Bringing home the Barclay

(First published in Dunaskin News, February 2002)

In the spring of 2001 Hunslet-Barclay, locomotive manufacturers in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire contacted Glasgow University Archive Services to notify us that they were moving offices. A not uncommon occurrence, and one that often brings to light material of historical importance, particularly if the office has been in continuous use for nearly 100 years as Hunslet-Barclay’s had been. Though Andrew Barclay & Sons Ltd has been part of the Hunslet Group since 1989, it retains the distinction of being the oldest surviving locomotive manufacturer in the world.

Andrew Barclay & Sons Ltd had previously deposited material the University of Glasgow in 1976-1977. This considerable collection had included many technical records of the Glasgow based North British Locomotive Company Limited (NBL), the ‘goodwill’ of which had passed to Andrew Barclay on its demise in 1962. At that time, over 150 linear metres of locomotive plans, financial and production records dating from the 1890s to the 1950s were handed over to the University for academic research and public access.

On first inspection the material still held in the Kilmarnock offices of Hunslet-Barclay appeared only to comprise drawings and production records of electric and diesel locomotives built by NBL in the 1950s. However, a second visit, revealed Andrew Barclay steam locomotive drawings, as well as material from Hugh Smith Ltd, a Kilmarnock machine tool manufacturer also part of the Hunslet-Barclay group. These records had been purposely retained by the company in the 1970s, primarily to protect continuing commercial interests.

Eventually we only had three weeks to prepare for the move. We were given a four day window of opportunity for the operation in September 2001. The staff were moving out on September 21st and the demolition workers were due in very quickly thereafter so the job would have to be undertaken at lightning speed whilst ensuring the safety of all staff involved. The move eventually took place from the 25-27th September.

The biggest problem was the quantity of items to be moved in a short time - potentially thousands of drawings with similar quantities of supporting papers. We were further hindered by the location in attic spaces within an old building accessible only by very winding narrow stairs. In the attics themselves, the low beams, layers of dust, and flocks of pigeons would not be conducive to rapid or pleasant working conditions for our team of movers. The health and safety of all those involved was of paramount concern.

In preparation for the removal of the material, it was clear that the expertise of the Ballast Trust would be useful. The Trust was set up in the late 1980s to carry out appraisal, listing and the temporary storage of large accumulations of technical records from engineering and other businesses in Scotland. Based at Johnstone, and run by Dr Bill Lind (an honorary graduate of the University of Glasgow), the Trust has been instrumental in enabling archive offices to have access to specialist skills and knowledge in technical records, which few professional archivists possess. Just as important, the Trust provides access to scarce accommodation in which large collections can be sorted.

Over the years the Trust has been involved in major listing work for many repositories such as the National Archives of Scotland, Glasgow City Archives and Borders Archive Service. Without the Trust it would have been impossible for us to store or list the Barclay records, as we do not currently have the space for appraising and sorting such large quantities of records. It was agreed that two members of their staff would join us to assist in the move and list and box the records at their facility in Renfrewshire. Many thanks to the Trust for their support of the Barclay project.

The work had been split into various operations for the move. The first was rolling and/or boxing the items and applying reference numbers. The second operation was carrying rolled and boxed material down the complicated series of stairs. The staff undertaking this task had to draw on every ounce of stamina, for although plans are in the main light they can be unwieldy and the production records were mostly heavy bound volumes. The third job was to load the van and drive it to the headquarters of the Ballast Trust for unloading. The initial operation took three days in all and resulted in the removal of six vanloads of archive material. Each load constituted something in the region of 1.5 tonnes of records and lots of aching muscles. As is the nature of these projects more material was discovered than was initially anticipated, but even this had been planned for.

Within three weeks a follow up visit was organised to remove the final material. Though this was first seen as a minor tidying up exercise, it eventually yielded another vanload of material. As the office and the adjacent factory were almost completely empty, it allowed every room to be searched for records of historical importance. Luckily some interesting early documentation including glass negatives and 1890s Andrew Barclay minute books were discovered at this late stage - not even the company staff knew these existed.

The retrieval of the records was completed successfully and with only a few paper cuts for the team involved. Unlike previous records rescue trips, no mummified creatures were found among the records, easing nerves considerably. The only creature encountered face to face was one pigeon dying in the Ladies loo.

All this important work was made much easier by the cheerful attitude of all those involved. The team of GUAS, Ballast Trust and Hunslet-Barclay staff worked extremely well together and achieved all the work in the allotted time. Special thanks also go to Bob Anger, Assistant Archivist of the Presbyterian Church of Canada, who volunteered to assist us with the move whilst on an exchange visit to Scotland. Finally, recognition must go to Hunslet-Barclay for realising that, as the oldest surviving locomotive manufacturer in the world, their archives are of international significance and therefore worthy of permanent preservation. A job well done by all involved.