Springburn Hyde Park Works, The collapse of the locomotive industry Options

[*g_rob1977*]

This might not be the topic for this board but I thought I'd share it.

I was on holiday in Spain a few years back, in a town called Aguilas, in Murcia. Nice place. Anyway, in a square in the town is a large steam locomotive with a plaque commemorating, if my memory and limited Spanish remembers, the prosperity brought to the town through the building of a railroad to serve a mine. On the side of the train, up near the drivers cabin and to my surprise, was a small round badge which read, amongst other things, 'North British Locomotive Company, Hyde Park Works, Springburn'. Not having lived in the area and the locomotive works having long since gone this came as somewhat of a surprise. I had heard of Glasgow's shipbuilding but not of the city's expertise in steam locomotives. By a curious quirk, I now live in Springburn thanks to my girlfriend/partner.

Thanks to the Glasgow Digital Library and its Springburn Museum link I have uncovered a lot of information on my new home. Much of it saddens me. Particularly how the guts of the town were ripped apart in the 60âￜￜs and 70's to accommodate a road and the short sighted development of high rise's at the expense of many Victorian buildings and tenements.

I would appreciate any incite into what killed the locomotive works. Shipbuilding staggered on in the Clyde, and in a small way still does. But not this industry. Records show things shut down in '64. Did this prompt the 're-development' of the area?

[Dexter St. Clair]

To put it simply they could build steam engines but could not build a successful diesel electric.

Govan has been redeveloped and still has a shipbuilding industry.

Springburn was redevloped to cut five minutes off the journey time from Bishopbriggs to Glasgow.

Springburn Museum

[wellfield]

Hi g-rob check out http://oldspringburn.wetpaint.com Lots of good info for you,good luck on your new home.