Looking back: Glasgow Central Station

Opened by the Caledonian Railway on 31 July 1879, Glasgow Central is Scotland’s largest and busiest railway station - boasting a rich history.

Glasgow Central Old Exchange: first multiple switchboard 1880-89.

Since it opened its doors in 1879, the station has grown from eight to 15 platforms.

It’s been the site of a supposed murder and a gas explosion. It even acted as a temporary mortuary during World War One.

During World War Two, the entire station was painted black to avoid catching the eye of the Luftwaffe - the plan worked well as the station was never hit.

The Blue Train leaves Glasgow Central railway station in May 1966.

But after the Blitz, the black paint proved impossible to remove.

It was only in 1998 that they finally started replacing every single pane.

Ten years after its opening, in 1890, the bridge over Argyle Street was widened to include a ninth platform.

From 1901 to 1905, the station was reconstructed by further extending the station over the Argyle Street to include 13 platforms.

A Freightliner container being loaded at Glasgow Central railway station in May 1966

The bridge over River Clyde was raised by 30in and expanded to include eight tracks.

In the 1980s, additional works were carried out on the high level station to replace the old train information office with an electro-mechanical destination board.

The station is also thought of in connection to the Great Train Robbery: an infamous mark on the station’s history, as the targeted train departed from Glasgow Central.

In 1932 Laurel and Hardy arrived at Central and were met by a crowd of 40,000 whistling the stars’ famous theme tune.

1957- 3-year-old Paul Flannigan sits on top of luggage ready to go.

Glasgow Central is also believed to be haunted.

A desperate man who lost his fortune in the Wall Street Crash is rumoured to have killed his wife for her life insurance money in the old boiler room.

For years, station staff were too terrified to go into the grain store, where they insisted they saw a ghostly thin woman with brown hair. And just last year The Ghost Club conducted a fruitful official investigation into the station’s alleged hauntings.

The original 1889 signal box was replaced with an electro-pneumatic power-operated box based on the Westinghouse system in 1907 and it opened on 5 April 1908.

The Victorian kiosk (left) at Glasgow Central railway station was due to be moved to make way for the electronic departures/arrivals board in January 1985.

Overhead power lines began to appear on the high-level platforms early 1960s.

Plans to electrify other routes, such as the Whifflet Line, as part of a scheme to improve rail services in Scotland, was completed in November 2014.