The red steam engine which took Harry, Ron and Hermione to Hogwarts is to go on display at the Warner Bros Studio Tour. The 78-year-old locomotive featured in the Harry Potter film series has been redesigned by original crew members and an Oscar-winning special effects artist.

 

Hogwarts Express

Hogwarts Express. Image by The Conmunity – Pop Cultur / CC BY 2.0

Visitors will be able to hop on board 5972 Olton Hall, which weighs 75 tonnes, as part of a new exhibit opening at the London attraction on 19 March.

They can explore the interior carriage used for the chocolate frogs scene in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone and the menacing Dementor attack in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Platform 93/4’s glass roof, yellow brick walls and luggage racks have also been painstakingly reassembled, while Oscar-winning special effects artist John Richardson rigged the Hogwarts Express with artificial steam.

Mark Williams, who played Ron’s father Arthur Weasley in the films, was among the first to revisit the Hogwarts Express.

He said: “I’ve really enjoyed being back at the Studio Tour, seeing the original Hogwarts Express and the superb recreation of Platform 93/4.

“People don’t always realise that the school train was in fact a real working locomotive which has been transporting passengers up and down the country since 1937.

“We always enjoyed filming on Platform 93/4 – it was the beginning of every adventure. The Hogwarts Express was a magical part of the Harry Potter film series.”

The Studio Tour already features sets used as Dumbledore’s office, Hogwarts’ Great Hall and the magical shopping district Diagon Alley.

Sarah Roots, vice president of Warner Bros Studio Tour London, said: “We’re adding the final touches to our Platform 93/4 expansion ready for its official opening on Thursday 19th March.

“Many of the original craftspeople who worked on the Harry Potter film series have created this phenomenal set and the original Hogwarts Express steam engine has rolled into place on its own set of tracks.

“This is a truly iconic prop and we’re incredibly excited for our visitors to see it.”

(Press Association)