Saracen Foundry

Location type

Works

Name and dates

Saracen Foundry (1869-1963)

Served by the Hamiltonhill Branch (Caledonian Railway).

Description

This foundry, founded by Walter MacFarlane & Co and specialising in decorative ironwork, was served by sidings from the Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway, just the north, which approached from the west. These sidings met the line around the site of today's Possilpark and Parkhouse station.

In 1894 the Hamiltonhill Branch (Caledonian Railway) opened, crossing the Helensburgh railway. A link from this opened to the foundry in 1895, flying under the branch on a graded curve and connecting to the existing sidings. But due to a prior agreement with the North British Railway this had to be closed.

The works had its own 0-4-0 locomotives for use within the works.

It became part of Federated foundries Ltd. Closure was around 1963/1964, closure for rail traffic being officially July 1964.

Tags

Foundry

External links

Canmore site record
NLS Collection OS map of 1892-1914
NLS Collection OS map of 1944-67

Chronology Dates

01/04/1895Hamiltonhill Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Curve to the Saracen Foundry opened.
  /  /1896Hamiltonhill Branch (Caledonian Railway)
Curve to the Saracen Foundry has to be closed as it was in breach of the 1891 formal agreement with the North British Railway which owned the nearby former Glasgow, Dumbarton and Helensburgh Railway already serving the works.