A historic rail yard which operated in Glasgow for more than a century and a half has been preserved after a lobbying campaign.
The St Rollox ‘Caley’ yard, in the city’s Springburn area, has been given B-Listed status following a campaign by local MSP Paul Sweeney.
The news comes at a time where Scotland’s railways have been taken into public ownership and it is hoped that the St Rollox works at Springburn can be revived to breathe new life into Scotland’s railway infrastructure.
St Rollox was in business for 166 years, building locomotives for the UK’s railways. It opened its doors in in 1856 and grew to supply almost two thirds of the trains used across the country, before being closed permanently in 2019.
Known as the St Rollox Locomotive Works, the plant was established by the Caledonian Railway, which built many of Scotland's rail networks from Glasgow to Edinburgh and Aberdeen after relocating 'up the water' from Greenock.
At the time of closure, the Scottish Government were urged to intervene and save the site by politicians, trade unions, industry experts and the local community.
St Rollox Railway Works employed almost 200 skilled engineers, many of whom have been forced to relocate or pursue different careers because of the site’s demise.
The yard in better times
Mr Sweeney said he now wants to engage with the current owner of the site to discuss how it is returned to railway engineering use, particularly as the buildings have suffered from a lack of maintenance since the site’s closure in 2019.
He said: “The reality is that the St Rollox Railway Works in Springburn should never have closed, it was nothing more than politically motivated industrial vandalism.
READ MORE: Glasgow's St Rollox train yard rolls into history
“The closure resulted in the redundancies of hundreds of skilled, dedicated workers and meant that the maintenance of Scotland’s railway stock has to be completed in England despite the Scottish Government being in control of our railways.
“This intervention by Historic Environment Scotland puts to bed any doubt about whether the site is of industrial significance and the Scottish Government should use this opportunity to show some humility, reopen the site for the purposes of maintaining our railway infrastructure and reinstate every worker who was shown the door unnecessarily. It’s the very least they can do, and I will work night and day to make sure they cannot shirk their responsibilities here.”
Paul Sweeney
Mick Hogg, of the RMT Scotland Union added: "The RMT welcomes the listing of rail buildings at the Caley and believe it is not too late for the Scottish Government to step in and ensure it is part of Scotland's railway infrastructure in the future.
“The Caley has a historic legacy - it drove the industrial revolution of our railway industry in Scotland and was at the heart of Springburn for over 160 years.
"This magnificent site should never be allowed to disappear, and its legacy will be remembered for generations to come. We owe it to the Caley's dedicated workforce and we are absolutely determined that The Caley plays its part in the recovery of Scotland's railway.”
READ MORE: The end of St Rollox railway yard?
Former Unite Convener at St Rollox, Les Ashton, said: "The listing of these buildings recognises the historical importance of the railway to Springburn and the surrounding area. Whilst the past might have been preserved it is arguably more important that there is a future for these buildings in relation to the railway industry in Scotland.”
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