Man jailed for torching model railway at 'valued' tourist attraction

Several model trains were destroyed by the fire and others were stolen

A man has been jailed for two-and-a-half years for a deliberate fire that destroyed a model railway tourist attraction in West Lothian.

Daniel Rodger, 33, admitted starting the blaze inside an old train carriage that housed the model layout at Bo'ness and Kinneil Heritage Railway.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard that he was "heavily under the influence of drugs" when he caused £100,000 of damage on 19 May 2024.

Sheriff Euan Gosney said it was an "inexplicable act of wanton vandalism" at a volunteer-run site.

The Scottish Railway Preservation Society was forced to close the attraction to visitors for 11 months for restoration work.

The attraction was closed to visitors for 11 months for restoration work

Two heritage railway wagons dating from 1923 and 1937 were targeted in the fire.

One was used as a storage facility and the other housed the 1930s-style model layout - put together over 30 years by the Bo'ness Gauge O volunteer group.

At the time of the blaze, group chairman Chris McDonald said members were "devastated" at the damage.

The court heard that five model locomotives and two model carriages worth £5,000 were also missing.

CCTV showed Rodger and another man, Keith Walker, entering and leaving the site between 02:15 and 03:40.

Rodger, of Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to wilful fireraising.

Walker, of Corbiehall, Bo'ness admitted stealing the model trains as well as two vacuum cleaners.

His lawyer Fraser McCready he stole the items "with a view to being able to purchase further drugs".

The model was put together by volunteers over 30 years

Sheriff Gosney said Rodger, who had a "a persistent and varied record of offending" would be jailed for 32 months.

Walker was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work and placed under supervision for two years.

Sheriff Gosney said: "The Scottish Railway Preservation Society is a much-valued public organisation and resource, visited by many, dedicated to the preservation and understanding of Scotland's railway heritage."

Insurers met £30,000 of the damage to the railway and a further £35,000 was raised by crowdfunding.