The owner of a once-popular family attraction in Angus has announced dwindling visitor numbers has forced its closure.
Kerr’s Miniature Railway (KMR) in West Links Park in Arbroath will make its last call for passengers at the end of September after 85 years.
Owner, John Kerr admitted it was the “most awful decision” he had to make in his life as he gave a heartfelt message on social media.
Since opening in 1935, the Kerr family have welcomed over two million visitors aboard the line but numbers dwindled to just 3,500 people last year.
Two decades earlier, those figures stood at 20,000 people a year.
John revealed the level of enthusiasm for himself and the volunteers into maintaining the attraction had waned with the declining numbers.
He added: “The railway has been faced with some difficult times over the last few years.
“Significantly the passenger numbers and the people visiting the railway have lowered so much so that we felt the last couple of years we’ve almost been wasting our time.
“I know its horrible to say that because we love the people who still come but as a volunteer its becoming more difficult to keep that enthusiasm going.”
It is unclear what the future holds for the attraction or the site itself. John revealed other councils from around the country have shown a “keen interest” in purchasing the fixtures and fittings.
The owner did not confirm if Angus Council was one of the interested parties looking to acquire the attraction that had been created by Mathew Kerr Snr before World War 2.
Since the announcement in recent days many have taken to social media to share fond memories of the site.
One visitor said: “So very sad to hear this news and so sorry you have had to make such a difficult decision.
“Many many happy memories of KMR as a child and so glad my daughter got to experience it too.”
As hundreds of messages have poured in John issued a rallying call for passengers to come back before next month’s closure.
He added: “We’ve thought about this long and hard and we will post details on how the railway line will reopen for this short-time.
“Please come down and please tell your friends and family, you will not have another time to ride this train.”
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