Crewe Heritage Centre is a railway museum located in Crewe, England. Managed by the Crewe Heritage Trust, the museum is located between the railway station and the town centre; the site was the location of the 'Old Works' which was demolished in the early 1980s.
The centre was established in the old London, Midland and Scottish Railway yard, which was once part of Crewe Works, between the junction to Chester and the West Coast Main Line. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, on 24 July 1987.[1] It was renamed in 1992 as Crewe Railway Age by the owning registered charity[2] but, after the management of the centre was taken over by a new group of volunteers, the museum returned to its original name of Crewe Heritage Centre in early 2008.[3]
Exhibits
The centre has a series of exhibits, ranging from the only surviving APT-P train, miniature railways, three open signal boxes (Crewe Station A, Crewe North Junction and Exeter West) and a varied collection of standard gauge steam, diesel and electric locomotives, as well as occasional visiting locomotives. The Main Exhibition Hall features many artefacts and exhibits associated with Crewe, from its locomotive and carriage construction to its famous junction railway station. Brake Van rides are available to the public during special events.
Advanced Passenger Train
APT No.370 003/006 at Crewe Heritage Centre
Built by British Rail (BR) the 1970s and 1980s, this Class 370Advanced Passenger Train (APT) is the only surviving APT set. Numbered 370 003/006, it is open at all times with an occasional cafe run from the original buffet car (selected days only). The APT-P museum can be found inside one of the carriages, with photographs on display from the APT project. The set was tilted for the first time in preservation in 2013. In early 2018, an additional surviving APT powercar (M49006) arrived at the museum. It is displayed separately alongside the main set.
Miniature Railway
Constructed in 1992, the Crewe Heritage Centre Miniature Railway is a 600 metre long 184mm (7.25 in) gauge ride, the railway takes visitors on a trip from ‘Crewe Old Works’ station to ‘Spider Bridge’ station and the optional return journey. The railway includes a mixture of Steam, Petrol and Battery Electric locomotives; rides on this attraction are included in the museum admission price.
Exhibition Hall
The Heritage Centre is also home to a 1,000m2 Exhibition Hall, which doubles both as an event space and as the main museum building. It features displays and exhibits about the town of Crewe. During the 2018/19 closed season, the building underwent a light refurbishment; this included replacement of the original 1987 entrance doors and a full internal repaint.
Crewe Station 'A' Box in 1983.
Signal boxes
Crewe Station A: Open for display purposes, this box was moved onto the site after closure in 1985.
Crewe North Junction: Built in 1939 and designed to withstand the Luftwaffe bombs of World War II, the box is constructed out of concrete and has an 46 cm (18") thick roof and 38 cm (15") thick walls. Located between the West Coast Main Line and Crewe-Chester line, its location is perfect for viewing passing mainline trains. Demonstrations of how the box was used often take place and are linked to a simulator. In 1987, the building was extended to provide more room for the Heritage Centre, including a cafe and small shop, and to include a large U.S. model railway.
Levers of Exeter West signal box, as preserved at Crewe Heritage Centre
Exeter West: Used to control the split at Exeter between the Great Western Railway and the Southern Railway. With 131 levers, it was a Special Class A signal box, with only the best signalmen authorised to operate it. Since being rebuilt at Crewe, volunteers operate it on every weekend using a demonstration 1960s timetable; this includes the hectic Summer Saturday service, which saw famous expresses such as the Torbay Express, Atlantic Coast Express and the Cornishman.
Light Rail Vehicles
In 2021, former Manchester Metrolink T68 tram 1023 arrived on loan from the Heaton Park Tramway; the vehicle will stay until construction of a new depot at Heaton Park is completed to cater for it.
Locomotives
Both mainline and miniature railways operate on most weekends. The standard gauge railway uses either the Class 03 03073 or Class 47 D1842 (47192). A cylinder and Caprotti valve gear from the locomotive, Duke of Gloucester, forms part of a permanent display. There may also be occasional visiting locomotives. The centre has its own Depot Code, CQ, but only 87035 and 82118+12114 are officially classed as being a resident of this depot.
British Rail Class 87 87035 at Crewe Heritage Centre, before undergoing an exterior repaint into Virgin Trains livery.
86247 Cab
This cab was acquired in early 2020 by a private owner and moved on site as a permanent exhibit. 86247's number 2 end cab arrived at the centre in Europhoenix livery and has been restored to early 2000s condition externally in Anglia Railways livery, with the refitting of marker, tail and head lights.
