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The Straw Locomotive
The Straw Locomotive
The Straw Locomotive
The Straw Locomotive
The Straw Locomotive

© George Wyllie Estate. Image credit: The George Wyllie Estate

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The 'Straw Locomotive' of 1987 symbolised Glasgow at its energetic best during an era when 18,000 locomotives were exported to 43 countries worldwide. Funded by TSWA–3D for site-specific artworks, it was the first of Wyllie’s ambitious street theatres. Built full-scale, with a steel frame chassis covered with wire mesh and stuffed with straw, it was driven through Glasgow on the back of a low-loader before being suspended from the Finnieston crane where it was suspended for six weeks waiting for a ship that never came.

It had a huge emotional impact on the crowd, many of whom remembered the original locomotives, and it was commented that: 'It’s easier to get straw in Glasgow than to get a locomotive'. Afterwards, to the sound of a piped lament, it was ceremoniously set alight, marking the death of the city’s heavy industry.

The George Wyllie Archive

Edinburgh

Title

The Straw Locomotive

Date

1987

Medium

straw & steel

Measurements

H 12200 x W 400 x D 400 cm (E)

Accession number

gw2112

Work type

Sculpture

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The George Wyllie Archive

Edinburgh, Edinburgh Scotland

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