Where is the original Hogwarts Express?

Where is the real-life Hogwarts Express? The Jacobite Train in the Scottish highlands is often referred to as the Hogwarts Express due to the route it takes. The same rail line was used in the Harry Potter films.



The "original" Hogwarts Express—the actual steam locomotive used in all eight Harry Potter films—is GWR 4900 Class 5972 Olton Hall, and in 2026, it is on permanent static display at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter in Leavesden. Visitors can walk along the platform and even step inside the refurbished carriages used during filming. It is important to distinguish this from the Jacobite Steam Train in the Scottish Highlands; while the Jacobite travels over the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct (the "Harry Potter Bridge") and uses the same type of vintage carriages, it is not the specific engine seen in the movies. Additionally, for the 2026 launch of the new Harry Potter television series, a different heritage locomotive, No. 6989 Wightwick Hall, has been selected for filming. While multiple "replicas" exist in Universal Studios theme parks worldwide, the Olton Hall in Leavesden remains the definitive piece of cinematic history for fans wanting to see the "real" train.

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All Aboard In the Harry Potter™ books, the Hogwarts™ Express leaves King's Cross Station at 11 am and arrives at Hogsmeade™ Station after nightfall.

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Harry Potter fans can hop aboard the famous steam train and imagine it's taking them all the way to Hogwarts! Enjoy an authentic recreation of Platform 9 ¾, complete with the luggage trolley disappearing into the platform wall.

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Two five-car trains occupy a single track that runs through the backstage area of the Universal Orlando Resort – but guests will never know because there are no windows in the cars. Both trains face the same direction and will not turn around.

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Can you ride the Hogwarts Express multiple times? Yes! As long as you carry a park-to-park ticket, you can go back and forth as many times as you wish between the parks.

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However, the primary filming location used for many of the external shots of Hogwarts Castle is Alnwick Castle, located in Northumberland, England.

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The Hogwarts Express is scheduled for a brief closure from December 10 to December 16, 2023. This closure is likely for planned maintenance and is expected to reopen as scheduled.

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Featured in the movies, including Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Jacobite steam train featured as the Hogwarts Express, which saw Harry, Ron and Hermione travel from London's King's Cross Station Platform 9¾ to Hogsmeade Station at the start of the school term.

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Diagon Alley is a high street located in London. It is accessible to the wizarding world, to which it is something of an economic hub, but hidden from Muggles (non-magical people).

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Alternatively, you can book a single or return (round-trip) ride on the train directly at the West Coast Railways site. Jacobite Steam Train ticket prices (2023): Standard seat adult day return £57. First Class adult return ticket £89.

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If you're absent for too long, I assume that an owl or teacher comes to check in on you. As for alternative means of travel, if it's an emergency, you may hail the Knight Bus and ask to be taken to Hogwarts. It will not be a pleasant ride by any means, but you'll be there quickly.

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A 2-Park Ticket will allow you to go back and forth between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, the 2 Harry Potter-themed worlds, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. You can either walk back and forth between the parks, or use the Hogwarts Express train.

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It offers more than one journey The Hogwarts Express takes you on two very different journeys, so this is one ride that you'll definitely want to board twice. The ride from Hogsmeade to London is more cheerful than the ride back, so this is a good place to start if you're travelling with very small children.

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