St. Rollox railway works
Encyclopedia
St. Rollox Locomotive Works and St Rollox Carriage and Wagon Works were built in 1856 in Springburn
, an area in the north-east of Glasgow
, for the Caledonian Railway
, moving away from their works at Greenock
. The new works was built on the site of the station of the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway which the Caledonian had absorbed, near to the chemical works of Charles Tennant
and was named after the nearby parish church of St. Roche.
St. Rollox was unusual in being purpose built for both locomotive and carriage & wagon works. In 1923 with the consolidation of British Railway firms created by the Railways Act 1921
, it became the main works of the Northern Division of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
, although new building ceased. In 1929 wagon repairs were moved to Barassie, leaving St. Rollox as the carriage repair centre.
, like the North British Locomotive Company
at Atlas and Hyde Park, both Cowlairs
and St. Rollox joined in the war effort, among other things, producing Airspeed Horsa
gliders for the D Day airborne assault. Cowlairs also produced 200,000 bearing shells for Rolls-Royce Merlin
engines.
, locomotive work in general was being run down. However it has continued at a reduced level and remains the only large railway rolling stock repair and maintenance works in Scotland
. Part of the site was occupied for a time by MC Metals
.
After the privatisation of BREL in 1989 the St. Rollox site was operated as a rail maintenance facility by Alstom
. Surplus land was sold off and is now the site of a large Tesco
, Costco
and Lidl
. The new Springburn Fire station
and a Royal Mail
sorting office
are also located nearby. In 2007 Railcare Ltd, which also owns the Wolverton railway works
site in Milton Keynes
, took over operations at St. Rolloxhttp://www.railcare-uk.com/.
Springburn
Springburn is an inner city district in the north of the Scottish city of Glasgow, home to various working and middle-class households.Springburn developed from a small rural hamlet at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Its industrial expansion began with the establishment of a chemical...
, an area in the north-east of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, for the Caledonian Railway
Caledonian Railway
The Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
, moving away from their works at Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
. The new works was built on the site of the station of the Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway which the Caledonian had absorbed, near to the chemical works of Charles Tennant
Charles Tennant
Charles Tennant was a Scottish chemist and industrialist. He discovered bleaching powder and founded an industrial dynasty.- Biography:...
and was named after the nearby parish church of St. Roche.
Roch
Saint Roch or Rocco ; lived c.1348 - 15/16 August 1376/79 was a Christian saint, a confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August; he is specially invoked against the plague...
Locomotive construction
A number of locomotives were produced for the Caledonian Railway, among them, the Cardean and Dunalastair Classes.St. Rollox was unusual in being purpose built for both locomotive and carriage & wagon works. In 1923 with the consolidation of British Railway firms created by the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, it became the main works of the Northern Division of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
, although new building ceased. In 1929 wagon repairs were moved to Barassie, leaving St. Rollox as the carriage repair centre.
War work
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, like the North British Locomotive Company
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
at Atlas and Hyde Park, both Cowlairs
Cowlairs railway works
Cowlairs Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works , at Cowlairs in Springburn, an area in the north-east of Glasgow, Scotland, was built in 1841 for the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway and was taken over by the North British Railway in 1865. It was named after the nearby mansion of Cowlairs, with both...
and St. Rollox joined in the war effort, among other things, producing Airspeed Horsa
Airspeed Horsa
The Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
gliders for the D Day airborne assault. Cowlairs also produced 200,000 bearing shells for Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
engines.
Current use
After the abolition of LMS with creation of British Railways in 1948, the works remained the primary Scottish repair centre until 1986 when, under BRELBREL
British Rail Engineering Limited , was the railway systems engineering division of British Rail, until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised in 1993. On 31 October 1969, the company was incorporated as British Rail Engineering Limited.-Main products:The vast majority of BREL's...
, locomotive work in general was being run down. However it has continued at a reduced level and remains the only large railway rolling stock repair and maintenance works in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Part of the site was occupied for a time by MC Metals
MC Metals
MC Metals was a metal recycling company based in the Springburn area of Glasgow, Scotland. The "MC" stands for McWilliam & Christie, both names being associated with separate railway scrapyards that previously existed in the Glasgow area. The company was made famous through the scrapping of huge...
.
After the privatisation of BREL in 1989 the St. Rollox site was operated as a rail maintenance facility by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
. Surplus land was sold off and is now the site of a large Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
, Costco
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation is the largest membership warehouse club chain in the United States. it is the third largest retailer in the United States, where it originated, and the ninth largest in the world...
and Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...
. The new Springburn Fire station
Fire station
A fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
and a Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
sorting office
Sorting office
Sorting office or Processing and Distribution Center is any location where postal operators bring mail after collection for sorting into batches for delivery to the addressee, which may be a direct delivery or sent onwards to another regional or local sorting office, or to another postal...
are also located nearby. In 2007 Railcare Ltd, which also owns the Wolverton railway works
Wolverton railway works
Wolverton railway works was established in Wolverton, Buckinghamshire, by the London and Birmingham Railway Company in 1838 at the midpoint of the 112 mile-long route from London to Birmingham...
site in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, took over operations at St. Rolloxhttp://www.railcare-uk.com/.