RAILSCOT | Stobcross Crane

Stobcross Crane

Location type

Place

Name and dates

Stobcross Crane (1932-)

Opened on the Queens Dock Railway Lines.
Opened on the Stobcross Railway.

Description

This crane is a Glasgow landmark. It was built for the Clyde Navigation Trust. It was used for loading cargo, notably locomotives, onto ships at Stobcross Quay. It was also where marine engines from the Finnieston Diesel Engine Works were fitted to vessels built at Harland & Wolff's Govan Ship Yard [1st]. Engines from the nearby David Rowan and Co works were also fitted here.

The 'tower' section of the crane was manufactured at the Cowans Sheldon Works, Carlisle. It replaced an earlier crane.

The quayside was rail served (rails remain here embedded in granite setts). Approach was from the north, sidings alongside Stobcross station which could be reached by either the former North British Railway network (Stobcross Railway) or Caledonian Railway network (Glasgow Central Railway).

Locomotives which were not standard gauge were drawn through the street by traction engines to the dock.

In May-June 1987 an artwork, the 'Straw Locomotive' by George Wyllie, was brought through the streets from the site of the Hyde Park Works [2nd] in Springburn and suspended from the crane. This echoed the journey taken by many locomotives manufactured in Springburn for export. After being displayed here it was hauled back to Springburn where the straw was burned to reveal metalwork in the shape of a question mark.

Aliases

Finnieston Crane

External links

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

Nearby stations Exhibition Centre Finnieston [1st] Kinning Park [Subway] Anderston Cessnock [Subway] Shields Road [Subway] Charing Cross [GC and DR] Shields Road [GPJ] Shields Road [CGU] Shields Ibrox [Subway] Bellahouston [2nd] Yorkhill West Street [Subway] West Street	Stobcross Shipyard Finnieston Quay Stobcross Engine Works Stobcross Quay Mavisbank Quay Plantation Quay Verreville Pottery Works Clydebank Foundry Clan Line Steamers Repair Works Clyde Galvanizing Works Stobcross East Junction Finnieston Works [D & W Henderson] Stobcross Goods Low Level Stobcross Coal Sidings Scotia Engine Works
Location names in dark blue are on the same original line.

Chronology Dates

/ /1932	Cowans Sheldon Works Provide the 'tower' section for the Stobcross Crane.
/ /1981	PS Waverley [IV] Completion of re-boilering at the cost of £200,000. Replaced 1980/1981 with a new Babcock Steambloc boiler. The new boiler was lowered into place using the Stobcross Crane.