Springburn Virtual Museum

Railway industry

Inside Cowlairs erecting shop, c 1900

The process of building a steam locomotive took place from start to finish in the one rail works complex. Construction began with technical drawings produced by designers and draughtsman, which were then traced, usually by women tracers, and distributed to different departments. The various parts of the engine such as the boiler, pipes, wheels and chasis were produced in different departments known as shops, e.g. coppersmith shop, foundry and smithy.

Once all the parts were completed the engine was assembled in the erecting shop by fitters. All the parts were fitted onto the frame of the locomotive and from there the locomotive passed to the weighing shop where the wheels were balanced and springs adjusted so each axle bore the correct weight.

A typical works would include all the constituent parts needed for assembling an engine from start to finish. Including coppersmith shop, machine shop, boiler shop, erecting shop, forge, wheel-turning shop, foundry, wagon shop, carriage shop, cabinet-making and trimming shops, and the paint shop.

Source: Glasgow City Archives