Previously in its life, it was a demonstrator loco for the Bulgarian/Hungary exports of the class 86. Eventually it came into the hands of Freightliner for spares recovery after it was not exported. In 2015, it was cut up at Crewe Basford Hall with both cabs at the time going to the South Wales Loco Cab Preservation Group.
^"Our Storey". Crewe Heritage Centre. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
^ ab"Attractions". Crewe Heritage Centre. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
Further reading
Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2012). Stafford to Chester. West Sussex: Middleton Press. figs. 73-75. ISBN9781908174345. OCLC 830024480.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crewe Heritage Centre.
Official website
January 07, 2023
crewe, heritage, centre, coordinates, 0946, 43818, 0946, 43818, railway, museum, located, crewe, england, managed, crewe, heritage, trust, museum, located, between, railway, station, town, centre, site, location, works, which, demolished, early, 1980s, track, . Coordinates 53 05 41 N 2 26 17 W 53 0946 N 2 43818 W 53 0946 2 43818 Crewe Heritage Centre is a railway museum located in Crewe England Managed by the Crewe Heritage Trust the museum is located between the railway station and the town centre the site was the location of the Old Works which was demolished in the early 1980s The Crewe Heritage Centre Get On Track For A Great Day Out Former nameCrewe Railway AgeEstablished24 July 1987 35 years ago 1987 07 24 LocationVernon Way Crewe Cheshire EnglandTypeRailway museumVisitorsc30 000 annuallyChairpersonGordon HeddonOwnerCrewe Heritage Trust LimitedWebsitehttps www crewehc co uk Contents 1 History 2 Exhibits 2 1 Advanced Passenger Train 2 2 Miniature Railway 2 3 Exhibition Hall 2 4 Signal boxes 2 5 Light Rail Vehicles 2 6 Locomotives 2 7 86247 Cab 3 Locomotives and rolling stock 4 See also 5 Distinguish from 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksHistory EditThe centre was established in the old London Midland and Scottish Railway yard which was once part of Crewe Works between the junction to Chester and the West Coast Main Line It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh on 24 July 1987 1 It was renamed in 1992 as Crewe Railway Age by the owning registered charity 2 but after the management of the centre was taken over by a new group of volunteers the museum returned to its original name of Crewe Heritage Centre in early 2008 3 Exhibits EditThe centre has a series of exhibits ranging from the only surviving APT P train miniature railways three open signal boxes Crewe Station A Crewe North Junction and Exeter West and a varied collection of standard gauge steam diesel and electric locomotives as well as occasional visiting locomotives The Main Exhibition Hall features many artefacts and exhibits associated with Crewe from its locomotive and carriage construction to its famous junction railway station Brake Van rides are available to the public during special events Advanced Passenger Train Edit APT No 370 003 006 at Crewe Heritage Centre Built by British Rail BR the 1970s and 1980s this Class 370 Advanced Passenger Train APT is the only surviving APT set Numbered 370 003 006 it is open at all times with an occasional cafe run from the original buffet car selected days only The APT P museum can be found inside one of the carriages with photographs on display from the APT project The set was tilted for the first time in preservation in 2013 In early 2018 an additional surviving APT powercar M49006 arrived at the museum It is displayed separately alongside the main set Miniature Railway Edit Constructed in 1992 the Crewe Heritage Centre Miniature Railway is a 600 metre long 184mm 7 25 in gauge ride the railway takes visitors on a trip from Crewe Old Works station to Spider Bridge station and the optional return journey The railway includes a mixture of Steam Petrol and Battery Electric locomotives rides on this attraction are included in the museum admission price Exhibition Hall Edit The Heritage Centre is also home to a 1 000m2 Exhibition Hall which doubles both as an event space and as the main museum building It features displays and exhibits about the town of Crewe During the 2018 19 closed season the building underwent a light refurbishment this included replacement of the original 1987 entrance doors and a full internal repaint Crewe Station A Box in 1983 Signal boxes Edit Crewe Station A Open for display purposes this box was moved onto the site after closure in 1985 Crewe North Junction Built in 1939 and designed to withstand the Luftwaffe bombs of World War II the box is constructed out of concrete and has an 46 cm 18 thick roof and 38 cm 15 thick walls Located between the West Coast Main Line and Crewe Chester line its location is perfect for viewing passing mainline trains Demonstrations of how the box was used often take place and are linked to a simulator In 1987 the building was extended to provide more room for the Heritage Centre including a cafe and small shop and to include a large U S model railway Levers of Exeter West