A long-serving c2c driver had a train named after him at a moving ceremony at Southend Central station.

Delighted - John Lowing leans from the window of the locomotive named after him Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL 4DJ2Z4

John Lowing, of Southend, stood beside one of the company's latest trains as the plate bearing his name on the carriage side was unveiled.

Colleagues and company officials watched the short ceremony while his daughter, Janet, and granddaughter, Leisha, seven, were at his side.

Illness has kept Mr Lowing from the cab of the trains running between Shoebury and Fenchurch Street for a few years.

A c2c spokesman said: "The idea of naming a train after him actually came from his fellow drivers. They thought it would give him a new lease of life."

Mr Lowing joined the then British Rail at its Stratford depot after leaving school in 1953. He drove steam trains before they finally stopped running in 1968 and he then drove between the services running out of both Liverpool Street and Fenchurch Street stations.

After several postings, he progressed to his first management post as area freight manager at Dagenham Dock. Later, Mr Lowing also held the positions of operation production manager and performance and planning manager.

He also served time at Upminster as the LTS control centre manager before ill health forced his departure recently.

Published Thursday September 2, 2004

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