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The Crewe Heritage Centre
Crewe Heritage Centre Logo (2018 Updated).png
'Get On Track For A Great Day Out'
Former name Crewe Railway Age
Established 24 July 1987; 36 years ago (1987-07-24)
Location Vernon Way, Crewe, England
Type Railway museum
Visitors 30,000 Annually
Owner Crewe Heritage Trust Limited

Crewe Heritage Centre is a railway museum located in Crewe, England. Managed by the Crewe Heritage Trust, the museum is located between Crewe railway station and Crewe town centre; the site was the location of the 'Old Works' which was demolished in the early 1980s.

History

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, and was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, on 24 July 1987. It was renamed in 1992 as Crewe Railway Age by the owning registered charity, 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.

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 (8920678577)
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

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.

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.
Exeter West Frame (8921044794)
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

Former Manchester Metrolink T68 tram 1023 on loan from the Heaton Park Tramway from 2020, the vehicle will stay until construction of a new depot at Heaton Park 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 is officially classed as being a locomotive of this depot.

Class 87 (87035) in BR Blue Livery at Crewe Heritage Centre
British Rail Class 87 87035 at Crewe Heritage Centre, after recently undergoing an exterior repaint.

86247 Cab

Acquired in early 2020 by a private owner and moved on site as a permanent exhibit. 86247's number 2 end cab resides in Europhoenix livery and will be restored to early 2000's condition externally 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

Class Number Previous Number Built Owner Type Livery Status
AnsaldoBreda T-68 1023 N/A 1991 Heaton Park Tramway Light Rail Vehicle Metrolink White & Grey Static Exhibit
British Rail Class 03 03 073 D2073 1959 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel shunter BR Blue In Use
British Rail Class 37 37 108 D6808 1961 Private Owner Diesel locomotive BR Blue Static Exhibit
British Rail Class 43 (HST) 43 018 N/A 1976 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel locomotive First Great Western (Logo Removed) Under Restoration
British Rail Class 47 47 192 D1842 1965 Crewe Heritage Trust Diesel locomotive BR Green Working Exhibit
British Rail Class 87 87 035 N/A 1974 Crewe Heritage Trust Electric (AC) locomotive BR Blue Static Exhibit
British Rail Class 370 370 003/006 N/A 1980 Crewe Heritage Trust Electric (AC) multiple unit Inter-City Static Exhibit
Mark 3B Driving Van Trailer 82118 N/A 1988 Crewe Heritage Trust Control Car Ex-Greater Anglia Under Restoration
Mark 3A TSO 12114 N/A 1975-1984 Crewe Heritage Trust Standard Open Coach Ex-Greater Anglia Under Restoration

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