Crash driver: first picture

This is the first picture of the car driver who caused the Berkshire rail tragedy which killed himself and six others.

Chef Brian Drysdale "didn't have a bad bone in his body", his family claimed today.

However, he was described by colleagues as a "loner" who rarely spoke and had a violent temper.

But his sister-in-law Shirley Sadler said his family were in shock following reports he had manoeuvred his car onto the track to ensure it was hit by a train. "I can't believe he'd commit suicide if he thought he'd kill other people," she added. "If he has, it must have been some terrible crisis.

"He didn't have a bad bone in his body. He was one of the nicest people you could meet." Mr Drysdale, 48, left work early at about 5.30pm on Saturday, complaining he was ill. He had been working in the kitchens of Wokefield Park conference centre on the outskirts of Reading.

He drove a mile or so to the level crossing in Ufton Nervet where he parked his Mazda across the track. Sources suggested he reversed to ensure he was on the right set of tracks to be in the path of the 100mph express.

Moments later the 17.35 Paddington to Plymouth service smashed into the car. An emergency service source said: "When we recovered the body he was naked. There was no sign of clothes. It's a bizarre twist to a tragic story."

Mr Drysdale's mobile phone was found near the wreckage. British Transport Police have discovered he made a call minutes before the collision. They are tracing his final calls, hoping to shed light on his state of mind.

Another chef at Wokefield Park said: "He was a bit of a loner. He didn't talk a lot." Another colleague added that he was depressed and "would very rarely snap out of his dark moods".

A spokesman for the conference centre said: "Brian Drysdale was a valued member of our catering team for 15 months and we are shocked by his involvement in this terrible tragedy."

The bachelor changed jobs frequently. A staff member at the Three B's bistro in Reading town hall, where he worked until a couple of years ago, said: "He was a bit weird. He used to drink an awful lot and never spoke about his personal life. The only thing he talked about was Liverpool Football Club. He was one of their biggest fans."

Phil Fogg, 36, who worked with Mr Drysdale between 1994 and 1996 at the Hanover Hotel in Reading, said: "He was open about the fact that he was gay. He had a steady partner but they split up. The only thing I can think of is that he used to sometimes have funny moods. He was okay, then he might bite your head off for the slightest thing."

Mr Drysdale lived with two other men in a Reading house divided into bedsits. His elderly parents live in the West Midlands. One neighbour said: "Nobody would have known him very well because he didn't talk. He was short, dark and skinny - unshaven most of the time."