Edith Nesbit originally serialized The Railway Children in The London Magazine 1905. The story of a lovely family broken when the Father is wrongly accused of Espionage and life’s economics dictate they must leave their London home and move to a rented Cottage ( Three Chimneys ) in the English countryside. The Father is punished , wrongly accused and jailed.
The Father a stout bearded man that exudes Patriarch, a loving reliable man. The Mother is that archetype Mother who gets on amidst their family life going off the rails. The three children support their Mother as children should. Their only pastime is to play near the Railway, much frowned upon now of course but safe in those times.
They befriend the local station porter Mr Perks who supports the family as much as he can , at a time he can barely support his own family brood. The local Doctor is always available at moments notice and the NHS issues of today are just not present. There is a community with no waiting list.
The steam train of the Great Northern and Southern Railway passes daily and the old man on the train, a Director befriends the children as it passes on their daily watch. The old man is Hope in trouble times, the Saviour who arrives to play some role in the establishment of truth and pursues Justice , that rare and elusive commodity. A Russian emigre Mr Szczepansky is taken in by the troubled family following his release from a Siberian Prison in search of his lost family. At a time when thousands of emigre have left homes when their train of life has gone off track.
The injustice of wrongly accused, the hope of a saviour, the kindness to the Samaritan and the perseverance of the family in strife, aided by often strangers , who like Angels come in the form of Doctor and Station Porter. The Railway Children typifies life going off the rails and the eventual victory for those that wait.
Perks , the Station Porter, played by actor Bernard Cribbins , passed away today aged 93 , something that prompted this blog. If your life has gone off the rails look out for the hope to come, the help from others and the victory of getting back on track. ironically a new version of the film hits the big screen soon , for Nesbit’s tale is a salutary life lesson. If you have ever been wrongly accused you will know the pain that paralyses . Justice will in time reign and like freedom reigns. The train , your train is on life’s journey. The final scene in the original 1970 film sees the smoke from the train dissipate and the Father freed is revealed standing before his daughter. One day our Father will be revealed standing before us ready to embrace in our final scene.
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