Kerr’s miniature railway became a holiday landmark after opening in Arbroath in June 1935.
There was no better place to be during the summer and it was the only place where the real Flying Scotsman could be seen passing a miniature version.
Matthew Kerr was a farmer’s son.
Working horses and trains were his interests.
He decided to build his own miniature railway when the depression stopped him from joining any of the railway companies.
Matthew Kerr spoke to The Courier in 1935
Matthew constructed the track at his father’s dairy farm in Dundee.
It was 250 feet in length.
The engine was made in England by two miniature railway experts.
Matthew took it down to Tay Bridge Station where it was “thoroughly examined and admired by engine drivers and mechanics”.
The carriages were made by joiners.
Passenger-carrying tests were carried out in a field behind his garden.
Pulling a load of happy children, the engine roared along in great style, emitting an occasional whistle, to the great delight of the youngsters.
Matthew obtained permission to lay out his miniature railway track bordering the main Aberdeen to Dundee rail line at West Links in Arbroath.
“I have always been interested in engineering,” he said.
“About three years ago I got the idea of running a model railway which could carry passengers, but it was only few months ago that I made a start.
“The track is 250 feet in length, made entirely by myself.
“I have also constructed wooden platforms and sidings.
“In fact the railway will be the real thing in miniature.
“I thought at first of having this miniature railway at Broughty Ferry.
“Unfortunately, the summer season is comparatively short, and there is not the same number of visitors as at Arbroath.”
How many people travelled on the railway?
He said he was confident the railway would become a success.
“If it does I may extend activities much further afield,” he said.
“In England these miniature railways have been decided success.
“I believe Scotland will also welcome them.”
The records show that 170 children travelled on the first day.
The following Saturday 687 children and 76 adults were carried.
The locomotive, nicknamed Tibby, was steam powered and throughout the summer of 1935 its six little coaches were always full.
In its first season it carried 11,350 passengers who paid 3p and 2p.
In 1938, its popularity already established, the track was enlarged in gauge.
The existing locomotives and rolling stock were replaced.
A new feature of the railway was Pullman coaches complete with individual doors and upholstered seats which were pulled by the Gladstone locomotive.
Throughout the war no trains ran.
The railway was requisitioned by the Government and used by a contingent of Polish troops manning Home Defence guns just outside the railway fence.
The railway reopened again in 1946.
The track was extended almost twice its length, with a system of signals, tunnel, footbridge, engine sheds, turntables, platform and booking office.
Two new locomotives arrived which were named Big Bertha and Auld Reekie.
Film star’s children visited the attraction
The railway enjoyed its busiest period ever with locals and holidaymakers, carrying no less than 60,000 passengers during the summer of 1955.
A miniature bus and fire engine started operating.
They were built by Ernest Johnstone from Brighton who was a sheet metal worker.
Movie star Deborah Kerr’s children visited the miniature railway in July 1957.
Melanie and Francesca were holidaying at Monkbarns Hotel with their Arbroath nanny Nan Patterson while their mother was filming Bonjour Tristesse in Paris.
“There is nothing like this in Hollywood,” said Melanie.
By 1960 the steam engines had been replaced by a refurbished Auld Reekie and a new battery powered, locomotive, Prince Andrew, which made its first appearance.
Mastermind host Magnus Magnusson was among the misty-eyed adults who visited the railway when Arbroath was a magnet for bucket and spade holidaymakers.
He was working for The Scotsman in July 1962.
Magnusson described Matthew as a “remarkable man” and “one of those thrice-blessed eccentrics who must be worth his weight in gold to Arbroath”.
He said Kerr’s miniature railway was “as crucial to this resort as the splendid open-air bathing pool, the promenades, the four mile stretch of green belt between town and sea, the 250 acres of beautifully kept parkland, or dear old Betsy Swankie, 80 if she’s a day, undisputed queen of all the Arbroath haddie-smokers”.
Matthew, who started in 1935, announced he would finish – for good in 1970.
The railway was put up for sale.
But no buyers were found and the business stayed with the family.
Changing of the guard at Kerr’s in 1978
Matthew continued to run the railway until 1978.
He died in 1979.
Matt junior took over, who had been driving the trains since the age of 13.
He was a history teacher at Montrose Academy.
Matt junior changed the business model and decided to run it as a hobby.
He set about arresting and reversing the decline brought about through a combination of old age, lack of investment and recurring bouts of vandalism.
Gradually, thanks to a steady injection of cash, the track was replaced, buildings renewed, and engines and rolling stock were replaced or refurbished.
A brand new diesel engine replaced Prince Andrew in 1981.
Olly McLaren, proprietor of West Newgate garage in Arbroath, stepped in and restored one of the buses in 1979 and the fire engine in 1983.
New investment included a £2,000 stone-built tunnel.
It was on the same site as the old one – but fully 10 feet longer.
In 1985, after a gap of some 25 years, steam power returned permanently to the railway in the shape of Firefly, which was nicknamed: “The Dream Machine”.
Then, in 1995, Matt junior fulfilled a long-held ambition.
He bought back Big Bertha.
End of the line for railway in October 2020
Matt junior died in April 2006, at the age of 62, and the railway was taken on by his wife Jill and 10-year-old son John, who were aided by a band of volunteers.
Kerr’s was still carrying 14,000 passengers after turning 75 in 2010.
John was 15 when he stepped up to take charge of the railway in 2011 but rocketing fuel prices and dwindling visitor numbers started to take its toll.
Some days the railway was carrying just five people.
John decided it was the end of the line.
Scotland’s oldest miniature railway closed for good in October 2020.
The final trains were packed but it was too little, too late.
A chapter of history ended.
But it won’t be forgotten by the children and adults who rode the rails.
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