Longstanding IoM Railways' employee John Smith celebrated his retirement from IoM Railways at the weekend.

He was given a send-off with colleagues past and present taking No. 13 Kissack, his favourite engine, to Castletown on Saturday afternoon where Ian Longworth, Director of Public Transport, presented an illuminated address marking his 42 years’ service to the railways. He also received a replica brass nameplate of Kissack.

After a season at Port St Mary Station in 1971, John Dennis Smith started on the steam railway in January 1973 making him the last remaining employee to have started working for the railway before it was nationalised in 1978. He started work as a master plate layer and driver and will retire from his post as Operations Assistant.

John, originally from Wallasey, started working in shipping in Liverpool but moved to the Isle of Man as there were better job prospects.

He said: 'I'll miss my colleagues the most. People grumble about the traffic office staff being grumpy but we all work as a team. I always treated people as I'd like to be treated myself. I worked in various pubs and hotels on the island to start with but once I started at the railway I didn't want to do anything else.'

John's final day in the office will be Thursday (12th November 2015) although after time owing on leave he officially retires in January.