Mr Hughes spent more than 39 years on the railway line but on October 14, 2014, he signaled he wouldn't work past his next birthday and he stuck to his word.

The long-time train driver retired from the job last Friday, three days before his 61st birthday.

For Mr Hughes, the many years he spent on the job had been memorable, but it was the people he met along the way that kept his steam going.

"I will miss the companionship," he said.

"I have an interest in trains but it's the people I have worked with that make it what it is."

A career with trains runs in the family, with Mr Hughes choosing the job because of his father.

"My dad started his career in 1929 when it was known as the rail and tram way," he said.

"He progressed from tram cleaner to driver and as trams were progressed out, he became a bus driver.

"He had seven sons and at one stage six of us were all on the job."

Determined to stick to the same track as his father, Mr Hughes worked for many years at Eveleigh station, before transferring to Moss Vale.

"Change is as good as a holiday," he said.

After nearly four decades of chugging along, Mr Hughes plans to take another route in life.

"I own a motorhome and I plan to travel Australia," he said.

He was given a first class send off, with balloons and crackers as he was farewelled onto the next platform of his life.