11:23am Thursday 4th October 2007
By Richard Vernalls
THE Duke of Gloucester paid a morale-boosting visit to workers at an historic railway which was badly damaged during the summer floods.
Severn Valley Railway volunteers and civic dignitaries, including both Kidderminster and Bewdley's Mayors, greeted the Queen's cousin at Bewdley station, yesterday.
After a short stay, he boarded the Royal Train - a GWR Prairie 4566 model steam locomotive - for the rail journey to Kidderminster where he was due to watch a presentation about damage to the flood-hit railway.
The Duke, a keen rail enthusiast, has been the SVR patron since 1998 and visited the heritage railway, in 2006, to open Kidderminster station's £650,000 extension.
John Leach, SVR spokesman, said: "He came in from Tenbury Wells and was going off to Worcester after visiting us so he had a packed day.
"He came into Bewdley and met a couple of the local dignitaries then went on the train to Kidderminster for a presentation.
"He was given much more detailed information about what has happened, what we've been doing and the help we've received and he was listening and asking some very pertinent questions.
"The Duke's always been very good and he likes his trains. He always kept in touch and it's a morale booster for us."
The Royal was running more than an hour late after his helicopter had been grounded by low cloud causing a last minute switch to a car for the initial journey to Bewdley.
He was praised by Anne Mace, Bewdley Mayor, for speaking to a flood-affected town resident at the station.
She said: "We had a few words with him and he also spoke to a member of the community who had been flooded.
"We appreciate all the Royal Family have an incredibly busy schedule and having taken the time out and spending the whole day speaking in Worcestershire was very good."
Much of the railway line remains closed to trains after devastating floods, in June, caused damage which will cost an estimated £2.6million to put right.
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