signal box as preserved at Crewe Heritage Centre Exeter West Used to control the split at Exeter between the Great Western Railway and the Southern Railway With 131 levers it was a Special Class A signal box with only the best signalmen authorised to operate it Since being rebuilt at Crewe volunteers operate it on every weekend using a demonstration 1960s timetable this includes the hectic Summer Saturday service which saw famous expresses such as the Torbay Express Atlantic Coast Express and the Cornishman Light Rail Vehicles Edit In 2021 former Manchester Metrolink T68 tram 1023 arrived on loan from the Heaton Park Tramway the vehicle will stay until construction of a new depot at Heaton Park is completed to cater for it Locomotives Edit Both mainline and miniature railways operate on most weekends The standard gauge railway uses either the Class 03 03073 or Class 47 D1842 47192 A cylinder and Caprotti valve gear from the locomotive Duke of Gloucester forms part of a permanent display There may also be occasional visiting locomotives The centre has its own Depot Code CQ but only 87035 and 82118 12114 are officially classed as being a resident of this depot British Rail Class 87 87035 at Crewe Heritage Centre before undergoing an exterior repaint into Virgin Trains livery 86247 Cab Edit This cab was acquired in early 2020 by a private owner and moved on site as a permanent exhibit 86247 s number 2 end cab arrived at the centre in Europhoenix livery and has been restored to early 2000s condition externally in Anglia Railways livery with the refitting of marker tail and head lights Previously in its life it was a demonstrator loco for the Bulgarian Hungary exports of the class 86 Eventually it came into the hands of Freightliner for spares recovery after it was not exported In 2015 it was cut up at Crewe Basford Hall with both cabs at the time going to the South Wales Loco Cab Preservation Group Locomotives and rolling stock EditClass Number Pictures of the same similar exhibits Previous Number Built Owner Type Livery StatusAnsaldoBreda T 68 1023 A similar example in use on the Metrolink network in Manchester N A 1991 Heaton Park Tramway Light Rail vehicle Metrolink blue white amp grey Static exhibitBritish Rail Class 03 03 073 A similar example to the one at CHC D2073 1959 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel shunter BR Blue In useBritish Rail Class 37 37 108 The livery 37108 is currently in D6808 1961 Private owner Diesel locomotive BR Blue Static exhibit37 423 D6996 37296 1965 Direct Rail Services Diesel locomotive DRS Blue Static exhibition On loan from DRS 4 British Rail Class 43 HST 43 018 43018 has been repainted and restored into the old timeless classic BR Blue livery and has even had the original headlight configuration installed N A 1976 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel locomotive BR Blue Under restoration43 081 The livery 43081 is in now It is NOT currently scheduled for a repaint into a heritage livery just yet N A 1978 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel locomotive East Midlands Trains logo removed Working exhibitBritish Rail Class 47 47 192 The livery 47192 graces after her recent overhaul D1842 1965 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel locomotive BR Green Working exhibit currently on loan to the Weardale Railway 4 British Rail Class 86 86 622 E3174 86022 86422 1966 Freightliner Electric AC locomotive Freightliner Powerhaul Static exhibit on long term loanBritish Rail Class 87 87 035 87035 Robert Burns at Crewe Heritage Centre She was repainted into Virgin Trains West Coast livery in 2021 N A 1974 Crewe Heritage Trust Electric AC locomotive Virgin Trains Static exhibitBritish Rail Class 91 91 120 91020 1990 Europhoenix Electric AC locomotive Europhoenix Static exhibit on long term loanBritish Rail Class 370 370 003 006 The APT at Crewe Heritage Centre N A 1980 Crewe Heritage Trust Electric AC multiple unit InterCity Static exhibitMark 3B Driving Van Trailer 82118 A DVT sporting the same livery as 82118 although it no longer has the Greater Anglia lettering and stainless steel light surrounds N A 1988 Crewe Heritage Trust Driving Van Trailer ex Greater Anglia Under restorationMark 3A TSO 12114 A similar example to TS0 12114 N A 1975 1984 Crewe Heritage Trust Standard Open Coach ex Greater Anglia Under restorationSee also Edit Cheshire portalList of museums in CheshireDistinguish from EditCrewe Railroad Museum in Crewe Virginia USAReferences Edit History Crewe Town Retrieved 12 February 2021 CREWE HERITAGE TRUST registered charity no 1011961 Charity Commission for England and Wales Our Storey Crewe Heritage Centre Retrieved 12 February 2021 a b Attractions Crewe Heritage Centre Retrieved 24 August 2022 Further reading EditMitchell Vic Smith Keith 2012 Stafford to Chester West Sussex Middleton Press figs 73 75 ISBN 9781908174345 OCLC 830024480 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crewe Heritage Centre Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Crewe Heritage Centre amp oldid 1126900186, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
