midnight
The express had toiled on its northern journey , steadily losing time at every point . At Preston Acton had telegraphed home that probably they would arrive quite three hours late . Thus it was that , tired but jolly , the party of five Amorians got out of the main line express at Lowbay , and , each laden with rugs and magazines , stumbled light-heartedly across the snow-sodden platform into the local train , which had waited for the express nearly three hours . They found themselves sixteen miles from home , and with no prospect of reaching it before midnight . `` Raven Crag , '' the name of Acton 's home , was situated just within the borders of Yorkshire . A single line of rails takes you from Lowbay Junction up the Westmoreland hills to the top of the heaviest gradient in the kingdom , and then hurtles you down into the little wayside station of Lansdale , the station for `` Raven Crag . '' The sturdy tank engine coupled to the short local train was steaming steadily and noisily , and when the express had rolled heavily out for Carlisle , the station-master hastily beat up intending passengers for the branch line .