The Railway Children

The Railway Children

Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis lived in London with their mother and father. One evening, Father unexpectedly went away, and soon afterward the family moved to a small country house called Three Chimneys. They had to live much more simply than before, but a railway line ran very close to their new home.

The station quickly became the children’s favorite place. They made friends with Perks the porter, the engine drivers, and other railway workers. Every morning, they waved their handkerchiefs to an elderly gentleman who traveled on the same train, and he always waved back.

One day, after a landslide, rocks and earth blocked the railway line. A passenger train was due in only a few minutes. The children realized they needed a red danger signal. Roberta and Phyllis gave up their red flannel petticoats, Peter tore the cloth into large pieces, and together they made several bright flags.

The children ran to the track and waved them with all their strength. The engine driver saw the warning and stopped the train in time. No one was hurt.

Later, the family helped a lonely traveler who was searching for his relatives. The old gentleman also joined the search, and the children saw how much can change when someone simply refuses to walk past another person’s trouble.

Meanwhile, Roberta became more and more certain that there was a mystery behind Father’s disappearance. By chance, she learned that he had been falsely accused and was being kept far away from his family. She wrote to the old gentleman and asked only one thing: that he look into the case carefully.

Time passed. One morning, everyone at the station behaved strangely. They smiled at Roberta, shook her hand, and seemed to be waiting for something important. At last, the train arrived.

Father stepped out of a carriage.

His case had been reviewed, the truth had come to light, and he was finally able to return home.

Roberta ran to meet him, and then together they walked back to Three Chimneys to give Mother the happiest news of all.

For the children, the railway remained much more than a place where trains passed. It had become a road along which friends, help, news, and hope arrived. And the little house they had once entered with fear had become a true home.

For the children, the railway remained much more than a place where trains passed. It had become a road along which friends, help, news, and hope arrived. And the little house they had once entered with fear had become a true home.