The children were not "railway children" at the beginning. In fact, they never thought about the railway at all! They were ordinary children who lived in a brick house with their mother and father in London.
Roberta was the oldest, and she was always called Bobbie. Next was Peter—he was ten years old and wanted to be a train engineer when he grew up.
The youngest was Phyllis. She was eight years old and tried to be good all the time. These three lucky children had everything they needed—nice clothes, a warm house, and lots of toys.
The children’s mother was almost always at home and often played with the children or read to them. Their father was rarely angry or unjust and was always ready to play a game. They were all very happy.
But the children did not know how lucky they were until one evening. That was when a knock came at their front door. From this moment on, their lives were changed forever.