The Railway Children

The Waterbury family lives in a luxurious villa in the London suburbs in 1905. Charles Waterbury works at the Foreign Office, enjoying a comfortable life while the city hums around them.

The day after Christmas, Charles is arrested on suspicion of being a spy, an accusation he keeps secret from his wife and children. The scandal shatters their finances and social standing.

The family is forced to abandon their former life and relocate to a small house called Three Chimneys in Yorkshire, near Oakworth railway station. They arrive to find the house rundown and infested with rats.

Roberta, Phyllis and Peter begin to find amusement watching the trains on the nearby line. They befriend Albert Perks, the station porter, and an elderly gentleman who regularly takes the 9:15 train.

Their mother, a writer who homeschools the children, falls ill with influenza. Bobbie writes to the gentleman, who brings food and medicine to buoy the family until she recovers.

A man collapses at the railway station and is found to speak French, allowing their mother to communicate. He is an exiled Russian writer staying with the Waterburys to find his own family. The writer's presence leads to the revelation that the family is connected to larger events.

The children witness a landslide that blocks the tracks. They fashion their red petticoats into flags to warn the driver, and the train stops in time.

The railway company and villagers host a party for the children. They are given lifetime train-passes and engraved watches, and the children become known as "The Railway Children".

The children discover that Mr Perks does not celebrate his birthday, so they solicit gifts from villagers he has helped and deliver them to his house. Perks initially refuses charity but accepts after they explain the real circumstances.

Back at home, Bobbie finds a newspaper about their father’s imprisonment. Their mother finally reveals that he has been falsely convicted of spying, and she suspects a jealous colleague to blame.

The gentleman, reading about the case, becomes convinced of the father's innocence and continues to arrange support. He informs Bobbie that the family will pursue exoneration.

A group of youths organizes a paper chase and a boy is injured in a railway tunnel. The Waterburys help care for him at their home. The gentleman's grandson Jim stays to recuperate, and Jim and Bobbie grow close, promising to write.

The next morning, the railway passengers wave again and Perks hints that something special happened. Bobbie goes to the station and sees her father arriving, exonerated and released.

Daddy is released from prison and reunites with his wife; Bobbie greets him with joy and accompanies him back to Three Chimneys for a private reunion with his wife.