Crewe Works Railway
| Locale | England |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1862–1932 |
| Track gauge | 18 in (457 mm) |
| Length | 830 yards (760 m) |
| Headquarters | Crewe |
Coordinates: 53°05′38″N 2°26′06″W / 53.094°N 2.435°W
The Crewe Works Railway was a narrow gauge internal tramway system serving Crewe Works, the main locomotive construction works of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and later the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS). The system was first introduced by John Ramsbottom the LNWR Locomotive Superintendent from 1857 and it was a pioneering use of locomotive propelled vehicles within a manufacturing plant. The Crewe system was soon adopted elsewhere. There were four sections to this system built at different times and each in turn significantly altered several times before final abandonment. The four sections were:
Of the above, the first section dating from 1862 was within the original locomotive works first built in 1843 and expanded many times as the railway system grew. Prior to the introduction of the tramway most internal transport was by hand-cart and barrow. The original lines totalled 550 yards (500 m) and to this was soon added a further 300 yards (270 m). The "Old Works" section ceased operation c1929.
The second, the steel works section, and largest of all, was always self-contained and from its authorisation on 20 October 1864 lasted under locomotive haulage until the closure of steel production in 1932, but also in one short and occasionally used hand propelled section in the iron foundry until c1960.
The third, the deviation works section (latterly devoted entirely to the joinery department), was an extensive system built on at least three levels and was an entirely separate, hand propelled, tramway, which survived in spasmodic use until about 1980. Several relics including examples of trackwork and three wagons survive from this installation.
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