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The Hogwarts Express is a fictional magical train in the
Harry Potter series of books. It is ridden by students between London and Hogwarts. The train stops at 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 Hogwarts, first years are treated to a ride across
the lake by Hagrid, all other students are carried in coaches drawn by
invisible (to most) 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 Muggle car, which crashed on
landing and escaped into the woods (The car later saved him from the gigantic spiders in the Forbidden Forest). 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.
The Hogwarts Express is a steam train only in appearance and somewhat in function. The train is a magical device. It borrows its form and its intended function
from real steam trains, but not the technology.
The Real Thing
The locomotive used in filming is a Great Western
Railway Hall Class Ogden Hall. The film was filmed at Kings Cross railway station and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway The interior is used for filming.
Models
An OO gauge model is produced by Hornby [1] , though
this is of a Castle Class locomotive rather than a Hall Class.
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