I’m willing to bet a few lines from one of J.K. Rowling’s favorite authors, Edith Nesbit, went through her mind as she was imagining all the magical happenings around trains and railroads while writing Harry Potter.
First, from a quote I posted from The Enchanted Castle a few days ago:
“I think magic went out when people began to have steam-engines,” Jimmy insisted. (Chapter I)
Then, from later in the same book:
“I don’t understand,” says Gerald, alone in his third-class carriage, “how railway trains and magic can go on at the same time.”
And yet they do. (Chapter VIII)
And in Harry Potter, they do so most potently.
Red Rocker on 
Travis Prinzi on 
Joivre on 
korg20000bc on 
Black Angus on 
Arabella Figg on 
Loading ...
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you’re on to something there, Travis.
The wizarding world and Muggles’ world use parallel but complementary technologies. The non-magical technology of the wizarding world appears to have stopped somewhere in the late-18th century: just at the start of the industrial revolution and the introduction of the steam-engine. They have ink and quills and newspapers and brooms, horse-drawn carriages, clocks, cauldrons, woven cloth, potions, fire-places, candles. There are a few later innovations: they have indoor plumbing (late 19th century) and I believe Mrs. Weasley cooks on a gas powered cook-top. Lupin uses a victrola (19th century?) in PoA but that might just be due to the art director. I’m not too sure about electricity: Hogwarts seems to have a lot of candles. I would guess that the main distinguishing factor would be the lack of machines and machine tools: we see a lot of hand-crafted stuff.
The parallel technology, of course, is magic. Many of the functions which we use technology for (communications, transportation, medicine) the wizarding world accomplishes through magic. And slavery, of course.
Now the really interesting point – which goes back to what you’re saying Travis, is that the two technologies are complementary. We recognize many of the common everyday tools of the wizarding world as coming from our recent past. And what is really cool is the way the wizarding world has fallen behind in their knowledge of our technology. Newspapers (18th century technology) they know and use. Cars and telephones, not so much.
And the really, really interesting point is the steam locomotive. This is the point of confluence of the two worlds: literally, at Platform 9 3/4. This is where we fully share technology. This is about as far as the wizarding world’s non-magical technology takes them. This is about where our industrial revolution started off. How totally apropos. As good, in its own way, as situating Harry’s King Cross at London’s King Cross station.
The woman is a genius.
Red Rocker, yes, yes, YES! Excellent stuff, and your last paragraph about the steam engine in particular is great – something that in my book’s second chapter I failed to comment on in my argument that Platform 9 3/4 / King’s Cross is the most potent “Between Two Worlds” place in the whole series.
Yes, the woman is a genius.
Travis, Red Rocker, Brilliant observations on connections between trains and magic in the world of fantasy writing.
Especially in light of the story of how JKR began writing Harry’s journey. I’m certain all Hogs Head Pro’s remember, Jo Rowling sitting in her seat on that “railway train” from Manchester to London’s Kings Cross Station, that on that train the first pieces of note paper and paper napkins that Jo wrote down the name “Harry Potter” ( I’ll bet are tucked away in Jo’s file cabinet or (vault) in her home) all started on a railway train.
I don’t really have anything brilliant to contribute to this discussion, but this is such an interesting “train of thought.” I promise, that expression occurred to me without realizing the pun.
Very intriguing stuff. So many transitions in the way humans have viewed the world since the Industrial Revolution. And JKR is a genius, the way she slips these things in…