Train Museum
(12-19)


Museum of trains and railways

Opening hours: Daily, 9:30 AM - 7 PM

Management:

Lord Dumbarton.
Staff:
Bill.

Exhibits













A Ghost train


Electrid Light train


A Klondike train


Evergreen Train




Various Locomotives with classical trains, diorama setups


The Baldwin Locomotive Works 4-4-0, built for American Railroads in the 1800's, with train


Steampunk train


Charcoal Express


Tram Trolley


Diesel Train


Electric Train


Future Express


Future Express

Maglev Train

Room: Hogwarts Express


The Hogwarts Express was the name of the train that ran between London King's Cross Station Platform 9¾ and Hogsmeade station. It made this run about six times a year, maybe more, as needed. It also made the run back again to London at the end of term in June.[5][6][7][8][9][10]
The Express dutifully carried students of all years to and from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It travels at the start and end of every term.[3] It is the school's primary method of travel.
The train left Platform 9¾ without fail every 1 September at 11 o'clock in the morning, arriving at Hogsmeade station in the early evening.[3] Some students took the train back to King's Cross Station to go home for the Christmas and Easter holidays, but some did not, as they stayed at Hogwarts.
As we know from early historical accounts, and from the evidence of early woodcuts and engravings, Hogwarts students used to arrive at school in any manner that caught their fancy.[1] Some rode broomsticks (a difficult feat when carrying trunks and pets); others commandeered enchanted carts and, later, carriages; some attempted to Apparate (often with disastrous effects, as the castle and grounds had always been protected with Anti-Apparition Charms), others rode a variety of magical creatures.[1]
In 1827, Ottaline Gambol rose to the office of Minister for Magic, and she made a daring and controversial suggestion to solve the ages-old problem of how to transport hundreds of students to and from Hogwarts Castle every school year without attracting the Muggles' attention.
Intrigued by Muggle technology, the Minister saw the potential of using a Muggle steam locomotive as a secure and comfortable alternative to Portkeys or to unregulated means of travel. The locomotive for the Hogwarts Express itself was originally built by the Muggle engineers at Crewe, in Cheshire, England,[1] in the early-to-mid 19th century.
In 1830, the Ministry of Magic conducted a large-scale operation involving one hundred and sixty-seven Memory Charms, as well as the biggest Concealment Charm ever performed in Britain, in order to acquire the locomotive. The morning after this operation, the residents of Hogsmeade awoke to find the gleaming red Hogwarts Express and a Hogsmeade railway station that had not been there previously, and the Muggle railway employees in Crewe had the feeling they had misplaced something, which stayed with them for the rest of the year.[1]
There was initial resistance from pure-blood families against using a Muggle-built device for wizard transportation. These families claimed that the express was "unsafe, insanitary, and demeaning". This was their stance until the Ministry decreed that students would arrive to school on the train or not attend at all.[1] There is no information on where exactly Hogwarts students were travelling from during the period after the acquisition of the Hogwarts express and the creation of the Hogsmeade station and before the opening of King's Cross Station and the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters in the 1850s.[11]

In striking contrast to Britain's later National Rail system, the Hogwarts Express took the form of a large red, 4-6-0 steam engine, named Hogwarts Castle. Originally steam fitted by the Muggles who built it, the locomotive later ran exclusively on magic.
The passenger carriages held compartments set off a corridor, allowing each compartment to function as a self-contained stage within the larger train. Prefects of the school rode in a separate carriage near the front of the train.[3] The compartments on the train appeared to be lettered; in 1996, the Slug Club met in Compartment C.[13] During the long journey to Hogwarts, students could enjoy treats from a trolley, such as Pumpkin Pasties and Chocolate Frogs; in addition, there was also a Buffet Car.[3]
There were usually no adults aboard the Hogwarts Express except the trolley witch and the driver.[3][12] Occasionally, new teachers (such as Remus Lupin and Horace Slughorn) could be found aboard the train as well.[12][13] According to the trolley witch, the train didn't take kindly to students who tried to leave when it was moving, possibly implying that it had some form of sentience.[18]


Hogsmeade Station King's Cross Station - Platform 9 3/4
Hogwarts Railways Icon Interior - Seats

Back to Top
Back to Education
Back to Museums
Back to Map