Glasgow Transport Museum/Riverside

[Daddyman]

Hello, 

I'm hoping to get to Glasgow Transport Museum next week. This will depend on the weather (snow and ice preventing driving) and work. Assuming it happens, would anyone like me to take photos or even a limited number of measurements of any of the locos (only)? (Always assuming I can get near enough.) 

 

I've often thought "If only I knew someone who could go to Bo'ness/York/etc for me" so if you feel that way about GTM, let me know! 

 

I'm going to measure the coupling-rod splashers on the Glen, as the PDK kit, the RM drawing and the Isinglass drawing all disagree. I'm also planning to photograph the loco to within an inch of its life. 

 

Again, I stress, I'm hoping to go. 

[Londontram]

Hello daddyman that's a very nice offer. Any detail photos of Caley 123 are always welcome. Even details like tender axle boxes or the front pony truck splashers and that sort of thing would be usefully thanks. Steve

[ian@stenochs]

Sorry, but you will have problems getting pictures. Riverside is working more as a crèche than a museum.

The stuff is crammed in and last time I was there there were displays all along one side of 123 with the other side partly concealed, everything below running plate, by the walk way! Don’t get me started on G&SW No9 which is poked out of a rat hole way up on the wall!

If you want to measure anything make sure you get permission from one of the attendants, some are very helpful and welcome a distraction while others can be worse than Russian border guards! Just what harm will a tape measure do?

Ian.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

...I'm going to measure the coupling-rod splashers ...

 I can tell you they are a very close fit! Which is the problem when it comes to a small scale model. Good luck with visit and the model making.

[Daddyman]

Hello daddyman that's a very nice offer. Any detail photos of Caley 123 are always welcome. Even details like tender axle boxes or the front pony truck splashers and that sort of thing would be usefully thanks. Steve

I'll do what I can! 

[jasp]

David

Sadly, the so-called “Transport Museum” in Glasgow is a VERY poor successor to that in the Kelvin Hall.

It appears to have been arranged for people to see most stuff in the shortest time, and in a, presumably “trendy” fashion.

In the previous venue, the museum was arranged in “themes” whereas now it just seems to be a hotch-potch of exhibits - you will see what I mean if you go there. In addition, ther is very little space around the exhibits,

Fortunately, there is no charge for entry.

One upside is that there is an interesting wee “boat” behind the, overpriced monstrosity of a building, which houses the museum.

I will be interested in your views

Jim P

[Bon Accord]

The biggest omission (IMHO) in the new museum/exhibition is the lack of the "Clyde Room" as it was known in the old museum. As for loco placement, pfffftttt.....

[Legend]

Agree it’s a glamour museum. My pet hate is the cars positioned on plinths going up the wall that you really can’t see . As already observed I think the Caley 123 is obscured on one side , but you should be able to get right up to it on the other side, from memory. The same with Glen Douglas . It is a nice museum and worth a visit ,but as I said more glamourous than functional. Exhibits are crammed together and sight lines not easy.

[Dava]

Zaha Hadid, the late architect who designed the Riverside Museum, is so celebrated for her achievements that it is hazardous to make any criticism of her work. Architects and students can be very protective about their heroes...I won't say more.

 

I remember the original Glasgow transport museum in Coplawhill tramcar works and liked it very much, Kelvin Hall was good too, I don't disagree with the comments above. The Scottish locos, especially Caley 123, and the tramcars, and the maritime models from the Clyde Room, are unique and very precious creations of Scotland's industrial prime in the 19-20th centuries. At least there is the river and the Waverley passing from time to time.

 

There is the Scottish Railway Museum at Bo'Ness, and a brave 'Sodger' and other fine exhibits there, with 249 'Morayshire' back next year, Caley 419 and Maude. They do an excellent breakfast and real steam trains. Go compare....

[Dave John]

If you are visiting the museum walk out from the city centre and along the edge of the exhibition centre. The big stone wall supporting the railway is worth a look for its sheer scale. To the north of the museum the railway crosses the Kelvin. Nice girder bridge. The Kelvin was effectively culverted by the construction of Partick Central for the L&D in the 1890s. As a very early mass concrete structure it is worthy of examination. 

