A gentler Britain: why The Railway Children deserves its return The beloved 1970 film is getting a sequel, with Jenny Agutter involved. No wonder its message of optimism has endured through the decades 7 May 2021 • 9:33am Our young heroes try to stop the train in the opening scenes of The Railway Children (1970) Credit: Capital “Daddy, my daddy.” These words, cried out by Jenny Agutter as Bobbie, near the end of the 1970 film adaptation of The Railway Children, have been etched on the nation’s heart for half a century. In an extraordinary slow-motion scene, we see Bobbie drawn to the train station for a reason she can’t quite articulate, and through the swirling steam on the platform she sees a tall silhouette, familiar but not overly so.