Gentlemen who prefer blondes were getting hot under the collar today at a York museum as they came face to face with the ultimate Hollywood screen goddess.

But visitors to the National Railway Museum were unable to say "hello, Norma Jean" as 'Marilyn Monroe' was, in fact, lookalike Pauline Bailey.

She was promoting a new exhibition at the museum called Wish You Were Here by modelling one of its star attractions, a rarely-seen black bathing costume worn by Marilyn in 1954 to promote one of her first successful films, There's No Business Like Show Business.

The costume will be displayed alongside another of Marilyn's famous swimming outfits, a revealing bikini worn in her last film, The Misfits.

The two swimsuits, on loan from private collector David Gainsborough Roberts until September, will feature in the holiday pursuits section of the exhibition, which opens on Saturday at the museum's Station Hall.

Belinda Morris, the National Railway Museum's display development manager, said:

"Wish You Were Here tells the story of railways and holidays, explaining how the birth of the rail network in Britain brought travel to the masses for the first time and paved the way for an explosion in seaside holidays and package tours.

Wish You Were Here takes visitors on a journey through time to show how people travelled and what they got up to once they reached their destinations.

Dozens of colourful posters, archive photographs and rare film footage will be displayed .

Updated: 12:21 Monday, April 09, 2001