 

As to the museum itself. Hmm. If I start commenting I will say something which would be thought of as distinctly politically incorrect. Really, probably one of the best model ship collections in the world and most of it is in storage? 

 

I must shut up before I say something like " its naff and laid out by folk who have never worked on a railway locomotive or a ship and would phone the AA to change a wheel on a car" No honestly I didn't say that ......... 

[60159]

Glasgow transport museum - if I can summarise the views above which correspond to my own, I'd say it was truly awful, or to use the technical term "crap"!

 

Daddyman, if you need Bo'ness info, let me know

[vitalspark]

Hello, 

I'm hoping to get to Glasgow Transport Museum next week. This will depend on the weather (snow and ice preventing driving) and work. Assuming it happens, would anyone like me to take photos or even a limited number of measurements of any of the locos (only)? (Always assuming I can get near enough.) 

 

I've often thought "If only I knew someone who could go to Bo'ness/York/etc for me" so if you feel that way about GTM, let me know! 

 

I'm going to measure the coupling-rod splashers on the Glen, as the PDK kit, the RM drawing and the Isinglass drawing all disagree. I'm also planning to photograph the loco to within an inch of its life. 

 

Again, I stress, I'm hoping to go. 

 

If you are attending Modelrail at the SEC in a couple of weeks the free vintage bus that runs from George square and Central station goes direct to the SEC for the exhibition then calls round at the Museum before returning to the city.

 

Attend the exhibition then hop on the bus to continue to the museum.

 

Even if the museum dissapoints your run back into Glasgow on a 1960s AEC Regent will make it all worthwhile.

 

Dave. 

[Daddyman]

Glasgow transport museum - if I can summarise the views above which correspond to my own, I'd say it was truly awful, or to use the technical term "crap"!

 

Daddyman, if you need Bo'ness info, let me know

Kind of you, but I think I have all I need for the moment. Thanks! 

[Torper]

On the other hand........

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186534-d214166-Reviews-The_Riverside_Museum_of_Transport_and_Travel-Glasgow_Scotland.html

(2951 photos there as well).   Maybe it appeals more to families and the general public than to enthusiasts.

 

DT

Edited February 9, 2018 by Torper

[Legend]

Sorry, but you will have problems getting pictures. Riverside is working more as a crèche than a museum.

The stuff is crammed in and last time I was there there were displays all along one side of 123 with the other side partly concealed, everything below running plate, by the walk way! Don’t get me started on G&SW No9 which is poked out of a rat hole way up on the wall!

If you want to measure anything make sure you get permission from one of the attendants, some are very helpful and welcome a distraction while others can be worse than Russian border guards! Just what harm will a tape measure do?

Ian.

Ian, just in case you don’t know , there are plans for G&SWR tank in this months Railway Modeller

[Daddyman]

Got to the GTM today and got all the picture and all the measurements I needed. I deliberately pulled out the tape measure in front of three different guards and didn't get a squeak out of any of them. True, I had to swat a few kids out of the way, but what do you expect on the first (last?) Sunday of half-term. 

 

The access to the locos was far better than at either Shildon or Bo'ness. At the former, the tender of the D17 (which is unique) was completely blocked off on both sides, and I had to crawl under stock to get photos of one side of the loco. At Bo'ness all the locos are either blocked off by the viewing platform (J36, D40) or by "no entry" barriers (Y9), which I had to cross. At the GTM, by contrast, both sides of every loco are accessible, and at least one side of the tenders. I didn't see any "please do not touch" signs except on a Hillman Imp. Plus, there are viewing galleries from which you can look down on the Glen, 123 and 103 - extremely useful with those strange Scottish cab roofs. If you're going for panoramic "locos in the landscape" shots, this isn't the place - but for detail shots it's the best museum I've visited. 

 

Londontram, I have photos from every angle conceivable of 123. I tried to photograph it as if I was modelling it, so you should have all you need. There must be 30+shots. PM me and I'll see how we go about transferring them. 

