Tracker the Duck was on hand to celebrate the opening of a new education coach at the National Railway Museum in York.

The coach has just been renovated, with the help of Railtrack, and will be used to improve the education service provided by the museum.

This includes providing adult education and training, reminiscence work, homework clubs and weekend science workshops.

The coach is on long-term loan from the Friends of the NRM.

Tracker is one of Railtrack's Railsafe characters, who put out rail safety messages, and the character also helped launch a new competition for school children run by the museum.

Children are to be asked to design a railway safety awareness poster, which gets across the message that the railways are not a safe place to play.

Recent Railtrack studies of 11 to 16-year-olds show that 30 per cent of pupils interviewed admitted to being involved in one or more acts of trespass or vandalism.

The NRM railway safety awareness poster painting competition is open to children from four to 16 years of age. There are three categories, four-to-seven year olds, eight to 11-year-olds and 12 to 16-year-olds.

A winner will be chosen from each age group, with winning entries going on temporary display in the museum in Autumn 2001.

Entries should be sent to the NRM press office, Leeman Road, York, YO26 4XJ by September 7.

Updated: 11:02 Thursday, June 14, 2001