Train buff in locomotive joyride
A 19-year-old train buff from Rawmarsh has been sentenced to 200 hours community service after going joyriding in a 49-tonne locomotive.
Daniel Matthews sneaked into sidings at Sheffield’s Tinsley marshalling yard in May. He started the engine and drove it up and down for 40 minutes.
Rotherham Magistrates heard he was such an expert he knew how to change points so the train could switch tracks.
Matthews even left it switched off and safely parked before cycling away.
‘Act of stupidity’
He was identified after police released CCTV footage of him and another man on BMX bikes in the area.
Inspector David Boldison of British Transport Police said it was an act of stupidity.
“Potentially it was very dangerous,” he said.
“If he’d managed to get himself on to the main line, where there were passenger trains, then potentially that could have had bad consequences”.
