Bkrailway Reviews 2

Booked afternoon tea for my parents- Kirsty was amazing, kept me informed of when the first train rides were available as in was waiting on timetable coming out, Kirsty said she'd call, and did call back as promised.
If all Staff in the world were as good as Kirsty at the service they give, life would be an easier place to live in than just constantly communicating with machines.

The Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway is a lovely little stretch of preserved railway line that runs regular steam and heritage diesel trains starting at Bo'ness and meandering up to the old station at Manuel before turning around and heading back. We're regular visitors to the railway, and it's always a wonderful day out, especially for our 5-year-old. Plenty of very helpful staff around, and some lovely scenery on the short jaunt up the Forth estuary and back. The cafe at Bo'ness station is nothing fancy but is decent for sitting in and having a snack, and has the option for take-away sandwiches and drinks that can be taken on the train. There's also a gift shop and a great bookshop that sells lots of interesting 2nd hand railways books. If you can get a spot on one of the few picnic tables outside, it's hard to beat having a cup of tea in the sunshine and taking in the sounds and spells of a steam engine as it's serviced nearby in preparation for its next run.

A short walk away is the railway museum, which can easily absorb a couple of hours as you wander through the sheds and have a look at the various preserved railway vehicles as well as station equipment. Some interactive displays are great fun for the kids too, though they can get a bit crowded in the time just after one of the train trips returns. And there's a lovely model railway layout in a carriage that has some excellent details and brings so much joy to our little one.

And the customer service is fantastic. On one occasion last year the steam engine developed a fault part way through the journey and had to stop and cool down a little before limping back to Bo'ness. This sort of thing is to be expected on machinery the guts of a century old and didn't really bother us, but the staff were so apologetic and refunded our tickets anyway. Given it's a charity and mostly run by volunteers, we thought this was entirely unnecessary, and just booked another visit for a few weeks later.

Whenever we find ourselves with a day where we're wondering what we should do, Bo'ness railway is always one of the first options to be suggested. Well worth a look!