A famous Scottish steam engine has reached the end of a
remarkable 6,000 mile journey home to Glasgow from South Africa
after more than 60 years.
Completing the final leg of its journey, the locomotive
travelled by road on the evening of 23 August, from Immingham
Docks, near Hull, to Glasgow. The engine and tender takes up almost
the entire length of one side of George Square - the city's main
civic square.
The steam engine is the largest ever acquisition by Glasgow
Museums and destined to be the focal point within the new Riverside
Museum - another iconic object, designed by internationally
celebrated architect Zaha Hadid, and scheduled for completion in
2010.
The engine will be in position in George Square from the morning
of 24 August where it will remain for the weekend, to mark the
launch of the Riverside Museum Appeal, which aims to raise £5
million of the £74 million cost of the new Clydeside
attraction. The engine will then be fully restored before
becoming the centrepiece of the Riverside Museum. The
transport and restoration is being partly funded by FirstGroup, the
UK's largest rail and bus operator.
FirstGroup is the sole founder patron of the Riverside Museum
Appeal and is partly funding the transportation and restoration of
Locomotive 3007 providing a massive boost to the fund.
Carol Smillie, a Riverside Museum Appeal trustee, will be master
of ceremonies at the launch in George Square.
The 15F class engine - designed and built in Glasgow in 1945 for
South Africa's harsh terrain and vast distances - was used to pull
passenger and freight trains until 1988 when it was
mothballed. The 15F class was the backbone of the South
Africa Railways during the age of steam. The engine and
tender once pulled the renowned Blue Train from Johannesburg to
Cape Town.
The locomotive is widely regarded as one of the finest examples
of British engineering, underpinning Glasgow's then dominant role
as a manufacturer of steam engines and representing the pinnacle of
more than 100 years of railway technology. It was built by
the North British Locomotive Company at Polmadie, Glasgow between
1944-1945.
Locomotive 3007 is the best remaining engine of its type that
could be found - and will be the only example of its kind in the
UK.
Moir Lockhead, chief executive of FirstGroup, said: "It is
fantastic to finally see Locomotive 3007 on display here in Glasgow
- back here where it belongs. Although, its journey is not
quite complete, it has been a privilege for First to help return
part of our proud engineering heritage to Scotland. Throughout our
rail and bus operations we provide safe, innovative, reliable and
sustainable services. Locomotive 3007 was all these things in its
day and its return to Glasgow will give new generations the chance
to marvel at this wonderful example of the rail revolution Scotland
gave to the world."
He added: "Glasgow's transport collections are of international
importance and it is fitting that Locomotive 3007 will be at the
heart of the new museum. My early years in the transport industry
were as an engineer and so personally I am thrilled that First is
able to support this very worthwhile cause. I am sure it will
attract interest from afar."
Councillor Steven Purcell, the Leader of Glasgow City Council,
said: "We should be rightly proud of our industrial past and this
locomotive is an example of a time when Glasgow was an engineering
giant, supplying the world with ships and locomotives. I come from
a Clydeside community and I know that the new Riverside Museum will
pay testament to the hard labour of the working men and women who
made this city great.
"Glasgow has enjoyed a radical transformation in recent years,
with more jobs and opportunity than ever before. But we must never
forget the efforts of previous generations, who built this city and
its global reputation.
"I'm delighted that FirstGroup has agreed to become the sole
founder patron of the Riverside Museum Appeal - and I'm sure their
generosity will be matched by many others as we move toward
creating an iconic symbol of our industrial heritage on banks of
the Clyde."
Sir Robert Smith, the Chairman of the Riverside Museum Appeal,
said: "It is so fitting that the return of this magnificent engine
should mark the formal launch of The Riverside Museum Appeal. It is
such a powerful symbol of Glasgow's proud transport and engineering
heritage. This city gave ships and locomotives to the world.
"I am delighted to be chairing this appeal, and it is a
privilege to be leading such a distinguished board of trustees,
with international reputations in both the public and private
sectors. Their experience, commitment and enthusiasm are matched
only by the pride Glaswegians have in their heritage.
"When our work is done, we will open up the city's industrial
and social past to future generations, and I hope it will inspire
them to even greater achievements in years to come."
Additional information:
• The steam engine has sat in a railway siding at
Bloemfontein, Free State since taken out of service in 1988
• Some 255 were built for the South African market - where
the engine's size and strength were ideally suited for the
terrain
• The locomotive was never named - but was numbered
3007
• It was built at Polmadie, Glasgow as part of a 60-strong
order
• The steam engine with tender is some 74ft long and the
height just half-an-inch short of 13ft. The tender could carry 14
tonnes of coal and 6050 gallons of water
• The locomotive - weighing 179 tonnes - was taken by rail
to Durban for shipment to Immingham and will arrive in Glasgow by
road for conservation work
• Although almost 20 years out of service, the locomotive
remains in relatively good condition. The conservation plan ranges
from scientific analysis of the paintwork to the replacement of
removed or lost parts
FirstGroup plc is a UK based international transport company
with revenues of over £3.7 billion a year. We employ over 74,000
staff throughout the UK and North America and move more than 2
billion passengers a year.
The Group is Britain's largest bus operator running more
than one in five of all local bus services. A fleet of nearly 9,000
buses carries some 2.9 million passengers a day in more than 40
major towns and cities.
The Group is the UK's largest rail operator with four
passenger franchises - First Great Western, First Capital Connect,
First TransPennine Express and First ScotRail - and one open access
operator, Hull Trains.
The Group operates one quarter of the UK passenger rail
network, with a balanced portfolio of intercity, commuter and
regional services, carrying almost 260m passengers per annum.
The Group operates rail freight services through First
GBRf.
The Group operates the Croydon Tramlink network which
carries over 24 million passengers a year.