Max Stafford's Kennel

I managed to pick up a nice copy of this long out of print book on line this week. I read it as a youngster and was enthralled by it, having family connections with this part of Glasgow.

It’s a fascinating and surprisingly human tale of a community that today is a sad shadow of its former self but was once the locomotive building capital of the world.

Just as it did for shipping, the phrase ‘Glasgow Built’ once carried serious weight and kudos in the world and even today you can see examples of Glasgow built steam in action in South Africa for example

It truly is amazing to think that 100 years ago, four locomotive works, two company, two private, graced such a compact piece of land.
To say nothing of the NBL’s outstation at Polmadie, just a mile or two away across the river.

Only a small, privately owned section of ‘The Caley’ survives today to carry the torch for a former industrial behemoth.

But what amazing giant it stands on the shoulders of!