Skip to content

Two men charged over Bo'ness model railway fire

Chris McDonald Scene of the fireChris McDonald
The carriage was devastated by the fire

Two men have been arrested and charged over a deliberate fire that wrecked a model railway at a popular tourist attraction.

Volunteers at the Bo’ness and Kinneil Heritage Railway were left devastated after the 1930s-style display was torched on Sunday.

Two historic wagons, dating from the 1920s and 1930s, were also targeted in the attack at the Railway Preservation Yard on Union Street.

The men, both aged 32, will appear before Falkirk Sheriff Court.

BO’NESS GAUGE ‘O’ GROUP modelBO’NESS GAUGE ‘O’ GROUP
The model was put together by volunteers over 30 years

Fire crews extinguished the blaze at about 07:00 on Sunday.

Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group built the model, which was housed in one of the historic carriages that was set alight .

It was painstakingly put together over 30 years by the team of enthusiasts.

The group’s chairman, Chris McDonald, said they were “devastated” and a full refurbishment would be needed before they could re-open to visitors.

He said the hundreds of hours members had spent on the model could never be recovered.