Hogwarts Express locomotive to star at Epping Ongar Railway this April3rd February 2026
A steam train featuring in one of the world’s most anticipated television shows is set to appear at the Epping Ongar Railway this April.
Steam locomotive 6989 ‘Wightwick Hall’, which stars as the Hogwarts Express in the upcoming Harry Potter television series, is scheduled to visit the Epping Ongar Railway, located close to London, at the end of the Central Line, this Spring.
Repainted into the striking red livery as part of its television role, the star locomotive is expected to be operating the Railway's steam hauled services throughout April, including over the Easter period from 3 to 6 April, before playing a star role at the showcase Steam Gala over the weekend of 17 to 19 April. It is also expected to feature at the new Wonderful Wizards and Fabulous Fairies event on Wednesdays during the school holidays.
6989 was built at Swindon Works in 1948 working trains in the Gloucester and Hereford areas. The locomotive was withdrawn in June 1964 and sold to the infamous Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry having covered over 640,000 miles during its working life. Purchased from Barry scrapyard in 1978 Wightwick Hall returned to steam after a 40 year restoration, in 2018, and is currently based at the Bluebell Railway.
You can take a ride with the locomotive on the following dates:
March 28 and 29: Standard services - select "All Day Rover" from the options on the ticket link below, and then the appropriate date from the calendar.
April 1: Wonderful Wizards and Fabulous Fairies
April 3, 4, 5, 6: Easter Eggstravaganza
April 8: Wonderful Wizards and Fabulous Fairies
April 11 and 12: Standard services - select "All Day Rover" from the options on the ticket link below, and then the appropriate date from the calendar.
April 17, 18, 19: Western Workhorses steam gala
Tickets can be purchased via the link below