"The Wizard Express" - a photo on Flickriver

            5972 was originally named 'Olton Castle' and is seen here at the National Railway Museum in York.

The steam locomotive no. 5972 "Olton Hall" is a 4-6-0 Hall class locomotive.

In the 2000s the locomotive achieved fame after it was used to haul the "Hogwarts Express" in the Harry Potter series of films.

In the films the locomotive is depicted pulling a train of four carriages. Scenes were filmed inside King's Cross railway station, crossing over the Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland and at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway — along with internal scenes on board the train.

When filming, "Olton Hall" carries a "Hogwarts Express" headboard on the smokebox, featuring the Hogwarts School crest. The same emblem is featured as part of the Hogwarts Railways' sigil on the tender and carriages. She retains her GWR number of 5972, but with alternative nameplates fitted, naming the engine "Hogwarts Castle". She is painted in a maroon livery — a non-standard colour, as Great Western Railway locomotives traditionally used Brunswick Green.

The renaming as "... Castle" has become a railway preservation joke: "..the Hall that thinks it's a Castle". The Great Western Railway Castle Class engines were a larger type of locomotive.

Somewhat ironically, the Hornby Railways model of the locomotive is actually a model of a Castle class locomotive not a Hall.

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / York / Acomb (show map)

Taken on: February 15, 2012

Tags:

Hogwarts Castle

Olton Hall

GWR

Harry Potter

Hogwarts Express

steam

locomotive

train

engine

NRM

museum

York

railway

Lumix

Wipeout Dave

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Sets appears in: • York • Trains more » • National Railway Museum, York « less

Groups appears in: • planes, trains and automobiles • Railway more » • Panasonic Lumix Users • Transport In The Frame • England's Heritage • PLANET EARTH TRANSPORTATION • flickr (unofficial) « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ6, f/3.8, 1/100 sec, 7.9mm, ISO 125 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-TZ6
Aperture:	f/3.8
Exposure Time:	0.01 sec (1/100)
Focal Length:	7.9mm
ISO:	125
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Elements 10.0 Windows
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