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You can buy an old Glasgow subway carriage for just £5,000

The 44-year-old subway cars are being retired after four decades of service – and one could be yours

Annie McNamee
Written by
Annie McNamee
Contributor, Time Out London and UK
Glasgow Subway
Photograph: Alex Liivet / Wikimedia Commons
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What if we told you that you – yes, you – could own your very own iconic piece of UK transport history? And better yet, it’ll only cost £5,000. A steal, eh?

Glasgow’s subway had a makeover this year in the form of brand new state-of-the-art (almost catching up with London) coaches across the network, putting the old stock out of work. Now, those 40-year-old train cars are looking for new employment, and there are some currently several on sale for £5,000 each, or free for charities and nonprofits.

Stadler, which manufactured the metal beasts, says that there’s loads of potential as to what can be done with them. The Riverside Museum, Glasgow’s transport museum, has already secured one, but a spokesperson for Stadler says it hopes the low price point will ‘mean that one or two further carriages are available for the general public to see, promoting the city’s rich history and culture.’

Ben Denton-Cardew, the man currently searching for buyers, told the BBC that there are plenty of ways to put the carriages to good use: ‘We’ve talked about glamping pods before, we’ve talked about reuse as cafes, as community hubs or even art studios as former train carriages have been in London before.’

‘We’d really, really like it if anyone in the Glasgow region would like to save one and keep it local. That would really be brilliant,’ he continued.

So if you’re in the mood to start a brand new train-based business, this could really be your lucky day. All you need is five grand and a dream. What could go wrong?

Heading to Glasgow?

While you’re picking up your brand new underground car, it’s worth sticking around and exploring Glasgow a bit. There’s loads to do in the city, from great restaurants and bars to gorgeous museums and galleries.

Did you see that this major English city is getting a massive new tram network?

Plus: Northern England is getting new east-to-west high-speed train routes.

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