Publishers of the hugely popular "Harry Potter" books came up with a unique way to promote their latest release. An antique steam train and much hoopla came together on Saturday, as the author J.K. Rowling started a tour to promote her latest blockbuster.

MICHAEL HOLMES, WORLD NEWS: Well, publishers of the hugely popular "Harry Potter" books came up with a unique way to promote their latest release. An antique steam train and much hoopla came together on Saturday, as the author J.K. Rowling started a tour to promote her latest blockbuster. CNN's Richard Blystone was at her first stop.

RICHARD BLYSTONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Hogwarts Express, clearly diverted from the school of witchcraft and wizardry run, hits the first stop on a nationwide book-signing tour for J.K. Rowling, mother of one small girl and one 3-year-old publishing phenomenon, looking as though she means it when she says she'd swap half her multi-million dollar fortune for an end to public attention. With "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" already past the million book mark in this country, she would soon be able to replace that half.

Having cued for hours to buy the book, fans young and old cued again for a signature.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great book. It's a book that doesn't need to be read by people less old than me.

BLYSTONE: The red mark's a replica of the scar Harry got from the evil sorcerer Voldemort. And here's an early book review.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's at the start where Voldemort came to muggle house, and he's planning murders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's quite confusing at the start, but once you get into it, it explains it all if you've read the other three books.

BLYSTONE (on camera): A remarkable day for all - all the more remarkable because in a way, for all the wizardry and magic, the Rowling books are conventional, old-fashioned, even nostalgic for a Britain most Harry Potter fans have never seen.

(voice-over): A Britain where castles were more than just tourist attractions, chivalry was in flower, and private schools with ancient buildings and eccentric traditions really meant something.

Unlike children's classics like "Wind in the Willows" and "Winnie the Pooh," mostly identified with one artist's conception, readers in three dozen countries can envision Harry through their own prism. But the characters and plots are hers. And try as they may, no editor or movie maker is going to make Rowling change them. Of the latest weighty tome, she told reporters.

J.K. ROWLING, AUTHOR: Well I knew it was going to be longer than the third book, but it surprised even me how long it was. That's how long it needed to be to tell the story. It's as simple as that.

BLYSTONE: At this rate, nobody's going to tell her to keep it short, not while the Rowling train rolls on and the money rolls in.