A LOCO on a York light railway has been named Ken Cooke in honour of one of the city's Normandy veterans.

Ken Cooke, who received France's highest military honour, the Legion D'Honneur, earlier this year, was invited to the Derwent Valley Light Railway at Murton to unveil a shunter's nameplate.

The shunter was once used on the former Rowntree factory site in York, where Ken worked after returning from the Second World War. He sometimes hitched a ride on the locomotives to get around the factory site.

The Ruston Hornsby 88DS, a preserved Ex Rowntree & Co Ltd No3 shunter, is owned by Glynnis and Tony Frith.

Mrs Frith said: "On previous visits to the Derwent Valley Light Railway, Ken would always say to us to look after his engine, so naming the Rowntree’s shunter Ken Cooke was a fitting tribute to him after he receiving the Legion d' Honneur in May this year."

She said Ken, who is from the Hull Road area of York, was joined by fellow veterans, family, friends and six former Rowntree employees at the naming ceremony. The veterans were presented with honorary membership of the railway and enjoyed a train ride while Ken rode in the cab of his engine.