Olton Hall

**Olton Hall "Hogwarts Castle" the Hogwarts Engine** is a supporting character in the Seventyverse and is owned by West Coast Railways.

## Backstory

Olton Hall was selected to pull the Hogwarts Express in the *Harry Potter* films. Unfortunately for her, the films' popularity has meant she can't get a moment's peace most days. Olton Hall was scheduled to visit Sodor for a special event but Gordon ended up in an accident that led to his valve gear being disintegrated, Sir Topham Hatt decided to bring her to the island a week early to cover for Gordon. Duck was surprised by her nameplates reading "Hogwarts Castle", but after Olton Hall told him his actual name, the two became friends. Although Olton Hall performed well with the express, she was flustered every time fans still swarmed around her. James was also feeling jealous of the attention Olton Hall was getting so Duck suggested that the two engines swap jobs for a while. The next day, Olton Hall and James went to the Steamworks to be repainted. The visiting engine had her old nameplates put back on and her crest replaced with her old Great Western Railway lettering whilst James had the unusual crest painted on his tender instead of his usual number five, which was painted on his cab, and he had the nameplates on his middle splashers as well as a headboard on his smokebox. To Olton Hall's relief, no one came near her whilst James pretended to be the Vicarstown Express and claimed to have taken witches, wizards and various mythical creatures on board. Unfortunately for James, he ended up being hounded by questions about the series and James did not know anything about it so he kept lying until Barry revealed to the children that the witches and wizards on his train were bound for a Halloween party last year. Meanwhile, Olton Hall was enjoying herself, especially when she took Amanda's goods train up the Little Western. That evening, Olton Hall asked James if he enjoyed the spotlight, to which James replied he didn't and Duck quipped that James had found out there was such a thing too much fame. Whilst James was repainted to his regular red livery, Olton Hall stayed in her non-film livery until the event took place and decided to enjoy the peace and quiet whilst she could.

## Relationships

### Duck

Duck was surprised to see Olton Hall wearing "Hogwarts Castle" nameplates, but after she told him her real name, the two became friends and Duck felt sorry for Olton Hall when she revealed how flustered she gets from her fans.

### James

James was jealous of the attention Olton Hall was getting but after swapping jobs for a day, James learn that there was such a thing as too much fame.

## Personality

Olton Hall is a friendly engine but she can feel quite flustered from the fans and enjoys the peace and quiet whenever she can get it.

## Technical Details

### Real-life History

Built in April 1937 at Swindon Works for the Great Western Railway (GWR), 5972 Olton Hall was first allocated to Carmarthen, South Wales where it remained until 1951. After being fitted with a three row superheater at Swindon Works, it was allocated to Plymouth Laira. Its last shed allocation was to Cardiff East Dock, before it was withdrawn in December 1963, and sold to Woodham Brothers, Barry for scrap in May 1964.

Woodham Brothers sold the locomotive to David Smith and moved to Horbury railway works in Wakefield in May 1981. In 1994 it moved to Carnforth MPD for restoration, being steamed for the first time in 1998.

#### Harry Potter film series

In the Harry Potter films, the locomotive is depicted pulling the Hogwarts Express, a fictional train, made up of four (later five) British Rail Mark 1 carriages. Scenes were filmed at King's Cross railway station, the Glenfinnan Viaduct and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway — along with internal scenes on board the train.

When filmed, Olton Hall carried 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. It retained its GWR number of 5972, but with alternative nameplates fitted, naming the engine Hogwarts Castle. It is painted in a crimson livery — a non-standard colour, as GWR locomotives traditionally used green.

Olton Hall was not the first locomotive to be re-liveried to appear hauling the Hogwarts Express. To promote the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Southern Railway West Country Class locomotive 34027 Taw Valley was temporarily repainted and renamed. However, it was rejected by film director Chris Columbus as looking "too modern" for the film[citation needed], but it carried the name and colour for some months afterwards.

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 different and larger.

Three full-size replicas of the locomotive as 5972 Hogwarts Castle are at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal Orlando Resort). Two as part of the Hogwarts Express train ride and the other is a static exhibit in the Hogsmeade area. There are also static models at the other Wizarding World of Harry Potter locations in Hollywood and Japan.

In 2015 the locomotive was put on static display at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter, near Watford, and will be displayed there until Warner Bros' lease on the locomotive from West Coast Railways expires.

Olton Hall's Basis
### Livery

Olton Hall is painted in the fictious Hogwarts Railways maroon livery with orange and black lining, with a maroon footplate, red bufferbeams, brass safety valve, the Hogwarts Railways sigil with the Hogwarts school crest on her tender and black wheels. She has brass numberplates with her number (5972) on her cab and brass nameplates on her middle splasher.

## Trivia

* In real-life, Olton Hall is preserved by West Coast Railways and is currently on lease to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, London.
	+ The real-life engine was built in 1937, withdrawn in 1963 and sent to Barry Scrapyard in 1964. Olton Hall was then bought for preservation in 1981 and  restored to steam in 1998 before being selected for the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.
* Olton Hall's numbers are GWR/BR No. 5972.
* The preferred voice actress for Olton Hall is Emma Watson who played Hermione Granger in the *Harry Potter* films.