone at the railway after driving the engine and its carriages to Yarwell and back. He described his visit as “a great pleasure”.
The Duke of Gloucester locomotive was built in the 1950s but decommissioned shortly afterwards when the railways became electric.
A team of volunteers restored it in the late 1980s and early 1990s and is usually kept at Bury in Lancashire.
The design of the Barnwell Tea Rooms is based on an iconic signal box and was built by the Nene Valley Railway volunteer Phil Marshall and completed this summer.
Railway general manager Cris Rees said: “It was been an excellent day. The weather has been great and the Duke really enjoyed himself.”
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Weather for Stamford
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North west
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