No.123 was originally conceived as a display locomotive, to be shown off as the Caledonian Railways best at the 1886 International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art in Edinburgh. However, CR No.123 was more than just a pretty face.
This unique locomotive was less a pinnacle of all that could be achieved and more of a respectful tribute to the designs of a bygone era. The true reason for her designer, Mr Dugald Drummond’s decision to use the single-wheeled design is yet to be discovered, but when Neilson & Co. built CR No.123 in 1886 it became a beautiful sunset moment for the single-wheeler concept.
In 1965 CR No.123 finally retired, and was placed in the Glasgow Transport Museum (and then moved to the The Riverside Museum) where she remains to this day.