关于本书
这个经典故事讲述了罗伯塔、彼得和菲莉丝三兄妹的经历。父亲在神秘的情况下突然失踪，他们舒适的郊区生活随之天翻地覆。在全家面对严酷的新现实之际，孩子们必须适应已经改变的世界，同时应对成长中的种种挑战。这是一个关于坚韧、亲情与童年发现的温暖故事。
开篇
Chapter I. The beginning of things.
第一章 事情的开端
They were not railway children to begin with.
他们一开始并不是铁路边的孩子。
I don’t suppose they had ever thought about railways except as a means of getting to Maskelyne and Cook’s,
我想，他们从来没有想过铁路，除了把它当作一种去马斯基林和库克魔术厅、
the Pantomime, Zoological Gardens, and Madame Tussaud’s.
童话剧场、动物园和杜莎夫人蜡像馆的交通工具。
They were just ordinary suburban children, and they lived with their Father and Mother in an ordinary red-brick-fronted villa,
他们只是普通的郊区孩子，和他们的爸爸妈妈住在一栋普通的红砖门面的别墅里，
with coloured glass in the front door, a tiled passage
前门上镶着彩色玻璃，有一条铺着瓷砖的过道，
that was called a hall, a bath-room with hot and cold water, electric bells, French windows,
被称为门厅，有一间有冷热水的浴室，有电铃，有落地窗，
and a good deal of white paint, and ‘every modern convenience’, as the house-agents say.
还有大量的白漆，以及“一切现代化设施”，正如房屋中介们所说的那样。
There were three of them.
他们一共三个人。
Roberta was the eldest.
罗伯塔是老大。
Of course, Mothers never have favourites, but if their Mother HAD had a favourite, it might have been Roberta.
当然，妈妈们从来没有偏爱的孩子，但如果他们的妈妈真的有偏爱的孩子，那可能就是罗伯塔了。
Next came Peter, who wished to be an Engineer when he grew up;
接下来是彼得，他希望长大后当一名工程师；
and the youngest was Phyllis, who meant extremely well.
最小的是菲莉丝，她的用心总是极好的。
Mother did not spend all her time in paying dull calls to dull ladies,
妈妈并没有把她所有的时间都花在乏味地拜访乏味的太太们上，
and sitting dully at home waiting for dull ladies to pay calls to her.
或者乏味地坐在家里等乏味的太太们来拜访她。
She was almost always there, ready to play with the children,
她几乎总是在家，随时准备和孩子们一起玩，
and read to them, and help them to do their home-lessons.
给他们读书，帮他们做家庭作业。
Besides this she used to write stories for them while they were at school, and read them aloud after tea,
除此之外，她常常在孩子们上学的时候为他们写故事，然后在下午茶后大声读给他们听，
and she always made up funny pieces of poetry for their birthdays and for other great occasions,
而且她总是为他们的生日和其他重大场合编一些有趣的小诗，
such as the christening of the new kittens, or the refurnishing of the doll’s house,
比如给新出生的小猫洗礼，或者重新布置玩偶屋，