HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2

Image result for harry potter and the deathly hollows part 2

GB / US
2011
2hrs 10mins
Dir: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson

Harry Potter continues his quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort’s Horcruxes

The second part of the Deathly Hallows novel, the eighth and final film, featured an epilogue nineteen years later with all the latest recruits heading off to Hogwarts by train. Although this at least brought everything nicely back to the very beginning, not all is as it seems. There is an establishing shot of the frontage to St Pancras station, and No.5972 and train are seen again at King’s Cross platform 9 ¾. In these shots, Mk.2s are present in the background in mock GNER livery with one numbered ‘95721’ (which is in fact the number of a Mk.1 Parcels High Security GUV). As the camera pans around the Virgin Trains Mk3 standby rake is visible in the opposite platform! Earlier in the film there is an ethereal scene with Harry Potter meeting Dumbledore whilst in limbo. This features King’s Cross without any trains and entirely shrouded in mist. So, what became of the ‘star’ of the Harry Potter films. Understandably, No.5972 began to migrate away from the spotlight upon conclusion of filming though it still remained in Hogwarts Castle condition. In March 2015, after the expiration of its boiler ticket, it was withdrawn from service and moved to static display at The Making of Harry Potter studio tour within the Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, near Watford, Hertfordshire, where it remains as of 2020.

This is the dreamlike sequence towards the end of the film and, believe it or not, this is King’s Cross station with a somewhat confused Daniel Radcliffe to the fore
This is St Pancras station. Though it is common enough in feature film it is almost unprecedented to see the entire station in one shot. Note the glass trainshed roof of the main platform areas to the far right.
King’s Cross with mock GNER Mk2 stock on the left and the Virgin Trains’ Mk3 ‘Pretendolino’ set on the right.
The ‘Hogwarts Express’ at King’s Cross again
As the crowds gather on platform 9 ¾ Olton Hall (sorry, but it isn’t a Castle) stands at the head of the train. Note that CGI has somewhat altered the appearance of the station approach in the far background. The gasholders and tunnel have completely disappeared, but then this is a ‘magical’ train after all so it may well be like that in Potter world!!
And today, No.5972 Olton Hall (aka Hogwarts Castle, aka ‘Hogwarts Express’, aka ‘The Harry Potter Train’) is ensconced inside the Warner Bros Studios at Leavesden in Hertfordshire. As part of The Making of Harry Potter studio tour Warner Bros have built their own version of King’s Cross station, and very good it is too. The two Mk1 coaches behind the locomotive are hugely realistic fibreglass replicas (photo courtesy of Let’s Go with the children).