Germiston/Garngad tunnels, tardis, tower, quarry

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Germiston/Garngad tunnels, tardis, tower, quarry

Postby germistonguy » Sun Dec 29, 2002 3:37 am

Hello my first post here. I grew up in Germiston/Garngad over 25 years ago, now in England. I noticed obvious changes in recent visits. More curious about what was there rather than what is 'hidden' I heard the gasworks are to be no more? Is this worthy of investigation/taking photographic records? There is/was a semicircular tunnel running from Darnick Street under Germiston to gasworks. Portal may now be partly filled in? A quarry area called "the gemmy". May now be an industrial estate. There was a small tower there on the gemmy between Royston Road and small Railway track, what was tower used for? There was/is an old abandoned? road/path runs across gas works from Royston Road to Blochairn Road with [i]old [/i]sign referring to workers cottages. Does anyone remember cottages on Gemmy which caught fire late 60s early 70s. There was an old piggery next to railway line and a railway cottage up on Royston Road bridge, on opposite side from what would have been Garngad station [b]MANY [/b]years ago. Also on that spot by Glenconner park was a blue 'tardis' police box, now gone. Iam too far away to investigate/photograph this little corner of Glasgow. Anyone else fancy having a look round??
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Postby My Kitten » Sun Feb 15, 2004 9:48 pm

i remember the tunnel running from the bridge at darnick street. My gran lived in the flats there and i used to go wandering about and remember wanting to go into the tunnel but being a scardy cat didnt!. Its only recently that i discovered it linked to the gasworks - does anybody know if it still runs through - id be too scared to go through it - god knows what youd find lurking in there
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Postby james73 » Tue Feb 17, 2004 3:22 pm

I know the tunnel you mean. As far as I know, the entrance at the
Germiston side is still there, and still visible I think. The entrance on
the south side of Royston Road - I dont know if it's still there, or even if
it's visible. I think the area around the tunnel entrance may have
been "landscaped." I recall, in the mid-late 1980's seeing diesel
locomotives (class 26's or 27's?) in there, but they came in and out via
the other way in, the siding at the end of Forge Street, next to the wee
fitba ground.

The area of 'The Piggery' has now been infilled with the Springburn to
Bellgrove line left with an embankment at both sides now. On Jim Howie's
rail site (http://www.jhowie.force9.co.uk/crossrail.htm) he suggests
a line linking the Cumbernauld line directly to Alexandra Parade via a
'Garngad Chord' - this idea has been mentioned by SPT themselves
as part of the benefits of Glasgow Crossrail. Obviously, this would mean
digging out all the infill at the piggery, but it would also mean a whole lot
earth moving of the original embankment at the area where the piggery
ended.



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Last edited by james73 on Tue Feb 17, 2004 6:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby My Kitten » Tue Feb 17, 2004 4:37 pm

Thanks James, thought I was havering a bit with the old memory. :)

Does anyone know anything about the grass at the Royston Road side of the gasworks. I remember standing there and seeing what looked like the remains of entrance walls to houses. Not been down that way for years though so it might be gone now.
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Postby james73 » Tue Feb 17, 2004 6:05 pm

emmar wrote:Does anyone know anything about the grass at the Royston Road side of the gasworks. I remember standing there and seeing what looked like the remains of entrance walls to houses. Not been down that way for years though so it might be gone now.


I think there may have been either tenements or industrial buildings
of some kind on that site. I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of that area
which showed something. IIRC, it was taken at the top of Royston Road
looking down the hill with the buildings on the left hand side.



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Postby DVF » Wed Feb 18, 2004 9:18 am

Have a look at this:
http://www.dvfx.co.uk/graphics/getimage.jpg

At the writing VI 7.15 there is a tunnel. Is this the one you mean? You'll notice the line from it goes down to Garngad Station. Darnick Street is at Eclipse works.

Thanks,

David.
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Postby My Kitten » Wed Feb 18, 2004 11:13 am

Thanks

Am I correct here, from what I can decipher the line above the V1.7.15 would be the Cumbernauld line with the branch going off to Barnhill and the track with Garngad station being the one that goes onto Alexandra Parade? this would mean the line going through the 15 being the line the runs to the gasworks, through the tunnel at what used to be the flats at Coll Place?

I didnt know there was a Garngad Station, would this have been near where the junction is with Blochairn Road?
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Postby james73 » Wed Feb 18, 2004 11:15 am

DVF wrote:Have a look at this:
http://www.dvfx.co.uk/graphics/getimage.jpg

At the writing VI 7.15 there is a tunnel. Is this the one you mean?


No - you want to go slightly to the east of that picture. The tunnel
that's in that picture is the still-in-use Springburn to Bellgrove section.



