Members of a model railway group have been left devastated after vandals destroyed and set fire to train carriages at a much-loved tourist attraction.
The raid on the Bo’ness and Kinneil railway occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, with police Scotland on the hunt for two men they want to track down in connection with the incident at Falkirk Dockyard.
The Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group, which spent three decades building and maintaining a model railway at the visitor access point, was saddened by the attack.
One of the carriages – where the models, publications and maintenance equipment are stored – was “extensively damaged”, while the public exhibition carriage suffered “severe smoke damage” and will have to be refurbished before reopening.
Photo: Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group / Chris McDonald
Photo: Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group / Chris McDonald
Chris McDonald, president of the group, said the damaged carriages date back to 1923 and 1937.
McDonald told Sky News that members were “still reeling from what happened” and that most of the model railway was “hand-made from scratch”.
He added: “We are trying to come together to get our beautiful model railway back up and running, to the delight of thousands of our visitors.”
Photo: Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group / Chris McDonald
Photo: Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group / Chris McDonald
A JustGiving page has been set up, with almost £10,000 raised so far.
One supporter, who donated £100, wrote: “Buildings can be replaced for money but the dedication of the modellers is priceless. I hope this small donation helps.”
Another couple added: “Our sincere thoughts are with all of you who dedicated so much time, love and tenderness to the construction of the model railway.
“We look forward to knowing when he will be brought back to life.”
Photo: Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group / Chris McDonald
McDonald said some of the comments on the fundraising page were “very moving.”
He added: “Ironically, this restored my faith in the kindness of strangers.
“Compared to the senselessness of the vandalism, the generosity shown since then, especially in the last 24 hours since we created the JustGiving page, has been incredibly encouraging.”
Photo: Bo’ness Gauge ‘O’ Group / Chris McDonald
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Police Scotland said firefighters extinguished the small fire at around 7am on Sunday.
The force added that two men were seen “acting suspiciously” in the area at around 2am.
Both men were described as being aged between 20 and 40, around 5ft 7in to 6ft 1in tall and clean shaven.
One man, who was reportedly heavy-set, wore sunglasses, a baseball cap, a dark shirt and pants, dark New Balance sneakers, and was carrying a shoulder bag that was worn across his body.
The second man, who was said to have a slender build, was wearing a dark jacket, a dark shoulder bag, a dark hat with white lettering, dark track pants and gray sneakers.
Inspector David Black said “investigations are ongoing to locate those responsible” and urged those with information, private CCTV or dashcam footage that could help the investigation to move forward.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
