Publisher Description

Railway Bill is a British Transport Police Officer. She works on The Esk Valley Railway Line between Middlesbrough and Whitby and The North York Moors Railway, between Grosmont and Pickering. We meet the regular team on the train: Molly, the Afro Caribbean woman who serves refreshments from the buffet car and trolly; Saikat the Guard from India who always wanted to live by the sea and we meet John Paul The Driver.In, Railway Bill; The Pop Star, Barry, the local Pop Star almost misses the train, but Bill halts the engine as he dashes for a seat. He has been to London to collect a Gold Disc for selling so many records. Barry does an impromptu gig right there in the carriage, at the request of all of his admiring fans. Molly tells him the bad news about a blockage on the line and Barry then falls asleep to the rhythm of the tracks.Two naughty boys board the train at Nunthorpe, looking for mischief. They steal Barry's gold disc and Railway Bill sees the crime as the train comes to a halt. Blocking the line is an enormous pile of horse muck which has slipped from Farmer Dawn's trailer. Will the train ever get to Whitby?

Author Biography

Gerard Mc Dermott was born in the coal mining village of Esh Winning in County Durham. The family moved to Richmond in North Yorkshire when he was nine years old. His dad worked as a painter and decorator on Lord Zetland's Estate which became Gerard's playground. The many farm labourers and gardeners and the aristocracy themselves were a great source of inspiration for his imagination and characters.Working as a decorator himself and then a potter way up in Reeth in the Dales, added to Gerard's rich imagination.His buried, but burning ambition to become an actor, was fulfilled later in life when he was offered a place at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. It was there that he met his, very understanding wife, Josephine.Performing in television, theatre and in many radio dramas, gave Gerard the opportunity to study numerous scripts and this led to an increased desire to write himself.Starting many years ago as a song writer, Gerard found it an easy step into writing short stories for children using rhyming couplets.

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