The Railway Children
Published 2026-07-07
Film info
- Title The Railway Children
- Director Lionel Jeffries
- Year 1970
- Run time 1hr 49m
- Genres Family, Drama
- Tagline The railway, the children... and the wonderful secret they'll share with you!
- Cast Bernard Cribbins
At the dawn of the 20th century, following their father’s arrest on suspicion of betraying state secrets, the three Waterbury children—Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter—move with their mother to Yorkshire, where they find themselves involved in unexpected dramas along the railway by their new home.
Live blog
| Time | Comment |
|---|---|
| 1:35 | These opening credits have Mr, Mrs, Miss and Master before all the names. Weird. |
| 3:33 | “That’s Phyllis, who means well.” |
| 13:33 | “We used to say life was so dull, nothing ever happened like in books.” Cute. |
| 17:31 | Moving to the country in those days must have been a proper big adventure for kids. The whole of nature waiting to be explored. |
| 19:46 | “If you say ‘I dare say’ once more, I shall have hysterics I dare say.” |
| 24:05 | He has a point about when you see a train not next to a platform, they’re much bigger than you think. |
| 34:51 | They’re pretty ingenious, these railway kids. The sign, the letter, the gentleman with the kind face. |
| 37:13 | Bernard Cribbins is SUCH a love. |
| 45:36 | “You’re a great big garden squirt.” |
| 55:31 | Lucky they were wearing their red petticoats that don’t at all go with the rest of their outfits. |
| 57:35 | “There’s been an earthquake, the trees are walking down the bank.” |
| 1:10:11 | That’s a really nice village. |
| 1:26:58 | Should we be running through the railway tunnel? |
| 1:36:36 | “They’ll have to marry now.” Because they held hands on a railway platform. |
| 1:41:04 | Not having steam trains anymore has really ruined the steam reveal moments. |
Thoughts
This is a nice, pleasant movie, very twee and dated at this point but I can totally understand why it would be one of those that if you saw it as a child, you would remember it incredibly fondly. Watching as an adult, in this day and age, it just speaks of a completely different, kinder but more primitive time. Bernard Cribbins was the highlight for me, although I did think that moment shutting the curtain with his wife was a surprise in a children's movie! I don't remember the book very well, probably need to read it again, but I think there are quite a lot of changes but it all works so no complaints from me.
Rating: 4 / 5
