Industries come and industries go. But one persistent thread through York's industrial heritage is train building. That has given us a rich past, a thriving present and the prospect of an exciting future.

In its heyday, York Carriageworks was one of the city's major employers. Train building can be traced back to the 1840s in York. It struggled through decades of thinning order books and changes of ownership, fighting to a bitter end.

That was why the closure announcement by ABB in 1995 was so hard to bear.

Fortunately, Thrall Europa has brought carriage building back to York and the city's crucial role in this industry has not been confined to the history books.

A proposed new public arts project on a one-hectare section of the former ABB carriageworks off Holgate Road is crucial to the city. With, hopefully, lottery funding the scheme will rightfully celebrate the industry's past and its optimism for the future.

see NEWS 'Carriageworks art 'should reflect future, too' '

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.