Rodney Fitzgibbon (front) and staff with the clock in He is now a chargeman Llandudno Junction Station

Raymond worked as a chargeman at Rinsous Chemicals, a plastic development company, in Dunston, Gateshead, from 1958 to 1962 before taking on other jobs at the council and for Telephones Standard.

The Permanent Way has been seen by all sorts of people including, in York, track chargeman Bill Rawcliffe who commented the next day: "We were really blown away " we went for a curry afterwards and couldn't stop talking about it."

Steve Anderton, 50, of Heaton, Newcastle, was removed from his job as a track chargeman for Network Rail after failing a hearing test because of deafness brought about by his work.