Adrian Shooter, the president of the UK-based Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS) and a rail enthusiast, passed away in Switzerland on Tuesday. He was 74.

Shooter had been suffering from motor neuron disease.

The DHRS was formed in 1997 and has around 800 members in 24 nations.

“Adrian died on his own terms, in Switzerland, yesterday. He faced death with great courage, dignity, and much relief after his body was ravaged by motor neuron disease. I’m so proud of him and my heart is broken,” Barbara, his wife, said in a social media post on Wednesday.

Shooter, who has always underscored the need to conserve the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) — a Unesco world heritage — is also known for owning the DHR Class B 778 steam loco, the only DHR loco outside India.

He used to run the loco with coaches at Beeches Light Railway, his own private railway, at Steeple Aston in Oxfordshire, UK. The septuagenarian also owned an Ambassador car

“It is sad news for us. Though he was steadily declining physically, Adrian remained determined not to give in to this awful wasting condition. He was the DHRS president since 2015 and will be missed very much,” wrote Paul Whittle, the vice-chairman of the DHRS, in a reply to a mail sent by The Telegraph.

Shooter, who was in Siliguri in March, had extensively spoken to The Telegraph and had categorically said the Indian government should not monetise the DHR — a heritage mountain railway that had commenced its journey in 1881.

The railways should evolve new ideas for the conservation and promotion of the DHR, rather than inviting enterprises with commercial interests. Such railways exist in the UK and are maintained by volunteers, he said.

The DHRS, Shooter had said, is also ready to take a steam loco of the DHR that is at the Rail Museum in Delhi to the UK for overhauling and send it back to India in running condition.

“He was a rail pioneer and has worked for the conservation of heritage as well as for the modernisation of railways. His contribution is well recognised in the UK and India,” said Partha Pratim Roy, a rail enthusiast based in Calcutta, who has interacted and travelled with Shooter a number of times.

In August, a nine-foot bronze statue of Shooter was unveiled at the Marylebone station in central London in his presence by the ChilternRailway, of which he was the founder.

He was also associated with Vivarail, a company that has been working on battery-powered trains in the UK.

Vivek Baid, the chairman of DHRS — India SupportGroup, said Shooter had also taken the task of helping the Indian railways with the conservation of the DHR.

“In 2018, a team from the DHR went to the UK to learn about the heritage railways, after Unesco had pushed for appropriate steps to upkeep its world heritage status. Adrian Shooter was one of the key persons to brief and guide the team,” said Baid.