THE National Railway Museum in York saw some of its biggest crowds ever at a single event as more than thousands of people crowded to RailFest.

The 8,000 visitors enjoyed steam rides and saw nearly 50 locomotives, engines and vehicles, at yesterday's Evening Press-sponsored Family Day.

Spencer Vignes, 35, had taken a day off work to travel to RailFest from Normanton, West Yorkshire, with his one-year-old daughter, Rhiannon, and mother, Sally, from Cardiff.

He said: "They've done a great job - it's been a wonderful day.

"I used to love trains when I was a kid - we first came to York when I was about seven."

He said his daughter was "loving" her day out.

The Reynard family, from Castleford, said they were very much enjoying their day at RailFest.

Mum Jacqueline, 47, said: There's something for everybody here."

Dad Michael, 44, added: "I drive trains for a living - so this is a home from home.

"I've been looking forward to bringing the children to see all the old trains."

More than 60,000 people are expected to flood into the nine-day festival, with an estimated 21,000 visitors going over the Bank Holiday weekend.

However hundreds of families were kept waiting at York Station to board the famous Harry Potter train - which eventually arrived an hour-and-a-half late.

The Hogwarts Express was due to take more than 400 excited passengers - including about 100 Harry Potter fans from abroad - from York to Scarborough shortly after noon as part of RailFest.

But because of a technical hitch, the train did not arrive until about 1.30pm, leaving a huge crowd of frustrated children, parents and fans waiting at the station.

Jon Ingham, head of fundraising at the National Railway Museum (NRM), was on hand at the station and bought more than 300 bags of crisps and cans of fizzy drinks to hand out to the waiting passengers.

He said he believed the wait had been caused by a rail wagon which was blocking the train's path, and had to be moved. He said: "My understanding is that the Hogwarts train had been waiting for three hours - it was fully ready to go."

Ruth Newby, 28, of Thirsk, was at the station to wave husband Mark, 26, and son Nicholas, six, off as they boarded the train.

She said people had grown "fed up" as they waited eagerly for the distinctive red steam train - whose proper name is Olton Hall - to appear.

She said: "It was just frustrating. But if something has broken down, there's not much you can do. It's just a case of having to wait."

Wirda Ali, 23, and Aisyah Ampoki, 16, had come to York from Malaysia on a special Harry Potter trip.

Sporting a Hogwarts-inspired T-shirt, like many others at the station, Wirda said the long wait for the train had been "worth it".

Updated: 10:49 Thursday, June 03, 2004