The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Full steam ahead as Hogwarts Express joins studio tour
THE RED steam engine that 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.
Visitors will be able to hop on board 5972 Olton Hall, which weighs 75 tonnes, as part of an exhibit opening at the London attraction on March 19.
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 Harrry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Platform 9 3/4’s glass roof, yellow brick walls and luggage racks have also been painstakingly reassembled, while Oscarwinning special effects artist John Richardson has rigged the train with artificial steam.
Actor Mark Williams, who played Ron’s father ArthurWeasley in the films, was among the first to revisit the Hogwar ts Express.
He said: “I’ve really enjoyed being back at the studio tour, seeing the original Hogwarts Express and the superb recreation of Platform 9 3/4.
“People don’t always realise that the school train was in fact a real working locomotive that has been transporting passengers up and down the country since 1937.”