Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
Heritage railway line in Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway is a heritage railway in Bo'ness, Scotland.[1] It is operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS),[2] a registered charity,[3] and operates a total of over 5 miles (8 km) of track (between Bo'ness and Manuel Junction, via Kinneil and Birkhill), virtually the entire Slamannan and Borrowstounness Railway that became part of the former North British Railway on the Firth of Forth.
Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stations
The Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway has four stations, those being: Bo'ness, Kinneil Halt, Birkhill and Manuel.[4]
Museum of Scottish Railways
The Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway is also the home of the Museum of Scottish Railways.[5] The Museum is located on the opposite side of the line from Bo'ness station, and entry is paid separately.[6]
Model railway
Operated by the Bo'ness Gauge O Group, the model railway operates alongside the full-size railway between Easter and December. It is free to enter for visitors but donations are accepted. It is housed inside two Norwegian Railway coaches with the 'viewing coach' open to the public and the 'fiddle yard' coach for staff only.[7]
Rolling stock
Steam locomotives
Most of the steam fleet have had major industrial careers in Scotland, but a few ex-mainline types are also in service.[8]
| Type | Number & name | Status | Livery | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neilson Reid 1899 0-6-0T[9][10] | No. 1 "Lord Roberts" | Operational | Coltness Ironworks Blue | Used for Days Out With Thomas. Returned to service 13 May 2017. |  |
| Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST[11] | No. 5 | Out of Service | N/A | There are no plans to restore this locomotive to operational condition in the foreseeable future.[11] |  |
| Andrew Barclay 1942 0-4-0TC[12] | No. 6 | Out of Service | NCB Green |  | |
| Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST[13] | No. 7 | Out of Service.
Undergoing overhaul |
Under Repaint | The intention was to return the locomotive to service with a new 10 year boiler ticket in 2022.[13] | .jpg) |
| Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST[14] | No. 19 | Out of Service | NCB Blue & Yellow | Recently repainted into the striking NCB Blue & Yellow livery.
Returned to service in March 2015 following overhaul. Boiler ticket expires in 2025. |
 |
| Andrew Barclay 1939 0-6-0T | No. 20 | Out of Service | N/A | Under overhaul, Restoration started in Spring 2019 with the stripping of components.[citation needed] |  |
| Caledonian Railway 439 Class 0-4-4T[15][16] | No. 15189[17] | Operational | LMS Crimson[18] | Returned to traffic in the middle of October 2018 after an absence of 9+1⁄2 years. |  |
| LNER Class D49 4-4-0[19] | No. 62712 "Morayshire"[17] | Out of Service | Under Repaint | The only LNER D49 left in the world. Under overhaul. |  |
| LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0[20] | No. 45170 "Sir William McAlpine" | Out of Service | N/A | Repatriated from Sivas in November 2010. Arrived at Bo'ness in November 2014 and currently awaiting restoration to working order, tender now being overhauled in the running shed. |  |
- BR Standard Class 4 2-6-4T no. 80105 was formerly based at the railway but moved to the Strathspey Railway in May 2026 for overhaul under a 'repair-and-run' agreement.[21]
Diesels
Former main-line diesel locomotives are abundant at the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway, and a Summer and Winter Diesel Gala are held each year.
| Class | Number & Name | Status | Livery | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston and Hornsby 1951 4w 0-4-0 | P6687 | Operational | Green | .jpg) | |
| British Rail Class D2/10 | D2767 [citation needed] | Operational | BR Green | Came back into service in 2025 | .jpg) |
| British Rail Class 08 | 08443/D3558[citation needed] | Operational | BR Green | Came back into service in 2025 |  |
| British Rail Class 20 | 20020 | Out of Service | BR Blue | _(7754547722).jpg) | |
| British Rail Class 25 | 25235[22] | Out of Service. Undergoing overhaul | BR Blue | _(7754544540).jpg) | |
| British Rail Class 26 | 26038 "Tom Clift"[22] | Operational | BR Blue | ![](#/media/File:B&KR_26038_"Tom_Clift".jpg) | |
| British Rail Class 26 | 26024[22] | Out of Service | BR Blue |  | |
| British Rail Class 27 | 27001[22] | Currently Out of Service | BR Blue |  | |
| British Rail Class 27 | 27005/D5351[22] | Out of Service. Undergoing overhaul | Under Repaint |  | |
| British Rail Class 37 | 37025 "Inverness TMD"[citation needed] | Operational and Mainline certified | BR Large Logo | Owned by the Scottish 37 Group, Next in line for an Overhaul | .jpg) |
| British Rail Class 37 | 37214[citation needed] | Spares Donor | BR Blue | Owned by the Scottish 37 Group. Repainted into BR Blue in late 2024. | .jpg) |
| British Rail Class 37 | 37261 "Caithness"[citation needed] | Out of Service | Debranded DRS Compass | Owned by the Scottish 37 Group | ![](#/media/File:37261_"Caithness".jpg) |
| British Rail Class 37 | 37403 "Isle of Mull"[citation needed] | Operational and Mainline certified | BR Large Logo | Often goes out on the Mainline for SRPS Railtours.[23] |  |
| British Rail Class 47 | 47643 | Currently Out of Service. Undergoing overhaul | Scotrail Executive Red-Stripe | .jpg) |
Multiple units
| Type | Power | Number & name | Current status | Livery | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Rail Class 117 | DMU
Diesel |
Set L425, (51363, 59510, 51405). And 51372 for spares.[24] | Operational | BR Green with speed whiskers
(51372 in BR Blue) |
Purchased from the Cotswold Diesel Railcar Group in 2024.[25] |  |
| British Rail Class 126[26] | DMU
Diesel |
(formed of 51017, 59404, 79443, 51043)[27] | Out of Service. Undergoing overhaul | BR Green with speed whiskers | 79443 is undergoing a heavy body restoration. |  |
| British Rail Class 303 | EMU
Electric |
303032 (formed of 75597, 61503, 75602)[26][28] | Out of Service | Strathclyde Orange and Black (61503 in Carmine/Cream) | 61503 was taken from unit 023 after 032's MBSO was damaged during its stay at Immingham docks.[citation needed] |  |
