Hundreds honour guard crushed by train on North Yorkshire Moors railway
HUNDREDS of people packed into Beverley Minster to say a final farewell to a much-loved former policeman.
Robert Lund, 65, died after getting crushed between two trains while working as a volunteer guard on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Four-hundred people stood in silence as his coffin, draped in the blue National Association of Retired Police Officers flag, was carried into Beverley Minster.
Mr Lund, of Beverley, had a distinguished 30-year career with Humberside Police.
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Danielle Bradley, marketing manager at the Pickering-based railway, said Mr Lund had been a volunteer member of staff for 14 years.
She said: "We are very much a family community and everybody has been devastated by Bob's death. He was a keen railway enthusiast and our deep sympathies and condolences go to his family, relatives and friends."
There was a reduced North Yorkshire Moors service running yesterday so members of staff and volunteers could attend the half-hour service, which included the hymn Jerusalem.
In a statement, a spokesman for the moors railway said Mr Lund was a "much-loved and respected colleague".
It said: "The railway has suffered a terrible shock with this tragic accident and the aftermath will be with us for a long time."
Mr Lund retired from Humberside Police in 1997.
He continued to work as a civilian in the force until last year.
Speaking after his death, through a statement issued through British Transport Police, the family described him as a "reliable and caring husband and father".
The statement said: "He was always a keen railway enthusiast and also enjoyed playing for Humberside Police's rugby team.
"He enjoyed working as a volunteer at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where he began work as a ticket inspector before progressing to a train guard."
Investigations by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), Office of Railway Regulation, the British Transport Police and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway have taken place.
The RAIB said Mr Lund was manually uncoupling two carriages on May 21 and as the carriage attached to the steam train moved off, the train changed direction, moving back towards the vehicles from which it had been uncoupled, crushing Mr Lund.
The RAIB has carried out preliminary examinations, tests and a reconstruction.
After the funeral service, there was a collection for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Service and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
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