Hogwarts Express rolling stock (was Fishing for ideas)

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 101533

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, K G <moonmyyst13 at y...> wrote:

Moonmyyst:

> How many people would a train like the Hogwarts Express be able to 
carry?  I have never been on a train and do not know.  Do all 
students have to arrive by train or can they arrive other ways?  This 
will help to put an end to the 250/1000 student debate.

Geoff:
I'm not entirely sure that this reply will settle the debate because 
there isn't necessarily a fixed answer.

I speak as a lifelong railfan in the UK. In PS, the description of 
the train is vague with comments about the "first few coaches" 
and "near the end of the train" which aren't very helpful. If I might 
be allowed to look at the representation of the Hogwarts Express in 
the DVD, I can be a little more specific. The train in the film uses 
a preserved locomotive and preserved carriages and is filmed on the 
West Highland line between Fort William and Mallaig as well as at 
Kings Cross. The viaduct sequences are on the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

The locomotive, just for completeness, is 5972, an ex-Great 
Western "Hall" class mixed traffic engine, one of a fleet of over 200 
which is usually painted in Brunswick green with the name "Olton 
Hall". It is difficult to tell with absolute accuracy from the DVD 
but there appear to be 5 or possibly 6 coaches on the train. They are 
Mark I stock, built by the nationalised British Railways in the early 
1950s and they would seat about 50 passengers except for the brake 
coaches (into which you see Hedwig being loaded) which have a luggage 
area and probably seat half that number. So, if there are 6 coaches, 
the capacity is something of the order of 275 people (5 ordinary 
coaches plus a brake).

However, if JKR had been thinking of the modern Real World, she might 
be influenced by modern Mark 3 or Mark 4 stock. Mark 4 stock does 
appear in the DVD -  the GNER trains in the background at Kings Cross 
(in dark blue livery with a red relief line) are made up with this 
stock. These are longer and seat around 60 people.

So, to be quite honest, we can only speculate as to how many folk 
might be on the HE which leaves your question unresolved.