[darrel]

Hate the new museum which according to one member of staff is not a transport museum, it's a social history museum with a transport theme. My reply to him would be unprintible here.

It has less floor space than the old museum less large objects and a load of junk which has nothing to do with transport or Glasgow, for example a stars wars stormtrooper. The design of the building is rubbish instead of being a stupid shape it could have been rectangular and had more floorspace inside. It's gift wrapping a turd.

The exhibits are badly displayed for example cars 40 foot up a wall where you cannot see them. The bikes upside down hanging from the roof

I better stop my rant now before I develop Tourettes

[Legend]

Its certainly a case of style over substance

[caradoc]

I visited the Museum for the first and so far only time last summer and I have to agree that it could be so much better. For a start, why is it so reluctant to call itself a Transport Museum ? Then, there are some nice exhibits, the trams in particular, and some good scenes such as the Glasgow street and the Subway, but for me the major glaring, if not criminal, omission, is the lack of even one car of a Class 303 Blue Train; Built in Scotland and worked in Scotland, most of them for their entire life. They were a major part of the transport and indeed (to keep the Museum's management interested) social life of Glasgow and the West of Scotland for around 40 years.  

[Legend]

I visited the Museum for the first and so far only time last summer and I have to agree that it could be so much better. For a start, why is it so reluctant to call itself a Transport Museum ? Then, there are some nice exhibits, the trams in particular, and some good scenes such as the Glasgow street and the Subway, but for me the major glaring, if not criminal, omission, is the lack of even one car of a Class 303 Blue Train; Built in Scotland and worked in Scotland, most of them for their entire life. They were a major part of the transport and indeed (to keep the Museum's management interested) social life of Glasgow and the West of Scotland for around 40 years.

 

Agree . There is a unit at Summerlee which i think is out in open, a driving Coach from that restored to its original Blue train status would be an important contribution to transport in Glasgow for 40 years. But they have no space. Or the may get it and mount it perpendicularly on outside of building. That would be trendy! For that reason its called Riverside Museum , Transport Museum is not trendy enough . It is still a nice place to visit , though, even with its limitations.

[Redkiterail]

a 303 emu is persevered on the bo'ness and kinneil railway

[Judge Dread]

Glasgow transport museum - if I can summarise the views above which correspond to my own, I'd say it was truly awful, or to use the technical term "crap"!

 

 

 

I must agree here, the one aspect that made me not like what I saw was the number of vehicles and motorcycles with flat tyres. I don't think management realises many of them have tyres which are long out of production and will be very expensive to replace. "A stitch in time saves nine" etc etc.  

[ScRSG]

I visited the Museum for the first and so far only time last summer and I have to agree that it could be so much better. For a start, why is it so reluctant to call itself a Transport Museum ? Then, there are some nice exhibits, the trams in particular, and some good scenes such as the Glasgow street and the Subway, but for me the major glaring, if not criminal, omission, is the lack of even one car of a Class 303 Blue Train; Built in Scotland and worked in Scotland, most of them for their entire life. They were a major part of the transport and indeed (to keep the Museum's management interested) social life of Glasgow and the West of Scotland for around 40 years.

Even worse is the fact, I believe, that they were offered 46242 City of Glasgow and turned it down!

[pete_mcfarlane]

Hate the new museum which according to one member of staff is not a transport museum, it's a social history museum with a transport theme. 

But it's a pretty awful social history museum.

 

Sticking a placard next to a tram saying that trams were used by people going out on a Saturday night (as they've done) doesn't really make you a social history museum. A social history museum would provide a detailed explanation of how electric tramways shaped the suburbs, allowed people to move around more,  and generally changed people's lives. 

[luckymucklebackit]

If you are travelling a distance them your timing is poor, had you come the following week  (on the Friday, Saturday or Sunday) then Model Rail Scotland is on at the exhibition centre, this is within walking distance of the museum and the organisers are running a vintage bus between the City Centre and the Riverside Museum via the SECC.

 

Jim