Archives - The Railway Children

by E Nesbit
adapted by Mike Kenny

Directed by Michelle Airey and Grace Maynard

Friday 13th – Saturday 21st December 2019 in the Auditorium

Full steam ahead for this classic children's tale of tragedy, triumph and trains!

The Railway Children was originally published over 100 years ago. A timeless, heart-warming story, it has stood the test of time and continues to delight audiences old and new. Mike Kenny’s imaginative stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s much-loved children’s classic was first staged at the National Railway Museum in York in 2008 with a real-life steam engine, before receiving a major production at Waterloo Station in London in 2010.

This is the charming story of a prosperous Edwardian family forced into near-penury in the rural north of England, which manages to capture the anxieties and exhilarations of childhood with great tenderness, insight and humour. Bobbie (Roberta), Phyllis, and Peter lead us back in time to the year they were ‘the Railway Children’. When father is mysteriously called away, the family has to move from the luxury of their mansion to a small cottage in the Yorkshire countryside where life is very different.

Wrenched away from their middle-class existence and the security they have grown up with, the children’s lives are turned upside-down. They must learn how to cope with their new way of life and fend for themselves. With mother now busy writing to earn money, the railway becomes a source of fascination and solace. They make many friends along the way including Perks, the porter at the railway station, and the Old Gentleman who waves from the 9.15 train every day. In the end, they find that not only can they survive but they can flourish. However, the mystery still remains: where is their father? Then, the terrible truth is discovered...

These three siblings learn the value of community and save the day many a time: diverting a potentially fatal rail disaster, rescuing a lost Russian writer, and ultimately bringing their family back together. This is a story of growing up, of believing in the innate kindness and honesty of others, and of triumphing in the face of adversity.