While most boys dream about becoming a train driver, Charlie Noon has already set the wheels in motion.

The 11-year-old is a regular fixture on the trains to and from his home – travelling in his train driver’s uniform. He opens doors for passengers and likes nothing better than to pass on information about stops and services.

The friendly lad, who lives in Pudsey, is such a fan of trains and rides them so often that staff at Northern Rail – who know him by name – have given him a company tie, two caps and an old set of train ignition keys.

Charlie said: “I stand near the door and like to help people out if they ask me where the train is going. I wear a blazer, shirt and tie in the same colours as the staff, and always carry my keys. I love chatting to the drivers and conductors. A lot of passengers notice me and some have taken pictures.”

Charlie’s love of trains began at the age of three with Thomas the Tank Engine. He developed a passion that led to him heading out after school with his grandad, John Fairs.

“I love seeing things that you don’t normally see, such as people’s back gardens and allotments. I love railway cottages as well,” he said. “We go as far as we can on grandad’s travel card and then go back home in time for tea.”

He added: “The furthest I’ve been by train is Liverpool Lime Street in 2008, for my birthday. I’d like to go to Glasgow and on a sleeper train around Scotland.” His favourite train is a Class 158 Express Sprinter. “It is one of the first express trains made by British Rail. It’s a diesel multiple unit and is common on Northern Rail services. They have been refurbished and look very smart.”

Charlie’s interest in railways carries on at home, where Thomas has been replaced with a full Hornby layout.

John enjoys taking his grandson on the trains. “He is so enthusiastic, he really comes alive when he’s on a train. The drivers and conductors are so nice to him. They treat him like a member of staff.”

Mum Alison said: “It is great that he has a hobby he loves. All the drivers and conductors know him and have let him look in the cab when the train stops.”

Charlie, who attends Pudsey Waterloo Primary School, is not fully decided what he wants to be when he grows up. “I’m not sure – I really want to be a train driver, but I’d also quite like to be a pilot,” he said.

Carolyn Watson, of Northern Rail, said: “It is great to see someone so young showing such an interest. It is great to think that Charlie might choose the railway as a career in the future.”