Crewe Heritage Centre commemorates Crewe Day

By Jamie Griffiths

9th Jul 2024 | Local News

Crewe Heritage Centre is located on Vernon Way. (Credit – Peter Robinson)
Crewe Heritage Centre is located on Vernon Way. (Credit – Peter Robinson)

Over the weekend, Crewe Heritage Centre welcomed two of Crewe Works' heavy weight steam engines.

This was done to commemorate the anniversary of the first trains passing through Crewe Station on 4 July 1837.

The event began on Saturday 6th July with steaming beginning from 10am followed by a presentation at 12pm in which the National Trust handed ownership of the engine over to the Bahamas Locomotive Society.

Built in 1888, Coal Tank No. 1054 is believed to have worked in Birmingham and Wales before it was then decommissioned on the eve of World War II.

However, the engine was overhauled after a declaration of war saved the engine from the cutter's torch, and entered back into service until 1958 when it was decommissioned for a final time.

The engine has been in the care of the Bahamas Locomotive Society at their Dinting Railway Centre Museum since 1972.

At this event, the Bahamas Locomotive Society has now taken ownership of the engine following the National Trust's change of collection focus.

Left: Keith Whitmore, Chairman of the Bahamas Locomotive Society. Middle: Ceri Williams General Manager at Penrhyn Castle and Garden, National Trust Cymru. Right: Gordon Heddon, Chairman of Crewe Heritage Trust. (Credit – Peter Robinson)

Chair of Crewe Heritage Trust, Gordon Heddon was in attendance at the event and he said: "We're delighted to see a true Crewe icon continue to the next stop of its journey as it passes into the ownership of the Bahamas Locomotive Society, and for the opportunity for our local audience to experience the thrill of heavy engineering and steam power in Crewe as it would have been 187 years ago."

Crewe Heritage Centre also welcomed the locomotive Black 5 44871 over the weekend, making an appearance ahead of departure from Crewe Station around 10 AM, returning overnight for departure on Sunday 7 July.

It was designed by famous Crewe Works engineer Sir William Stanier and built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at Crewe Works in 1945.

A Black 5 44871. (Credit – Peter Robinson)

Crewe Heritage Centre Manager, Edmea Gori, said: "It was fantastic to welcome so many visitors to the site and give Crewe the chance to experience the engineering power of a steam locomotive at work."

The Heritage Centre is open from 10 AM to 4:30 PM on a Saturday for visitors to see the locomotives, and other exhibitions that the centre has to offer.

Crewe: Click HERE to head to their website.

     

New crewe Jobs Section Launched!!
Vacancies updated hourly!!
Click here: crewe jobs

Share:

Related Articles

The new £11m multi-storey car park in Crewe is closed on Sundays because the cash-strapped council can’t afford to pay the operating costs seven days a week. (Photo: LDRS/Cheshire East)
Local News

Crewe's new £11m multi-storey car is closed on Sundays due to cash-strapped Cheshire East Council

Crewe PCSOs Lizzie Jolley and Jess Street appealed to the local community by asking for funding support with the Youth Skills Project (Cheshire Police).
Local News

Cheshire Police working hard to keep young people on the 'right track' in Crewe

Sign-Up for our FREE Newsletter

We want to provide crewe with more and more clickbait-free local news.
To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following.
Help us survive and sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Already subscribed? Thank you. Just press X or click here.
We won't pass your details on to anyone else.
By clicking the Subscribe button you agree to our Privacy Policy.