08-07-2025
Locomotive saved from scrap-heap to star in Harry Potter
A locomotive saved from the scrap-heap will feature in the upcoming Harry Potter series.
The steam-powered 'Wightwick Hall' will take on the role of ferrying students to the fictional Hogwarts wizarding school from Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
The locomotive was restored by volunteers from Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, a project which took more than 40 years.
Quainton Railway Society, which runs the centre, said it was 'extremely proud' that Wightwick Hall would 'play the role of the iconic locomotive for the Hogwarts Express'.
The Modified Hall class locomotive, built at Swindon Works in 1948, travelled 640,000 miles for the Great Western Railway before being withdrawn in June 1964.
It was salvaged from a scrapyard in Barry Island, South Wales, in 1978. Dai Woodham, a scrap merchant, is said to have sold 220 engines which mostly went on to be restored.
GWR 5972 Olton Hall, the previous locomotive used in the Harry Potter films, was rescued from the same yard in 1981 by heritage rail operator West Coast Railway.
James Shuttleworth, of West Coast Railway, told the BBC: 'I doubt preservation was [Mr Woodham's] prime motivation, but he inadvertently helped save the steam engine almost single-handedly.'
Wightwick Hall, designed by Frederick Hawksworth, spent its working life around Hereford and Gloucester.
It was bought for £9,180 in 1978 by volunteers, who managed to have it back in service in March 2019. It is currently on loan to Bluebell Railway in West Sussex and operates on a line near Brighton.
The locomotive is likely to need a fresh coat of paint for its Harry Potter appearances, which could once again rile trainspotters.
Olton Hall was painted red to match the description in JK Rowling's novels when it was used in the film adaptations.
Mr Shuttleworth recalled that decision as controversial: 'Since the earliest day, Great Western Railway was always 'green until I die', so the decision to paint it red really upset the purists.'
Wightwick Hall will spend six months a year being filmed for the HBO series for the next eight years, running at the tourist attraction between shoots.
HBO has announced some of the cast for the reboot, including Nick Frost, Paapa Essiedu, Katherine Parkinson and Paul Whitehouse.
Dominic McLaughlin, 11, has landed the role of Harry Potter while Arabella Stanton, 11, will play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout, 11, will star as Ron Weasley.
Stephen Green, general manager of Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, hoped the locomotive's appearance would spur interest in the heritage railway centre.
'These trains have to be maintained and kept running to keep them in working condition. This one needs a long track, which they have at Bluebell,' he said, adding: 'Hopefully it's a boost for tourism.
'People can come and see the engineering workshops and a similar train under restoration right now.'
