IT'S the end of the line for a Blackpool family who have signalled a halt to one of the resort's most popular attractions.

Ron and Jill Whiteside have put their Blackpool Miniature Railway Company Ltd up for sale after 13 years.

The Wild West-themed train, which runs opposite Blackpool Zoo, has carried hundreds of thousands of delighted passengers - many of them schoolchildren - since it was set up in 1972 when the zoo opened.

But the successful business has become too much for the couple to cope with as they grow older.

Jill's son Kenny Hair, who has managed it for the past two years, is looking to move on to other things and a new buyer is sought.

Blackpool-born Ron, aged 67, said: "The train is entirely independent of the zoo, all the council take is a rental. Recently we negotiated another 21-year lease of which there's 18 left to serve."

Between March and the end of the Lights in October, around 100,000 passengers travel up and down in six carriages on a half-mile track.

Since buying it privately in 1983, the railway has become a real part of the Whitesides' life.

Ron said: "It is an incredibly environmentally happy thing, especially dealing with children."

Ron explained that the train could run all year round if required and that the hours of work aren't bad either - the zoo is open from 10am (9.30am mid-summer) until 6pm.

"We only open at 11am for when the sea lions are feeding and the school trips have gone by 3pm."

The labour of love will sadly come to an end soon, though, when Ron waves the last train out of the station.

He says he's in no particular rush to sell and will run the railway this season if he has to. If you're interested in being the owner of your own railway, start talking in excess of £100,000 and it could be yours.

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