Crewe Heritage Centre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Crewe Heritage Centre

'Get On Track For A Great Day Out'
Former name	Crewe Railway Age
Established	24 July 1987; 37 years ago (1987-07-24)
Location	Vernon Way, Crewe, Cheshire, England
Type	Railway museum
Visitors	c30,000 annually
Owner	Crewe Heritage Trust Limited

The Crewe Heritage Centre is a cool railway museum in Crewe, England. It's run by the Crewe Heritage Trust. You can find it between the railway station and the town centre. This spot used to be where the 'Old Works' was, which was taken down in the early 1980s.

History of the Centre

The Crewe Heritage Centre was built in an old railway yard. This yard was once part of the famous Crewe Works. It sits between the railway line to Chester and the main West Coast Main Line.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh officially opened the centre. This special event happened on 24 July 1987. In 1992, the museum changed its name to Crewe Railway Age. But in early 2008, a new group of volunteers took over. They decided to change the name back to Crewe Heritage Centre.

What You Can See: Exhibits

The centre has many interesting things to explore. You can see a special train called the APT-P. There are also miniature railways for rides. Three old signal boxes are open to look inside. Plus, you'll find a collection of different trains. These include steam, diesel, and electric locomotives. Sometimes, other trains visit too!

The main Exhibition Hall shows many items linked to Crewe. These include things about building trains and the town's famous railway station. You can even take rides in a brake van during special events.

The Advanced Passenger Train (APT)

APT No.370 003/006 at Crewe Heritage Centre

The Advanced Passenger Train (APT) was built by British Rail in the 1970s and 1980s. This specific train, numbered 370 003/006, is the only one left. You can go inside it almost any time. Sometimes, there's even a cafe in the original buffet car.

Inside one of the carriages, you'll find an APT-P museum. It has photos from the APT project. In 2013, this train was tilted for the first time since it came to the museum. In 2018, another part of an APT train arrived. It's displayed next to the main set.

Miniature Railway Fun

The Crewe Heritage Centre Miniature Railway was built in 1992. It's 600 metres long and has a 184mm (7.25 inch) wide track. The railway takes visitors on a fun trip. You ride from 'Crewe Old Works' station to 'Spider Bridge' station. You can also take the return journey.

The railway uses different types of small trains. Some are steam, some are petrol, and some are electric. Rides on this miniature railway are included in your museum ticket!

The Main Exhibition Hall

The Heritage Centre also has a large Exhibition Hall. It's about 1,000 square metres in size. This hall is used for events and is also the main museum building. It has displays and exhibits that tell the story of the town of Crewe.

The building got a fresh look in 2018 and 2019. This included new entrance doors and a full repaint inside.

Exploring Signal Boxes

Signal boxes are special buildings where railway workers controlled train movements. The Crewe Heritage Centre has three old signal boxes you can explore.

• Crewe Station A: This signal box was moved to the site after it closed in 1985. You can go inside and see how it worked.
• Crewe North Junction: This box was built in 1939. It was made to be very strong, with thick concrete walls and roof. This was to protect it from bombs during World War II. It's in a great spot to watch trains on the main lines. You can often see demonstrations of how the box was used. These are linked to a simulator, so you can learn how signals were controlled.

Crewe Station 'A' Box in 1983.

• Exeter West:
  

  Levers of Exeter West signal box, as preserved at Crewe Heritage Centre
  This signal box used to control trains in Exeter. It had 131 levers, which is a lot! Only the best signalmen were allowed to operate it. Volunteers at Crewe operate it on weekends. They use a timetable from the 1960s to show how busy it was. This includes famous express trains like the Torbay Express.

Trains You Can See

The centre has a collection of different trains. Here's an example of one you might see:

Class	Number	Picture	Built	Owner	Type	Livery	Status
British Rail Class 47	47 192	The livery 47192 graces after its recent overhaul.	1965	Crewe Heritage Trust	Diesel locomotive	BR Green	This train is currently on loan to the Weardale Railway.