''The Railway Children'' is a

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

based on the 1906 novel by

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

. It was broadcast for the first time in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

on 23 April 2000 (which was Easter Sunday). Shortly afterwards, it was shown in the

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on the series ''

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed Briti ...

''.

Plot

Roberta (Bobbie), Peter and Phyllis live a comfortable and carefree upper middle-class life in London with their parents. But when their father ( Michael Kitchen), a senior civil servant, is arrested on a charge of treason, found guilty, and imprisoned for life they are forced to move with their mother to ''Three Chimneys'', a cold and run-down country cottage near a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

. Whilst Mother (

Jenny Agutter Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in '' East of Sudan'', ''Star!'', and two adaptations of '' The Railway Children''—the BBC's 1968 television seria ...

) tries to make a meagre living writing stories and poems she hopes magazines and newspapers will publish, the children seek amusement by watching the trains on the nearby railway line (the fictional Great Northern and Southern Railway) and waving to the passengers. They become friendly with Perks, the cheerful station

porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

, but feel the wrath of the stationmaster when Peter is caught trying to steal coal to heat the house. Occasionally the children quarrel, but they always call "pax" (a truce) and remain good-natured. They become friends with an aristocratic old gentleman (whose name is never revealed) by waving to him on the 9:15 down train that he takes regularly. They ask him to assist them with food and medicine when their mother falls ill. He is happy to do so, although Mother is angry and humiliated. The children save the lives of passengers on a train by alerting the driver to a landslide; they give shelter to a Russian dissident, Mr Szczepansky, and help to reunite him with his family. They rescue Jim (

JJ Feild John Joseph Feild (born 1978) is a British-American film, television and theatre actor. He started his television career in 1999. Feild played Fred Garland in Philip Pullman's ''The Ruby in the Smoke'' and ''The Shadow in the North'' television ...

), a student at a nearby boarding school, who is injured whilst taking part in a paper chase along the rail line. Bobbie eventually discovers the truth of her father's absence, despite her mother's efforts to shield the children from it, and appeals to the old gentleman for help. As a director of the railway company with influential friends, he is able to help prove their father's innocence. The family is reunited. There are hints of a possible future romance between Jim and Bobbie and the father takes over control of the railway from the old gentlemen.

Cast

Jemima Rooper Jemima Rooper (born 24 October 1981) is a British actress. Having started as a child actress in television series, she has appeared in numerous film and theatre roles. Background Born in Hammersmith, London, Rooper is the daughter of TV journ ...

as Bobbie *

Jack Blumenau Dr. Jack Blumenau (born 22 November 1986) is a British actor and a lecturer. Biography Blumenau was born to casting director Debbie O'Brien, and director/actor Colin Blumenau, so it was natural for him to follow an acting career. He began actin ...

as Peter *

Clare Thomas Clare Lucy Prosser (née Thomas; born 2 April 1989) is a British actress who has appeared in several British films and television series. Some of her highest profile roles have been Aggie, one of the title character's classmates in the film ''M ...

as Phyllis *

as Mother * Richard Attenborough as The Old Gentleman *

Gregor Fisher Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also ...

as Perks * Michael Kitchen as Father * David Bamber as Doctor Forrest *

Melanie Clark Pullen Melanie Clark Pullen (2 July 1975 – 29 March 2022) was an Irish actress, film producer and writer. Career Born and raised in Ireland, Clark Pullen attended Newpark Comprehensive School and then studied drama at Trinity College, Dublin. Short ...

as Ruth *

Georgie Glen Georgie Glen is a Scottish actress, known for her film and television work in both dramatic and comedic roles. Among her most popular performances are the running characters of Miss Higgins in the BBC One period drama series ''Call The Midwife ...

as Aunt Emma * Velibor Topić as Mr Szczepansky *

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. A six-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods' ...

as Mrs Perks *

as Jim *

Clive Russell Clive Russell (born 7 December 1945) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline in ''Ripper Street'', Angus O'Connor in ''Happiness'' and Brynden Tully in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He also a ...

as The Station Master *

Amanda Walker Amanda Galafres Patterson Walker (born 29 November 1935) is an English film and television actress. Career Amanda Walker trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She is notable for roles in ''28 Weeks Later'', ''Heat and ...

as Mrs Ransome

Filming locations and rolling stock

GNR Directors Saloon Bluebell Railway 22-10-2010

The area of England to which the family move is not specified, but the railway scenes were filmed on the

Bluebell Railway The Bluebell Railway is an heritage line almost entirely in West Sussex in England, except for Sheffield Park which is in East Sussex. It is managed by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. It uses steam trains which operate between an ...

. The railway was chosen because of the collection of period rolling stock and Sharpthorne Tunnel, which was seen as ideal for the tunnel scene. The station used in the film was

Horsted Keynes Horsted Keynes is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The village is about north east of Haywards Heath, in the Weald. The civil parish is largely rural, covering . At the 2011 census, it had a populat ...

, which was featured heavily in a number of scenes. The landslide scene was filmed in the cutting near the Three-Arch Bridge, where a sliding section of embankment was placed on the bank in order to create the landslide. As in the original film, a wide range of rolling stock was used. The locomotives seen are SECR C Class No. 592 (as the Green Dragon), NBR C Class No. 673 'Maude', LB&SCR E4 class No. 473 'Birch Grove' and LSWR B4 class No. 96 'Normandy'. No. 592 and Maude were painted in fictional liveries for the filming, with No. 592 wearing typical SECR lined green but with GNSR lettering, symbolising the fictional Great Northern and Southern Railway, and Maude in plain black with GNSR lettering. Birch Grove was seen sporting its original

LB&SCR The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR; known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its ...

lined brown, and Normandy was painted in Southern Railway unlined black. Maude is based on the

Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a heritage railway in Bo'ness, Scotland. It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), and operates a total of over of track (between Bo'ness and Manuel Junction, via Kinneil and Birkh ...

near

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

whilst the other locomotives remain on the Bluebell Railway. As of 2019, No. 592, Birch Grove (now painted SR Green and numbered B473), Maude and Normandy all await overhauls. The carriages used in one rake during the film were Metropolitan Railway Full Third No. 394 and Brake Third No. 387 (both sporting lined varnish). These were joined in some scenes by the old gentleman's carriage, Great Northern Railway Director's Saloon No. 706 (also sporting lined varnish). The other carriage set was made up of LBSCR First Class No. 7598, SECR Hundred Seaters Nos. 971 and 1098, and SR Guards Van No. 404 (all painted in SR lined green). As of 2019, all of these carriages remain in use apart from No. 971, which is stored awaiting overhaul.

Home media

''The Railway Children'' was released on VHS and DVD in the UK by Carlton Video on 11 September 2000.

Notes

Much of the advance publicity for the film focused on the casting of

as Mother, thirty years on from her portrayal of elder daughter Bobbie in the 1970 film version - a role she had also played in the 1968 BBC Television adaptation, making this her third appearance in a version of the story.

External links