Hoai-Tran Bui

USATODAY

Thirty years later and Back to the Future is still fresh in our minds — and will stay that way if Michael J. Fox has anything to say about it — but even some of its most iconic props can be lost to the ravages of time. But thanks to J.K. Rowling, one of them wasn't.

The train at the center of one of the most thrilling scenes in Back to the Future III is currently on display at Universal Studios in Florida, but its fate may have been far different if it wasn't for the Harry Potter author.

In an interview with The Nerdy Bird, 12 Monkeys showrunner and die-hard Back to the Future fan Terry Matalas revealed that the famous train had almost been turned into a Hogwarts Express at Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter. (His drama runs on Syfy, which is owned by NBC Universal.)

"The story behind the train is when they were walking J.K. Rowling through the park, they were going to use the train or convert the train for the Hogwarts (Express) at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter," recounted Matalas. "She was like ‘No, absolutely do not do that, please do not. This is iconic. Keep it totally as it is.' So J.K. Rowling actually saved the Back to the Future III time train from being (turned into a Harry Potter attraction)."

Don't worry, another anonymous train was turned into the Hogwarts Express, which you can ride at the theme park. But most importantly, the Back to the Future train remains as is, to remind us that "your future is whatever you make it."