[[Rubeus Hagrid meets the Hogwarts Express at
Hogsmeade station in the
film adaptation of
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.]]
The
Hogwarts Express is a
fictional magical
train in the
Harry Potter series. It is ridden by students between
London and
Hogsmeade. The train starts from King's Cross station
platform 9¾, which is invisible to
Muggle eyes and is reached through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Upon disembarking the train at the Hogsmeade station, first years are treated to a ride across the lake by
Hagrid into the
Hogwarts Castle; all other students are carried into the main entrance of the castle in coaches drawn by (usually) invisible creatures called thestrals.
Harry Potter met his two best friends
Ron Weasley and
Hermione Granger on his first ride on the Hogwarts Express. So far he has been on the train nine times: twice a year for each of his first five years at Hogwarts except once, in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when he flew with Ron in a bewitched
Ford Anglia (a Muggle car), which crashed on landing and escaped into the woods near the school. After each school year, Harry was met by his uncle and aunt after getting off the train; even though they hate him very much, they have never failed to pick him up.
It has been suggested that the Hogwarts Express is likely a steam train only in appearance and purpose, borrowing its form and intended function from real steam trains, but not the technology.
Until the 1950's, some British boarding schools hired special trains to transport pupils to and from the school at the beginning and end of each term. This may be the inspiration for the Hogwarts Express.
The Real Thing
[[Great Western Railway
Hall Class locomotive, no.
5972 Olton Hall.]]
The locomotive used in the film adaptations is a
Great Western Railway Hall Class 5972 Olton Hall, and is depicted pulling a train of four carriages. The film was filmed at
Kings Cross railway station and the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Filming is also conducted inside the train.
The
Harry Potter Train is rideable regularly at Pickering (the
hotspot of the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway), but has been part of a large argument between the companies and local train enthusiasts as it is not run in the colour intended for the engine, with many enthusiasts claiming that the maroon colour has defiled the once-beautiful engine.
J.K. Rowling discovered after the books were published that she had confused
Kings Cross with
Euston Station, and that platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross were not the ones she had meant for her magical platform to be placed between, so the filmmakers re-numbered platforms 4 and 5 for the duration of filming.
Models
An
OO gauge model is produced by
Hornby, though this is of a
Castle Class locomotive rather than a
Hall Class.
es:Expreso de Hogwarts
Category:Fictional trains
Category:Rail transport in fiction
Category:Harry Potter