Said the following about Peter Bugg:

“Not everyone is lucky enough to have their childhood dreams come true, but Peter Bugg, who grew up wanting to be a train driver, is now celebrating four decades working on the region’s railways.

The railwayman from Colchester joined the railway in September 1976 just before his 16th birthday.

Peter, who lives in Barn Hall Avenue, wanted to work on the railway since he was a child. Growing up, he harboured dreams of becoming a train driver, and as he approached his 16th birthday, a friend whose brother was a Union representative at Colchester station managed to secure a job interview.

“My first job on the railway saw me work as a Second Man, where I had to assist the driver,” he said. “I had four weeks of training in Stratford and my first payslip was £20 for the week – more than what my father was earning at the time.

“After six months on the railway, I trained for a full driver’s licence at Wimbledon Park. This involved me commuting by taking 16 trains a day to get to and from work. Once I had completed training, I was based at Ipswich before moving to Colchester.”

His time on the railway saw him drive different locomotives from Class 37 diesels to Class 360 electric trains.

In October 1988 he was driving a train from Clacton to Colchester when he saw a woman face-down in the water at Hythe. He pulled the emergency brake, leapt from the cab and dived into the water to save the woman. The act earned him several bravery awards and recognition across the country.

He stopped driving in November 2007 and became a member of platform staff at Colchester station. He is affectionately known as Platform Pete by schoolchildren who visit the station to learn more about the railway and safety.

Peter said: “I definitely don’t plan to retire just yet. I enjoy my job and the variety it brings – I like meeting new people and I still enjoy coming to work every day. The best days of my career were at the beginning, when I first started as a Second Man. The railway is a huge part of my life and I feel lucky to have such a satisfying career.”

The father-of-three met his wife Jacqueline at the railway social club, and have now been married for 28 years and the couple has three children. Peter was also in the Royal Signals, part-time for eight years in the 36 Regiment, 45 Squadron based at Colchester.“