Young Walsall railway enthusiast gets birthday treat

A boy with a love of trains has gone behind the scenes at a railway signalling hub as a birthday treat.

Zach from Walsall has cystic fibrosis and autism and his family said he developed a fascination for trains and other transport from a very young age, learning to tell what kind of train was passing just from the sound of the engine.

He has his own YouTube channel about his railway adventures and Network Rail said it wanted to organise “something special” for him.

On Friday he was invited into the cab of a Network Rail train at Birmingham New Street and taken to the signalling hub for the West Midlands.

He met some of the team there and had a go in a train signalling simulator, before having his birthday announced over the New Street public address system.

His mother, Vickie, said she and Zach were very grateful for the opportunity to go behind the scenes.

She said although Zach had cystic fibrosis and autism, she tried to teach him “he can do anything he wants to do in his life and can achieve anything”.

Martin Colmey, operations director for Network Rail Central route, said: “His enthusiasm is wonderful to see and we really hope today has inspired him to consider a career in rail when he’s older.”