Ms Wilson has stuck to the essentials of the story, with a family of two girls and a boy moving to a remote cottage with their mother.

They discover a nearby steam railway and are taken under the wing of a kindly stationmaster. The narrator is the youngest child in the family, Phoebe. Her brother, Perry, is autistic.

As with most Wilson books, the story is littered with modern references: there are mentions of selfies, YouTube and wifi.

The author said she hoped her book would encourage children to discover Nesbit’s original. In 2012 she re-imagined another Nesbit classic as Four Children and It, which was later made into a film featuring Russell Brand.

Another Railway Children project is in the works, as a sequel to the 1970 film is set for release next year. 

Ms Agutter will reprise her role as Bobbie, and it will once again be filmed on West Yorkshire’s Keighley & Worth Valley Railway.