MID SUFFOLK: Friends of a teenager who died in tragic circumstances last month have paid tribute to him in the best way possible.

Gareth Oates was found dead at a train station in West Yorkshire last month after going missing from his home in Stowmarket.

Gareth was a steam train enthusiast and regularly helped out the Mid Suffolk Light Railway Museum at Brockford Green, near Wetheringsett.

His friends and colleagues at the museum spared a thought for him over the Easter weekend and marked his passing in typical fashion.

Keith Froom, from the museum, said: “On Easter Sunday we ran our first train of 2010. As our tribute to Gareth we adorned the locomotive with a laurel wreath and gave a blast on the whistle as the train entered the station.”

The 18-year-old had last been seen on Tuesday March 2 after he attended a 10am class at West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds.

His body was found at Marsden station, near Huddersfield, later that day. It is believed he had been hit by a train.

The local coroner’s office has confirmed that an inquest into his death had been opened and adjourned and will be resumed at a later date.

Since his death, nearly 1,000 friends and classmates have joined a group on the facebook website dedicated to Gareth’s memory.