Virtual Railfan Tour UK - Crewe Heritage Centre

October 28, 2020

A pure Great Western lower quadrant signal complete with finial in foreign territory at the Crewe Heritage Centre

I have spent a lot of time in the last few years at Shrewsbury and have used a Saturday to visit the Crewe Heritage Centre.

It is a quick trip on the puddle jumper from Shrewsbury although if one of the Manchester football teams is playing at home the train will be overflowing with barely a place to stand.

The Heritage Centre is a short wak from Crewe station on what presumably was formerly railway land. Most of the exhibits are in the open air

However this class 47 in the original paint scheme is under cover. They were good locomotives to ride - quiet and very smooth riding.

This is part of the ill-fated Advanced Passenger Train (APT), a tilting experiment which had problems and the design was eventually sold to Italy, I believe, which developed them into the Pendolinos that are used through here.

But the real joy at Crewe is the signalling exhibits. This is the panel for the former Crewe North Junction.

One of the two Crewe North Junction lever frames. Under volunteer supervision you can set up the route for a train leaving the station and watch its progress through the layout with a series of red lights.

This is an earlier interlocking for Crewe station. It is non operational but complete with the building.

For me the great draw is the former Exeter West signal box which has been transported here all the way here from Devon complete. This picture was taken by Tony Knight so do not reproduce. It may be thought strange to see a Great Western artifact in the heart of LMS territory at Crewe but it must be remembered that GWR trains ran regularly in here from Shrewsbury.

It is a wonderful experience to go inside. The frame is fully functional and there is a computer program which rings the bells and changes the instruments. It is programmed for a summer Saturday so when in operation the signalmen are very busy.

Exeter West track diagram

The interlocking frame covers the entire ground floor

I never managed to visit Exeter West when in operation although I did work a short turn at an even larger box at Reading Station West where three signalmen worked the frame and a "lad" did the extensive paperwork.

I introduced myself to the men in the box and we were soon deep into railway and signalling conversation. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes Please" I replied and we continued our conversation. I then realized that the bells had stopped ringing and people were resting on their levers drinking tea and chatting.

I said "What's happened to the bells?"

"We have turned off the program so that we could talk to you."

We finished our tea and the bells started ringing and the levers were pulled again.

This is my own souvenir of Great Western Signalling. A bell and tapper which I picked up from the scrap pile at the Reading Signal Works for 25 cents. I refinished the woodwork and had the metal dipped to expose the beautiful brass. The tapper had been modified so that it works this bell rather than the bell in the next box. It works off three AA batteries and the tone is wonderful.