A TRAIN driver told of the terrifying moment he realised he was about to hit a farmer and his daughter as their vehicle crossed the line in front of him.

Colin Wrangles told an inquest into the death of farmer Thomas Holt how a Land Rover appeared on the tracks just feet away from the moving steam train.

And Mr Wrangles said he prayed the driver and passenger would escape the impending collision in the seconds before the train hit.

He said: "We were about 15feet away from the crossing when I saw the Land Rover. I put the brake full on, but you can't stop a locomotive in that distance. I prayed for the Land Rover to swing out of the way."

Mr Holt's daughter Dianne was crossing the line at Irwell Vale with her father when the tourist train ploughed into their vehicle, the inquest heard yesterday.

Police have now warned that gates guarding the railway crossing should be kept closed at all times to try to prevent a repeat of the tragic accident.

The Land Rover was pushed by the train into a stone wall and Mr Holt thrown clear of the vehicle, but Dianne, 19, miraculously scrambled free unhurt.

The farmer's dog was also killed in the crash which happened at about 12.45pm on Wednesday, May 14. None of the 16 passengers on board the train was hurt.

Mr Holt, 63, of Scout Barn Farm, Turn Village near Edenfield, and his daughter had crossed the railway line, which takes passengers on the tourist line from Rawtenstall to Bury, to tend to some sheep in a field.

The accident happened as they made the return journey across into Irwell Vale village. Mr Wrangles told the hearing the locomotive had started to slow down as it approached the station at Irwell Vale and was going at about 12mph.

Dianne, who is a shepherdess on the family farm, told the hearing: "We moved forwards towards the crossing and paused before setting off. I wasn't looking but I heard dad swear and I looked up and saw the train coming. It was only about five or six feet away.

"I shouted at him to put his foot down and I was panicking and then that was it. We started rolling over and over and I was trying to look for dad and the dog.

"I still haven't summed up myself exactly what happened, I suppose it was just an accident."

The inquest heard the crossing is closed off by an iron gate either side of the railway track which are opened and shut by motorists as they pass through. But the gates were frequently left open and were open when Mr Holt and his daughter crossed.

Accident investigator PC Simon Batten said people using the crossing should take more care to ensure the gates were closed.

He said: "There is a somewhat lackadaisical approach to the gates and it is quite an important safety issue. The lack of regular train services should not be a reason not to close the gates.

"People do not operate the crossing properly but if the gates are shut people crossing have to stop and look. If they are open there is not that compulsion."

Richard Law, director of operations and safety at the East Lancashire Railway, said it was the company's responsibility to provide gates and signs telling users to close them after crossing. He said he was not aware of any other accidents on the line.

East Lancashire Coroner Richard Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: "Mr Holt was a cautious man and he had his daughter with him. He was driving a very short distance and just going about his everyday business. It is abundantly clear we will never know exactly what happened but he was very nearly across the line but tragically did not make it."

The line was opened in 1846 and was a popular passenger and freight route which served the Irwell Valley from Bury, via Ramsbottom, to Rawtenstall and beyond.

The last passengers travelled on the Bury to Rawtenstall section in 1972. After that the East Lancashire Preservation Society was committed to restoring the line to its former glory.