The Seaside Train book launches

Starcross Primary School held a special launch last week for the publication of “The Seaside Train”, a book celebrating the unique and very scenic Riviera Line which links Exeter, Starcross, Newton Abbot and Paignton.

This book was inspired by the Citizens’ Rail train, a Class 153 single coach train which was given a special livery last year by Great Western Railway to celebrate the Citizens’ Rail project. This was an EU Interreg Project, led by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, which brought more frequent trains and station improvements to the Riviera Line and involved partners from France, Germany and Holland.

Artist Melissa Muldoon and local children's author Susan Quayle teamed up with Starcross Primary School to produce the book. The children wrote about and illustrated their own adventures travelling on the Citizens’ Rail train on a trip along the Riviera Line.

“Clickety clack, clickety clack,
On the Riviera railway track,
Heading to Dawlish next to the sea,
With its wonderful views of natural beauty.

All we can see is ocean and sky,
Or sandstone striations of millennia gone by,
An extra large wave crashes on the sea wall,
And covers the carriage as the salt water falls.”

The book is sponsored by Great Western Railway and was produced with the help of the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership.

Susan Quayle said: “It has been an enormous pleasure to have been part of the creation of this book. The children have thoroughly enjoyed the process of seeing how a book is created and using their imagination to take their whole school off on the most fantastical adventures with their special local train, the Citizens' Rail train. We are so grateful to GWR for helping to make this project happen"

Starcross Primary School Headteacher Iannis Ireland said: “I’m delighted not only with the finished product, but with the hard work, collaboration and industry of everyone involved. It’s been a hugely popular project from start to finish and it’s just another testament to the relationship that Starcross Primary School has with all its partners.”

Great Western Railway Station Manager Ian Mundy said: “I feel very privileged to be part of this exciting book and hope the children like learning about railways.”

The book is available to buy now on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1RnbxUh