The inquest heard Brian Drysdale was "tormented" by his sexuality

Ronald Drysdale said his brother, Brian, 48, who died in the car, always bought cheap used vehicles and his Mazda cost just a few hundred pounds.

The London to Plymouth train hit the Mazda near Ufton Nervet in 2004.

The jury inquest in Slough also heard how Brian Drysdale was "tormented" by his homosexuality, which he hid.

He had confessed to his parents he was gay but had never told his brother or many of his friends, the inquest was told.

Brian had a history of purchasing second-hand cars that to me didn't seem fit to be on the road Ronald Drysdale

The court heard a statement from Andi Conway-Horbury, who said he had known Brian Drysdale since 1978, when they had a relationship for four years.

Mr Drysdale was 22 at the time and told him he was aware he was gay from the age of 13.

"He said he couldn't come to terms with his sexuality and was, in his view, tormented by it," Mr Conway-Horbury said.

The jurors heard that on the day of the crash, 6 November 2004, Brian Drysdale left work at Wokefield Park Hotel in Reading at 1730 GMT, saying he felt ill but that he would be back the next day.

Repair advice

Speaking on the second day of the inquest, Ronald Drysdale told how he had seen his brother a few months earlier.

"He met me at Birmingham Airport with mother and father. He seemed OK," he told the inquest.

Ronald Drysdale said his brother bought cheap second-hand cars

He said he felt sure he would have detected if his brother had been suffering from any problems.

He told the court how they went to the local pub near the family home and chatted about work and his brother's plans to buy a house.

Ronald Drysdale said that as they made the 40-minute drive to the family home in Halesowen from the airport, the car stalled three times.

"Brian had a history of purchasing second-hand cars that to me didn't seem fit to be on the road. This particular car he'd paid just a few hundred pounds for," he told the court.

He said the driver's door on his brother's Mazda stuck and was difficult to open, and he advised him to take the car back to Halesowen where friends could fix it for him.

Brian Drysdale died in the crash, as did the driver of the train Stanley Martin, 54, of Torquay, Devon, and five passengers: Emily Webster, 14, from Moretonhampstead, Devon; Louella Main, nine, and her mother Anjanette Rossi, 38, from Speen, Newbury, Berkshire; Leslie Matthews, 72, from Warminster, Wiltshire; and Barry Strevens, 55, of Wells, Somerset.

All eight carriages derailed in the crash.