He was the friendly feline face of Swindon & Cricklade Railway who greeted passengers and stole the hearts of the volunteers.
 
But Garfield, the ginger moggy, who was taken under their wing as an orphan a decade ago, will be missing from the Haynes Knoll platform this weekend.
 
Yesterday the trustees of the heritage railway issued a statement saying, "Garfield was due to have some tests and procedures performed under general anaesthetic. Unfortunately, Garfield was very poorly, and did not wake up from the procedures. All of us here at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway are devastated by the loss of our dear friend. We would like to thank you all for your donations to help with his recent vets bills. We are certain that Garfield's legacy and memory will live on at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, and wherever he may be now, he'll be purring peacefully."
 
The organization and its supporters had been raising money to pay for his treatment after he developed a lump in his head and a bloody nostril.
 
Because his home, the engine shed at Hayes Knoll, didn't have a postcode he wasn't eligible for pet insurance.
 
By yesterday more than £800 had been raised online.
 
Adrian Thompson, who runs the Friends of Swindon & Cricklade Railway Facebook page said, "Everyone's devastated. We were raising the money for the right reasons, to get Garfield better again. None of us foresaw this happening. I guess we didn't realise just how poorly he was."
 
The plan had been for Garfield to be back at the railway over the weekend if he was well enough.
 
Last weekend he was very much in evidence, basking on the platform, welcoming visitors, and keeping the railway volunteers company.
 
Garfield is believed to have been born in the engine shed where he was discovered as a tiny kitten.
 
His mother had abandoned him and he was the only survivor of the litter.
 
Members of the railway adopted him and even made him the only salaried member of staff with his own bank account to buy food.
 
Officially he was their mouser, but he was better known for his begging skills, and the interest he took in the work being done to restore trains.
 
When he heard a train approaching he would often appear on the platform ready to welcome the passengers, and occasionally he liked to hop on a train to take a trip down to Blunsdon.
 
"He affected so many people. Everybody knew him. It has hit us all hard," said Adrian.
 
"It is a real shock, he was friendly to everyone."
 
The money raised will be used to pay for the treatment he received and members are currently discussing how they can remember Garfield.
 
Tina Robins.