Glenfinnan Station Museum has been awarded £15,000 by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) to make permanent a railway snowplough exhibition highlighting the impact of climate change on rail operations.
The current display is to be turned into an open-air exhibition area which will explain clearance methods of the past in the context of Scotland’s current and future climate change.
To emphasise the urgency of climate action and to keep electricity costs down, the exhibition will be powered by solar panels mounted onto the roof of the plough.
Hege Hernæs, the museum’s curator, said: "We are over the moon MGS has appreciated the opportunities that our snowplough represents.
“Snowploughing in the west Highlands is now more or less a thing of the past, with heavy rain posing the greatest risk to rail operations.
“It is important for us to interpret and demonstrate the working practices of old but, as a small museum, we need to be imaginative with the space we have available.”
The museum’s permanent exhibition is housed in the main station building and signal box, where there is no space to display large artefacts such as hand tools that were traditionally used to keep the railway track safe for trains. The new exhibition will address these issues.
Lucy Neville, climate officer at MGS, added: “We’re delighted to support this creative approach to engaging visitors with the impacts of climate change, whilst showcasing more of the museum’s collection in an accessible and sustainable format.
“The exhibition will help to explain the local impact of the global climate crisis and preserve historic practices of the past.”
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