A ROYAL visit signalled the completion of the restoration work at Pickering Station by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The Duke of Gloucester officially marked the successful completion of the work yesterday by touring the new facilities and unveiling a plaque.

The station project, called Train of Thought, was supported by just under £1 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

It has included a new learning centre, which also houses the archives, a visitor centre and the award-winning construction of the reinstated roof of Pickering Station.

The duke arrived at the station by train with Paul Sutermeister, deputy Lord Lieutenant, Murray Brown, chairman of the railway trust, and Philip Benham, general manager of the railway.

The royal guest was then invited to tour the newly-built Reussner learning centre, home of the railway’s historical archives and centre of education activities, the recently completed visitor centre and the picnic area on platform two, before unveiling a plaque marking the completion of the station’s renovations.

Mr Brown said: “We love recreating the past here at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and putting the roof back on Pickering Station 60 years after it was taken down is a lovely example of this.

“We’re so pleased the Duke of Gloucester was here to officially commemorate the ‘raising of the roof’ and I would like to thank all the staff, volunteers and members who have made it happen.”