Alstom is to open its Glasgow Traincare Centre to visitors on Sunday, 12 October to celebrate the depot’s 150th anniversary.
The visit will be part of a weekend railtour from Derby.
Polmadie Depot last opened to the public in 2000. The facility, now run by Alstom, is located about two miles south-east of Glasgow Central railway station.
It is currently the main base of the Caledonian Sleeper service, where more than one hundred workers clean and maintain the trains.
It has also been the base for the upgrading of ScotRail trains and some of the maintenance work on TransPennine Express’s Class 397s.
Polmadie Depot originally opened as Polmadie Shed on 16 September 1875 by the Caledonian Railway Company. It was later rebuilt and extended to enable it to maintain steam locomotives and rolling stock.
The Depot now looks after around 17 trains per day. These include Avanti West Coast’s fleet of Class 390 Pendolinos, which Alstom built.
Polmadie Depot 18 and 19 Roads, late 1960s // Credit: Colin Duncan
The visit to the depot will start with a journey by shuttle bus from Glasgow Central. On arrival, visitors will view what Alstom calls “a unique lineup of rolling stock that has been based at the depot over the last 150 years”.
Locomotives on view will include a Class 37 from the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), a Freightliner Class 90, Polmadie’s Class 08 locomotives, a Class 99, a Class 92, a Class 73/9 and a Class 66 (the last four courtesy of GB Railfreight).
Caledonian Sleeper will open several of its Mark 5 coaches to view. The overnight Sleeper service has run between various locations in Scotland and London via the West Coast Main Line since 1873.
There will also be hands-on activities and demonstrations of the latest rail simulation technology.
The day before Polmadie’s open day, a passenger train will visit the facility for the first time. The charter service is being organised by the Branch Line Society, and will be hauled by two RailAdventure Class 43 locomotives, with Derby-built Mark 3 coaches from 125 Group. Passengers will be able to board the charter at Alstom’s Derby train factory. At Polmadie, the unit will be shunted along multiple depot tracks by the depot’s resident Class 08 locomotives, 08451, 08696 and 08954.
The railtour, which is called ‘To the Birthplace and the Backbone’, will call at Derby, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Lancaster and Motherwell, and then on to Polmadie Depot. It will return passengers to Derby Litchurch Lane Works (which will celebrate its 150th birthday next year) the following day.
‘Backbone’ refers to Glasgow being the northern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, which is Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway.
Polmadie Depot 1940s-1950s // Credit: Colin Duncan
Rail enthusiasts will also have the chance to visit Railway 200’s exhibition train, Inspiration, when it is stationed in Glasgow Central on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 October.
Tickets for Polmadie 150 cost from £150 per person (including the railtour) will be available to buy from 7pm BST this evening (Tuesday 9 September) via the Branch Line Society. Admission to Alstom’s Glasgow Traincare Centre open day on Sunday 12 October is only available in conjunction with the round-trip railtour ticket for Saturday 11 October and Sunday 12 October.
Profits will be given to Glasgow Traincare Centre’s two chosen charities, The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre and the Railway Children’s Glasgow Project.
“For 150 years, Polmadie has continuously been a home to dedicated maintenance staff and train drivers that in turn have proudly served passengers and freight across Scotland and along the West Coast Main Line. It’s a privilege to celebrate this milestone with enthusiasts and the local community, and showcase the incredible legacy of rail in Scotland.
“Polmadie is more than just a depot – it’s a symbol of engineering excellence and commitment to keeping Britain moving. We’re proud to open our doors and share this heritage with the public, while inspiring the next generation to help us shape the future of rail.”
Rob Whyte, Managing Director UK and Ireland at Alstom