RAILSCOT | Queens Park Locomotive Works

Queens Park Locomotive Works

Location type

Works

Names and dates

Glasgow Locomotive Works (1863-1903)
Queens Park Locomotive Works (1903-1963)

Served by the Polloc and Govan Railway.
Served by the North British Locomotive Company.
Open on the DÃ¼bs & Co.

Description

This locomotive works was located on the south side of the Caledonian Railway main line into Glasgow, this portion being the former Polloc and Govan Railway. It was the Glasgow Locomotive Works owned by Dübs & Co which became part of the North British Locomotive Company with the combination of several companies in 1903. Following this the location was officially the Queens Park works of that company, but was colloquially remained known as 'Dübses'.

The formal address was 321 Aitkenhead Road. It was bound by the main line to the north, Govan Iron Works Railway to the east, Calder Street to the south and Aitkenhead Road to the west.

Roughly the layout was two rows of buildings. The northern row were, from west to east
- forge
- smithy
- boiler shop
- foundry
and the southern group
- machine shop and fitting shop (north) with tank shop (south)
- frame shop and paint shop (north) with erecting shop (south)
- wheel shop

Railway access to the site was from the north, from the main line, and most parts of the works could be accessed. (See image 67201.) There were locomotives used within the works and mobile cranes. The exchange sidings, for materials in and standard gauge products out, were on the east side of the erecting and, of course, paint shops.

Henry Dübs had been a managing partner of Neilson &Co before setting up his new works. He had been involved in brick making and had used a diamond shape for his marking. He now adopted this for his new company's logo. This was inherited by the NBL, from the 1940s they used it for products from all their works.

The works was re-equipped in the Great War, adding to the equipment largely dating from the works' foundation. Shells and munitions were manufactured in large quantities.

A War Department order placed with the traction engine company Fosters Ltd for armoured self propelled vehicles was subcontracted to the works, the vehicles were built in the Tank shop.

With a decline in orders the works were mothballed around 1929.

For the Second World War the works were re-opening and the existing equipment was augmented to allow the construction of WD Austerity 2-8-0s for the Ministry of Works along with further armoured tank building.

Around 1955 the NBL chose this works to be re-equipped to build diesel locomotives; both diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic.

In 1963 NBL closed, this plant being the last of the three main sites.

Portions remain standing and in other uses; the boiler shop (west) and machine & fitting shops (south). Unfortunately the tank shop has been demolished.

Aliases

Queens Park Works Dübses

Nearby stations Crosshill Gushetfaulds Queens Park South Side [CR] South Side [GB and NDR] Gorbals Pollokshields East Eglinton Street Main Street Gorbals Mount Florida Cumberland Street Strathbungo Pollokshields West Bridge Street [Subway] West Street	Coal Pit Polmadie Industrial Gases Works Coal Pit Polmadie BOC Siding Polmadie Shed Colliery Works Coal Pit Sentinel Works Govan Coal work Gushetfaulds Junction Polmadie Depot Mallsmire Firebrick Works Central Station Junction Govan Iron Works Tourist/other Polmadie Signal Box
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.

Draughtsmen

Famously when the works was short of draughtsmen for tracings an artist friend suggested to Henry Dübs that women could be employed as draughtsmen, a very successful and (at the time) revolutionary decision.

Chronology Dates

/ /1864	DÃ¼bs & Co Company created to build locomotives, construction of the Glasgow Locomotive Works (later known as the Queens Park Locomotive Works) begins.
/ /1903	North British Locomotive Company Formed by an amalgamation of Neilson, Reid & Co (Hyde Park Works [2nd]), Sharp, Stewart & Co (Atlas Works [2nd]) and DÃ¼bs & Co (Queens Park Locomotive Works).
/ /1963	North British Locomotive Company Queens Park Locomotive Works, Atlas Works [2nd] and Hyde Park Works [2nd] closed.
/ /1963	North British Locomotive Company Company closed down, the Hyde Park Works [2nd], Atlas Works [2nd] and Queens Park Locomotive Works are closed. Goodwill is sold to Andrew Barclay & Sons.