Locomotive manufacture grew in Scotland as a major industry. Initially it was conducted by private companies but over time the railway companies themselves began to build their own locomotives, building on the skills they had acquired in maintaining them. The private manufacturers were therefore challenged and were saved by building up a big export trade, especially to India and South America. In 1903 three Scottish companies were amalgamated as the North British Locomotive Company. They were Dubs & Co. of Polmadie, Sharp Stewart of Atlas Works and Neilson Reid of Hyde Park.

These offices, for the Hyde Park Works of the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) in Springburn, were opened in 1909 by Lord Rosebery in an building reflecting the confidence and success of the largest builder of locomotives outside America. Designed by the great railway architect James Miller, creator of Wemyss Bay, Glasgow Central and Stirling Stations. Suitably decorated with parts of locomotives and indeed whole locomotives, the building is both stylish and rather grand.  In World War I it served as a hospital.

At its height Springburn manufactured up to one quarter of the world’s locomotives. The Queens Park works on the city’s south side also belonged to NBL. Several of NBL’s steam locomotives are still in heritage operation across the world today. Unfortunately its foray into building diesels was not successful, the BR Class 21 being particularly prone to catching fire, and in 1962 the company went into liquidation with the loss of 5000 jobs.

The building then became the campus of North Glasgow College until converted by Abbey Mill into an office complex in 2009. It contains war memorials and models that provide a link with its heritage.

Update: "Ben Alder to be first steam locomotive built in Scotland for 60 years" The Scotsman 6th June 2021

Photos: John Yellowlees, Abbey Mill, Thomas Nugent (cc-by-sa/2.0), Glasgow City Council ,Joseph Christianson, - NZ Rail Volume 1 en.wikipedia to Commons., CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3549128, SoftwareSimian, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, with thanks

 Examples of their wonderful locomotives:

 Mainline Steam New Zealand locomotive, NZR J class No. 1211. (NBL 24534 of 1939)

 Steam locomotive 1486 (named "Maureen") at Kloof train station after returning from excursion run to Inchanga.

 Victorian Railways R class locomotive R 701 in 1951