10:18am UK, Friday October 29, 2004

A considerate train conductor quietly punched the ticket of a passenger he thought was dozing unaware he had died.

The rail worker spotted the man seemingly fast asleep and prised the £12 ticket from his clasp, stamped it and put it back.

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Nasty shock for conductor

But 15 minutes later when the train pulled up in York, the conductor realised the well-dressed gent was the only one not to have disembarked.       

Colleagues tried to wake him but failed, as did paramedics called in.       

A British Transport Police officer told The Sun: "It was quite a shock for the staff when they couldn't wake him at the end of the journey and found he wasn't breathing.       

"The conductor confirmed he had seen the man and had tried not to disturb him, thinking he was simply having a snooze like many people do.       

"He was stunned. He had no idea that the man had died."       

A post mortem showed the passenger had died of natural causes during the Scarborough to York journey.