Peter receives a toy engine on his birthday at the beginning of the novel, and the engine becomes a symbol of both the real railway the children will soon live by out in the countryside, as well as the wholeness of their idealized family unit. The engine is described as “more perfect than you could ever have dreamed of” (7), reinforcing the idea that at the time Peter receives the engine as a gift, the lives of the children are as idyllic and privileged as possible.

When the toy engine breaks, Peter seeks out his father to fix it. But the breaking of Peter’s toy engine and Father’s disgrace occur on the same day, and Father is charged with treason before he has the chance to repair the toy engine for Peter. The breaking of the engine therefore symbolizes the rupture of the family unit, and Father’s inability to fix the engine before his arrest signals that his role within the family has now undergone a radical transformation. Peter takes his broken engine with him to the countryside, and the engine continues to make occasional appearances in the novel, reminding the reader of the broken family unit while also suggesting that the family—just like the toy engine—may one day be repaired.