Rattling through the picturesque Moors Valley, the distinguished looking gentleman sitting at the back of the train beams as he gulps the fresh air.

Armed with the obligatory whistle and cap, Ken Clay, at 90, is believed to be the oldest train guard in the country.

The former RAF traffic controller could have been enjoying a relaxing retirement for decades.

Instead he continues to volunteer at the country park, preparing the carriages, greeting the passengers and bracing himself for another day of work – on a service which can run up to six times an hour during peak season.

He’s been doing it for two decades.

But what is it about this seven and quarter inch narrow gauge railway, running for a mile through the greenery and woods, which keeps him coming day in, day out?

“It’s just magic,” he says. “When I came to the park for the first time and saw the train I just fell in love with it.

“My father worked on the railway all his life and I did three years with the British Transport Police so I have always felt very at home.

“I started by doing some bits and pieces with the garden and then moved onto the train. I love it and enjoy it as much now as I did all those years ago.”

The railway had been launched at the end of July 1986 following the closure of the railway at Tucktonia leisure complex near Christchurch.

The old railway – run-down and a little worse-for-wear – did not fit the vision of its creators and moving it to Moors Valley gave it a new lease of life.

It has grown since the aluminium rails were installed, with approximately 8,000 sleepers, 500 tonnes of ballast and 100 tonnes of roadstone used to construct the track.

Zipping along the line, stopping at its exquisite little stations, one thing has remained very much the same – the joy children and families take from going for a ride.

“The children have always loved it,” says Ken. “I have had some come back years later as grown-ups with their own children – and they say they can remember me. That’s really special.

“It has changed so much over the years, but the atmosphere remains and I am just so happy it has been part of my life.”

With 36 passenger vehicles tucked away in the shed, the diesel-fuelled trains typically comprise 12 carriages with 72 passengers onboard – and during the summer there are no shortage of takers for tickets.

And Ken claims he still get the same thrill out of passing through the beautiful park so regularly and will never grow tired of it.

“It can be a hectic job and quite physical,” he says. “But I enjoy the camaraderie and I never get tired of meeting different people each day.”

But what of retirement and hanging up his whistle?

Ken smiles and retorts quickly: “I will be here for quite some years yet.”