Scotland’s oldest miniature steam railway finally runs out of puff

Kerr's half-mile line has delighted visitors to Arbroath for 85 years; with a last blast of nostalgia it has blown its last whistle

It's a bit excessive, but if you can do it, why not?" a train driver shouts to a crowd as he shovels extra coal into the firebox of a navy blue 1930s miniature steam engine. Children clap as the huge plume of steam engulfs them and the engine's whistle sounds. It is the finale after all," shouts the driver as the train starts to move.

The finale he refers to is the last outing of Scotland's oldest miniature railway - Kerr's, in Arbroath, north-east Scotland. Declining visitor numbers over recent years have left the family with no choice but to close their doors after 85 years, says John Kerr, whose grandfather Matthew built the railway in 1935.