Bob Stott, familiar to railway enthusiasts on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, has died aged 62.

He had no interest in steam trains when he started working for the Vintage Carriages Trust, which is based on the railway, but became one of the most familiar faces in the world of heritage railways.

Mr Stott – known as “Wobbly Bob” to his friends – collapsed in The Livery Rooms pub in North Street, Keighley, his second home.

He died the next day, December 22, in Airedale General Hospital, Steeton.

Mr Stott, of Coronation Way, Keighley, who was shop manager for 15 years at the VCT office in Ingrow, had arrived as a work replacement volunteer after being made redundant from his job as a sales manager.

He was promoted to shop manager in 1992.

Close friend, Geoff Smith of Bankfield Street, Keighley, said: “He was one of Keighley’s true characters. His second home was the Livery Rooms. He got his name as Wobbly Bob in the days when the Grinning Rat was the most popular pub in town.

“They served a real ale called Wobbly Bob which he was fond of. There’s some debate whether the beer was named after him or the other way round. Whatever, he was a great character and will be missed.”

Michael Cope of the VCT said he became an expert on railways.

He said: “He became known to a lot of people interested in steam railways when he took over as shop manager. And, of course, he also had a wide selection of friends at Wetherspoons in Keighley. We will miss him a lot.”

A single man, Mr Stott’s funeral was due to take place at Oakworth Crematorium at 1pm on Monday.