Lathalmond Railway Museum

What it’s like

Sunday afternoon steam and brake van rides on a real standard gauge line, plus a narrow gauge railway and two model displays.

The main event here is getting on a train rather than just looking at one. There are brake van rides on the standard gauge line, a narrow gauge railway to have a go on too, and steam train rides when they're running, so a child who's only ever seen trains from a platform gets to actually sit in one and move.

Once you've done the rides there are two model layouts to wander round, Dunfermline's Railway Story and the Lathalmond Wartime model railway, which are the bit to save for after the rides rather than before, since a four-year-old is not going to sit still for a model railway before they've had a go on a real one. Ages 4 to 16 is the sweet spot the site itself points to, and that tracks: younger than that and the rides probably matter more than the history.

It's only open on Sundays between April and October, 1pm to 4.30pm, so this is not a rainy Tuesday fallback, it is a plan-ahead-and-check-the-calendar sort of day out. On the upside it will not break the bank: £4 for an adult, £2 for a child, or £10 for a family of four, which is proper value for an afternoon that includes actual train rides. There's a gift shop if the trains alone do not use up enough pocket money.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

4 to 16, the train rides are the main draw

• Only open on Sundays, April to October, 1pm to 4.30pm, so it is not an any-day-you-fancy visit
• There is a gift shop on site for the inevitable pocket money spend
• The model exhibits work better as a wind-down after the train rides than as the opener

Plan your visit

See all Model Villages & Miniature Railways in Edinburgh · Things to do in Edinburgh