A twelve-year-old train fanatic from Yorkshire has been given the day of his life with a ride in the cab of a TransPennine Express train (TPE).

Nathaniel Briggs from Huddersfield in West Yorkshire enjoyed not one, but two special and exclusive rides in the driver’s cab between York and Scarborough.

Nathaniel has Autism and ADHD, and has had an interest in trains for as long as his parents Anthony and Sarah can remember. and regularly travels by train.

Nathaniel has travelled on most of the routes operated by TransPennine Express from Scotland to Saltburn, and among the attractions for Nathaniel is the motion of the train, which he finds calming, as well as the fun of exploring new places.

The chance to ride in a driver’s cab started a few weeks ago when Nathaniel and his father Anthony met Chris Jackson, the TransPennine Express Managing Director, onboard one of its services in Manchester and noticed his TPE lanyard and said hello.

After learning how much he loves trains, Chris invited Nathaniel to have a ride in a driver’s cab.

As a memento of his experience, Nathaniel was presented with a TPE gift bag, including his very own hi-vis jacket, by Lead Driver Manager Steve Whitehead.

To round off Nathaniel’s day, as the train passed a whistle board, which are signs marking locations where train drivers must sound their horn, he was allowed to sound it under close supervision.

While Nathaniel was riding in the cab, the rest of the Briggs family was treated to VIP First Class travel on their journey to and from York.

TransPennine Express has a history of community involvement, as this Saturday, 24th August, some its colleagues will be taking part in the Manchester Pride parade, and in association with Leeds brewery Northern Monk it has launched its own bespoke ‘Pennine Pale’ beer.

I cannot thank TransPennine Express enough for making the cab ride for Nathaniel happen; it was a brilliant day.

We had a fantastic experience, and Nathaniel loved it. The memories made during his big day out will stay with him for a lifetime.

TPE has made a little boy’s dreams come true. Nathaniel will certainly have something a little different to talk about when he returns to school.

Anthony Briggs, Nathaniel’s father

Thanks for the cab ride, Steve I liked tooting the horn.

Nathaniel Briggs

It was lovely to meet Nathaniel and his father Anthony.

Nathaniel is a fantastic young boy; he was brilliant at pointing out the signals during the cab rides and was a natural at spotting the whistle board signs.

I’m glad we could offer Nathaniel this experience, it’s always great to meet people who could be part of the next railway generation.

Steve Whitehead, Lead Driver Manager for TransPennine Express