Springburn Virtual Museum

Railway industry

Henry Dübs, c 1870

Henry Dübs was born in 1816 in Darmstadt, Germany. A skilled engineer, he was manager of Beyer, Peacock and Company locomotive builders in Manchester, but was dismissed for being too easy-going. Despite this, Walter Neilson employed him in 1858 as works manager, and he subsequently became a partner in the firm of Neilson and Company.

During his five-year tenure, Dübs major achievement was to mastermind the removal of the works from Finnieston to Springburn in 1862. This was a massive operation which required the hauling of giant equipment such as steam hammers weighing many tons, using wagons and horses which needed help from the workmen up the several steep inclines en route to Springburn.

Dübs' working relationship with Neilson was not good, however, and he left in 1863 to set up his own locomotive-building company at Polmadie. Using his excellent contacts, the business prospered, and after Dübs' death in 1876 the firm merged with the two Springburn companies to become the North British Locomotive Company.

Source: Glasgow City Archives