A legend of the Settle-Carlisle Railway has retired after 50 years working on the railways.

David Parrinder, 64, had the honour of controlling some of the most famous locomotives of all time during his five decades' service.

His long love affair with the railway began on New Year's Eve, 1951, when he had to cycle 15 miles to work from his home in Haworth.

After many years spent performing the less glamorous maintenance tasks, he became a driver of diesel engines shortly before his 30th birthday.

Mr Parrinder, who now lives with his wife Nancy in Skipton, went on to drive more historic models, including the fastest steam engine ever built, the Mallard. "I don't suppose many people will ever work for 50 years again," he said. "I started at 14, cleaning engines and scraping out their fire boxes, a real mucky job.

"But I never thought anything of it. It was just work: work which I was proud of, I admit it."