TENS of thousands of people are expected to flood into York this weekend, as the city celebrates 200 years of rail travel.

The National Railway Museum's (NRM) Railfest event will kick off on Saturday, with a special site and trackwork set aside to host what train chiefs at the museum promise will be a nine-day extravaganza.

Railfest, of which the Evening Press is a sponsor, will run from Saturday until June 6. The centrepiece of the exhibition will be the arrival of the Flying Scotsman, which the NRM successfully bid for earlier this year.

Also on display will be a replica of George Stephenson's locomotive, Rocket; the steam locomotive, City of Truro, and a new Pendolino tilting train.

The year marks the bicentenary of the running of the world's first steam locomotive - the Penydarren - as well as the 100th anniversary of the first 100mph run.

RailFest, which has the backing of the entire rail industry, will also be showing off Britain's last express passenger steam locomotive and the country's oldest steamable narrow-gauge engine.

But it is not all about a gathering of locomotives, with feature rides, access to cabs, a vintage fair and memorabilia sales available to enhance the exhibition experience.

One of the stars of the show will be the £2.2 million Slinger - a state-of-the-art track installation system.

Designed and built by Jarvis Rail in York, the Slinger can lay track in lengths of 240 metres at a time - almost twice the length of a Premership football pitch. It is currently used to replace worn-out track across the UK's rail network.

John Smiles, of Jarvis Rail, said: "The Slinger delivers the same quality standards as machines used in conventional track work, but it's much faster, more economical, and much safer - as it requires fewer people to be on site when work is taking place. We are really looking forward to demonstrating the machine at RailFest to show the public just how far track-laying technology has moved forward."

The Flying Scotsman will launch the exhibition and is expected to arrive at the NRM at about 1.30pm on Saturrday. Admission to RailFest 2004 is £7.50 for adults (£6 if booked in advance), £5 concessions (£4 advance). A family ticket for two adults and two children is £20 (£16 advance). Children under four go free. The main NRM site will still be free to visitors not wanting to participate in RailFest.

Tickets can be pre-booked by phoning 0870 701 0208 or online by logging on to www.nrm.org.uk and following the instructions.

Readers wanting to take advantage of the Evening Press offer of a free child ticket for every full-priced adult ticket bought should collect today's token at the foot of this page.

Don't take risks by playing on the railway lines

A PLEA has been made to parents to ensure their children do not play near rail tracks during next week's half-term break.

The call has come from rail firm Arriva Trains Northern (ATN) and British Transport Police.

ATN's commercial director, Heidi Mottram, said: "This is the time when children can sometimes be tempted to investigate new places to play.

"Some children might think that it could be exciting to fool around near railway lines, but the reality is that it is incredibly dangerous and could result in serious injury or even being killed. By asking more parents to take a few minutes this week to help us remind youngsters about the hazards of trespassing we hope we can persuade them to play safe this half-term break."

Chief Inspector Danny Snee, of British Transport Police, said: "We ask all parents to ensure their young children stay off the railway lines and have a safe half-term. We also urge those youngsters that are old enough to recognise the dangers not to put themselves at risk and keep away from railway tracks. They should understand that if they do ignore the warnings and go on to commit offences they will face prosecution."

Arriva works closely with British Transport Police and Network Rail on a number of initiatives aimed at reducing trespass on the network. The train operator has a schools liaison officer, Chris Leech, who dedicates his time to visiting schools and events across the North of England to spread the message about rail safety to thousands of children.

The company also has 18 Special Constables who work with BTP officers to police the rail network tackling issues such as trespass.

Anyone who has witnessed trespassing on the rail network is asked to phone 0800 405 040. All calls are in confidence.

Updated: 08:39 Tuesday, May 25, 2004