But the firm has promised a full investigation will be held into his death.

Mr Lundy, whose funeral was held at Reading Crematorium on Friday, died on Thursday, November 29, at around 5am.

The maintenance worker for Network Rail was finishing cleaning up at the end of his shift when a 60mph train struck him close to Napier Road, Central Reading.

Mr Lundy’s brother Patrick, who lives in Ireland, told an Irish newspaper a train should not have been on the track while his brother was working.

He said: “There’s no way a train should be on the line with him at the same time. That’s what really kills us. He was literally on his own and that’s the saddest part about it.

“We can’t understand because his job was to make sure that the line was clear so trains could go by.”

He said the entire family could not come to terms with how he died.

Kevin Groves, a Network Rail spokesman, told the Evening Post: “The full circumstances of Tony’s tragic death are being subject to a very thorough investigation. We will share the findings with the family once we have them.”

Mr Groves, who said the investigation would take several weeks to complete, denied rumours there should not have been trains on the line.

“That’s not the case at all,” he said.

He added he would not be drawn on details of the investigation until it was over and the family had been informed.

Mr Lundy, of Westfield Road, Caversham, was originally from Ireland but had lived in Reading for about 17 years. His devastated wife Susan, a 58-year-old sales assistant, has told the Evening Post he was a lovely man.

“Everybody always said he would do a kindness for anybody,” she remembered.

“He was such a caring gentleman. He would do anything for anybody. You would never hear him say a bad word about anybody.”

A well-known regular at the Fox and Hounds in Gosbrook Road, Caversham, he was a keen amateur historian.

Friends and family of Mr Lundy, 62, paid tribute to him on getreading.co.uk.

One comment from Norman and Jenny Price, of Caversham, said: “Tony’s death was a shock to all. Westfield Road is a small community. The loss of a loved one is awful. Our thoughts are with you Sue. God bless.”

Former colleagues of Mr Lundy at Thames Valley Planning said: “It is with heavy hearts that we grieve the passing of Tony. We will sadly miss his smiling face and his willing attitude. Many of his colleagues on the railway were proud to call him friend – our deepest sympathies go out to his wife Susan, his family and his many friends who feel this loss deeply.”

Another, Ian Powell from Reading, said: “Tony, it was an honour to know you and also to work with you, especially when we both worked nights as hand signalmen.

“We had good times together over the years and no matter what job we had to do or what weather we did the job in, you were always cheerful. Myself and the lads at Reading P-Way will miss you dearly.”

See also:

Investigation into a member of staff hit by a train at Reading East, on 29 November 2007

RAIB:

The RAIB is carrying out an investigation into a member of staff being struck and killed by a train near Reading station on 29 November 2007.

At 04:52 hrs the Person in Charge of Possession handed back an engineering possession of the down and up relief lines between Reading East and Slough West. At 04:55 hrs train 5W01, a Class 165 diesel multiple unit running empty from Reading to Slough on the up relief line struck the person responsible for removing the protection at the Reading end of the possession as he was returning to the access point. He died from his injuries. There were no other casualties.

The RAIB’s initial examination indicates that neither the driving or condition of the train, nor the operation or condition of the signalling system, contributed to the accident.

The RAIB's investigation into the accident is proceeding independently of any parallel investigations by the safety authority, but the RAIB will share technical evidence as appropriate, subject to legal exclusions such as the identity and statements of witnesses.

The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.