Write your own The Railway Children story

Roberta (Bobbie)

The eldest of the three children and the most sensitive and perceptive. She is deeply empathetic toward her mother's hidden suffering and often acts as a moral anchor for her siblings. She dreams of becoming a train driver or stoker when she grows up, and she is the first to sense that something is gravely wrong with the family's situation.

Peter

The middle child and only boy, aged ten at the story's opening. He is adventurous, proud, and occasionally hot-headed, but capable of genuine moral courage, as shown when he apologises to the Station Master unprompted. He wishes to be an engineer when he grows up and is deeply attached to his model steam engine. He secretly steals coal from the railway yard to keep the family warm, rationalising it as 'mining.'

Phyllis

The youngest child, cheerful and good-natured if somewhat accident-prone and naïve. She 'means extremely well' but often acts without thinking, and her good intentions can have unintended consequences. She is quick to forgive and emotionally open.

Mother

The children's mother is a warm, witty, and remarkably courageous woman who writes stories and poetry to support the family after her husband's sudden disappearance. She composes humorous verse for the children on special occasions and works tirelessly while concealing her grief and financial anxiety from them. She is the emotional heart of the family.

Father

The children's father, described as perfect—never cross, never unjust, and always ready to explain things interestingly. He works in a Government Office and is mysteriously taken away by two gentlemen one evening, after which his fate is kept secret from the children. His absence is the inciting tragedy of the story.

The Old Gentleman

A kindly, well-dressed elderly man with a fresh complexion and white hair who travels regularly on the 9.15 up train (nicknamed 'the Green Dragon' by the children). He notices the children waving from the fence each morning and waves back with his newspaper, becoming a warm, distant presence who may have connections to the wider world of Father's troubles.

The Station Master

The practical, initially stern but ultimately good-hearted man who runs the local railway station. He catches Peter stealing coal from the yard but shows mercy, letting him off with a moral lecture rather than involving the police. He becomes a figure of community authority who is fair-minded toward the children.

Ruth

The red-haired parlour-maid at the family's old London villa. She hints to Peter that she knows the truth about Father's fate and is eventually dismissed by Mother after making a cruel remark to Peter implying he might 'go where his Father's gone.' She represents the gossiping servant class.

Mrs. Viney

The local woman hired to clean the new country cottage and prepare supper before the family arrives. She leaves without completing her task because her son-in-law has broken his arm, causing the family's chaotic first night. She later comes to work for the family regularly.

Aunt Emma

Mother's older sister, a sharp and unsentimental woman preparing to go abroad as a governess. Although the children find her dull and slightly unkind, she proves unexpectedly useful: she packs the pantry odds-and-ends that feed the family on their first night, and she buys the children sturdy waterproof coats and gaiters essential for country life.

James

The family's beloved dog, described as their very own. He is frightened away by the explosion of Peter's model engine and does not return all day. He represents the comfort and security of the family's former life.

The Red Villa (Edgecombe Villa)

The family's original suburban London home—a comfortable, modern red-brick-fronted villa with coloured glass in the front door, electric bells, French windows, hot and cold running water, and a nursery with a Mother Goose wallpaper. It represents the family's former prosperity and happiness, and is left behind when financial disaster strikes.

Three Chimneys

The family's new home in the country—a modest white cottage with a thatched back-kitchen roof, stone floors, heavy dark-wood dining room with carved beams, a cobblestoned yard, stables, and outbuildings. It is cold, somewhat dilapidated, and initially unwelcoming, but grows to feel like home. A walled garden is hidden behind the stables.

The Railway and Its Station

A rural single-track railway line running through a valley below Three Chimneys, featuring a tunnel mouth in a rocky cliff, a great viaduct bridge, telegraph poles and wires, signal-boxes, a coal yard, and a small station with a porters' room and lamp store. The railway becomes the centre of the children's new life and a symbol of connection to their absent father and the wider world.

The Railway Tunnel

A dark tunnel mouth set into a rocky cliff face near the station, from which trains emerge with a shriek and a rush of hot air. The children imagine it as a dragon's lair and give the trains that use it fanciful names. It is a key landmark in the children's daily landscape.

Peter's Model Steam Engine

A birthday gift to Peter on his tenth birthday, described as more perfect than one could dream of. It lasts only three days before exploding—either due to Peter's inexperience or Phyllis's well-meaning interference—destroying the Noah's Ark figures in its tender and giving Peter a cold from the emotional shock. Father promises to repair it with brazing, solder, and a new valve.

The Roman Chariot (Perambulator)

An ancient, retired perambulator found in the loft above the coach-house. The children oil its wheels until it runs silently and steers well, then use it as a coal-cart for Peter's secret mining expeditions from the railway yard. It is named 'the Roman Chariot' by the children.

The Family's Financial Ruin and Father's Disappearance

On an ordinary evening two mysterious gentlemen arrive and deliver catastrophic news to Father, who is then taken away in a cab, apparently arrested or removed by government agents. Mother refuses to explain, says only that it concerns 'Government business,' and that Father will be away 'for some time.' The family is left suddenly poor and must relocate to the country. The servants hint they know more than they say.

Named Trains

The children give the regular trains on their local line imaginative names based on time of day and character: the 9.15 up is the Green Dragon, the 10.7 down is the Worm of Wantley, and the midnight express is the Fearsome Fly-by-night. This naming practice reflects the children's tendency to mythologise the railway world around them.

Peter's Coal Mine

Faced with Mother's refusal to light fires in cold weather because coal is too expensive, Peter secretly begins stealing coal from the railway station's yard, rationalising it as 'mining' since he only takes from the outer edge of the large heap. His sisters discover his secret but say nothing. He is eventually caught by the Station Master but let off with a warning, and later apologises voluntarily.

Mother's Writing Career

After Father's disappearance, Mother supports the family entirely by writing fiction. She sends stories to editors in long blue envelopes and receives them back when rejected ('another story come home to roost') or receives proof-sheets when accepted. A successful sale means buns for tea—'whenever an Editor was sensible there were buns for tea.' This detail establishes the family's precarious but resourceful economy.

Key Events in Order

The story opens with the family's happy life at the Red Villa, broken by Father's mysterious arrest one evening. After weeks of hardship and Mother's illness, the family relocates to Three Chimneys in the country. The children discover the railway, befriend the Station Master, and Peter secretly steals coal before being caught and forgiven. The children begin waving daily to the Old Gentleman on the 9.15, who waves back—beginning a relationship that will shape later events.