A sequel to the 1970 movie ‘The Railway Children’ by Lionel Jeffries, which itself is based on E. Nesbit’s eponymous book, ‘The Railway Children Return’ is a family drama movie directed by Morgan Matthews. Set during World War II, it follows three children — Lily, Pattie, and Ted Watts — sent by their mother to a village. At the destination station, they encounter an injured American soldier named Abe, who is also far from his home.
Soon, the Watts siblings get pulled into a life-threatening adventure to assist their new friend in his mission. Apart from the adventurous and familial narrative, the familiar and picturesque locations that appear throughout the movie keep the viewers hooked. If you wish to know where ‘The Railway Children Return’ was shot and if the sites from the original movie were used or not, we’ve got you covered!
The Railway Children Return Filming Locations
‘The Railway Children Return’ was filmed entirely in England, specifically in West Yorkshire. The principal photography for the family drama movie reportedly commenced in May 2021 and seemingly wrapped up in late June of the same year. So, without further ado, let’s get on board and traverse all the specific locations where the Watts embark on their adventure!
West Yorkshire, England
All the pivotal sequences for ‘The Railway Children Return’ were lensed on location in West Yorkshire, a metropolitan and ceremonial county in England. In particular, most scenes were taped in and around the city of Bradford. The iconic Oakworth Railway Station on Vale Terrace in Oakworth and Keighley & Worth Valley Railway on Station Road in Haworth, Keighley, served as a couple of prominent production locations for the sequel.
Filming "The Railway Children Return" @WorthValley today.
Video shows a black steam engine with red buffer plate & footplate pulling wooden burgundy coloured carriages into the station. On the platform are adults & children dressed in WW2 clothes. waiting for evacuation. pic.twitter.com/Wo3iC38BuA— Shirley Widdop (@Psychologicsal) May 28, 2021
In addition, the exterior of the Brontë Parsonage Museum on Church Street in Haworth doubled for the Oakworth doctor’s house. Many locations across Haworth Main Street were given a fresh makeover to stand in for appropriate shops for the movie, such as The Souk was transformed into Oakworth Village Butchers, and new signs were hung for the Red Lion pub and a dress shop.
Furthermore, The Black Bull Haworth at 119 Main Street, St. Michael & All Angels Church at 125 Main Street, The Old School Room on Church Street, and Mytholmes Tunnel near Haworth were utilized for shooting the movie. The Bents Farm in Oxenhope, which features in the original movie too, doubled as the children’s home building, known as Three Chimneys in the sequel. Additionally, the US Army Base sequences were lensed in Salts Mill on Victoria Road in Saltaire.
'Hollywood' back in Saltaire this week filming for the sequel to 'The Railway Children', set in WWll, 'The Return of the Railway Children' pic.twitter.com/YA0yC7p0E1
— Chris Cooper 💚📻📺⚽🏈🏏🍓🥔🧅🥬🍅🥦🧄🥒🌻 (@ChrisCoopsSport) June 8, 2021
For shooting the train sequences, the filming unit predominantly utilized three steam locomotives — 5820 USA Transportation Corp, Class S160 (also known as “Big Jim”), 43924 LMS Class 4F, and the 45596 “Bahamas” LMS Jubilee Class. Apart from them, the 78022 BR Standard Class 2 2-6-0 features in a few scenes. West Yorkshire has hosted the production of several other movies and TV shows, such as ‘Jane Eyre,’ ‘Official Secrets,’ ‘The King’s Speech,’ ‘Peaky Blinders,’ and ‘The English Game.’
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