1931 Railway Bridge Replacement at Glasgow Road

A great photo from 1931, showing the Railway Bridge being replaced over Glasgow Road, Low Blantyre.

The photo is taken from roughly where the EK Expressway is now and you can see Glasgow Road running from left to right in the picture. The large crane in the background would be sitting roughly where LIDL is now. To the far right, you can just make out the row of cottages, which still exist today on an upper elevation about Glasgow Road, directly across from Springwells.

Between 1931 and 1935, Blantyre’s railway bridges were replaced. Little did contractors William Arroll realise than the bridges would only serve their purpose for another few decades, before being removed entirely throughout the town. The existing iron bridges were demolished and removed and new iron bridges of a stronger design, installed.

In the foreground of this photo you can just make out the workers welfare hut.