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Postby james73 » Wed Feb 18, 2004 11:40 am

emmar wrote:Thanks

Am I correct here, from what I can decipher the line above the V1.7.15 would be the Cumbernauld line with the branch going off to Barnhill and the track with Garngad station being the one that goes onto Alexandra Parade?


Correct.



emmar wrote:this would mean the line going through the 15 being the line the runs to the gasworks, through the tunnel at what used to be the flats at Coll Place?


No - the line you're referring to did go into the gasworks, but it went in
via the cutting at the end of Forge Street, next to the junction with
Broomfield Road. The cutting was filled-in in the late 1980's though I'm
certain the line was still there at least until 1986.

The tunnel you mention, and it's associated track, is not shown at all in
that picture. It branched right from Garngad Station, passed 'The Piggery,'
before passing under Darnick Street and into the curving tunnel.



emmar wrote:I didnt know there was a Garngad Station, would this have been near where the junction is with Blochairn Road?


No, it was at the Royston Road bridge. I think it closed in the 1930's
or so. I've always thought it daft that it was never re-opened - it
has a large catchment area.



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Postby germistonguy » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:38 am

emmar wrote:i remember the tunnel running from the bridge at darnick street. My gran lived in the flats there and i used to go wandering about and remember wanting to go into the tunnel but being a scardy cat didnt!. Its only recently that i discovered it linked to the gasworks - does anybody know if it still runs through - id be too scared to go through it - god knows what youd find lurking in there


I walked this tunnel from Darnick street end to gasworks in the 1970s when I was a wee boy. The tunnel mouth was a great playground for the local kids, lots of interesting rubbish lying around. I was egged on and dragged a stick along the inside wall so as not too wander around in circles. Gasworks end was bricked up apart from a small hole just big enough to get through. Came out in a very industrial landscape, and realizing I shouldn't be there ran along a rail line which brought me out at the 'Gemmy'. On last visit to glasgow, went to darnick st. the trackbed has been filled in at tunnel entrance, so you now go down into the tunnel mouth, which is now a boggy innaccessible mess (might have some pictures somewhere). I understand the gasworks end of the tunnel has been buried and can't be seen. Any knowledge?
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Postby germistonguy » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:44 am

emmar wrote:Thanks James, thought I was havering a bit with the old memory. :)

Does anyone know anything about the grass at the Royston Road side of the gasworks. I remember standing there and seeing what looked like the remains of entrance walls to houses. Not been down that way for years though so it might be gone now.


I imagine what you are mean are the cottages I refer to in my original post which I vaguely remember were burned down late 60s early 70s. On my last visit to Glasgow I noticed gaps in the wall and some steps which may have led up to these. I would like to know if anyone else remembers these cottages and them going up in flames?
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Postby My Kitten » Tue Feb 24, 2004 10:08 pm

That sounds like what I must remember seeing. I would've been there late 70's and it looked like what had been there had been gone a long time. The grass was pretty well grown over by then.
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Postby germistonguy » Wed Feb 25, 2004 2:18 am

emmar wrote:i remember the tunnel running from the bridge at darnick street. My gran lived in the flats there and i used to go wandering about and remember wanting to go into the tunnel but being a scardy cat didnt!. Its only recently that i discovered it linked to the gasworks - does anybody know if it still runs through - id be too scared to go through it - god knows what youd find lurking in there


Here are some pictures I took a couple of years ago

Image
The filled in trackbed

Image
closer view to tunnel mouth

Image
A view from the railings above the tunnel entrance. This rail did NOT exist when I was a child. The local children used to sit on its edge, dangling little legs over without a care.
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Postby germistonguy » Wed Feb 25, 2004 2:35 am

germistonguy wrote:
emmar wrote:Thanks James, thought I was havering a bit with the old memory. :)

Does anyone know anything about the grass at the Royston Road side of the gasworks. I remember standing there and seeing what looked like the remains of entrance walls to houses. Not been down that way for years though so it might be gone now.


I imagine what you are mean are the cottages I refer to in my original post which I vaguely remember were burned down late 60s early 70s. On my last visit to Glasgow I noticed gaps in the wall and some steps which may have led up to these. I would like to know if anyone else remembers these cottages and them going up in flames?


Here is a selection of photos taken from the grassy area (known as the gemmy) variously looking to Royston Road and vice versa. You can see the wall running alongside the gemmy and entrances at intervals suggesting houses were here. My memory isn't great as I must have been about five or six, but I am sure there were houses there which burned down. They were either wee single storey cottages or may have been prefabs (which I imagine don't burn too easily). In the last photo there is a dookit to the very far right

Image

Image
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Postby My Kitten » Mon Mar 01, 2004 8:05 pm

At least you had the nerve to go in, i was too much of a mammies girl, too scared to go in but I remember being really intrigued by it all.

Would be good to see some picture.
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