Product Description
Throughout the steam age, Crewe Works was one of the leading, if not the leading, railway works in the UK. Indeed, in 1913 The Railway Magazine described it as 'the most famous railway works in the world.' In its heyday (particularly under the London & North Western Railway) it was world renowned for its manufacture and repair of locomotives and carriages, but this was only a part of its activities. In addition to rolling stock, the Works manufactured dozens of other items as diverse as steel rails and needles, bricks and gas mantles, and signals and lubricants. Moreover, it trained hundreds of railway engineers; who either entered the ranks of the LNWR, LMS or British Railways; or who went on to other British railway companies or to railways overseas in the British Empire or beyond. The influence of Crewe Works accordingly spread far from the confines of Crewe as a railway engineering centre. While the amalgamation of the LNWR into the LMS in 1923 led to some diminution in the range of products manufactured, many famous engines were still to emerge from the Works. Notable among these products were the Stanier Pacifics of the LMS and the BR 'Standard Pacifics' and 9F 2-10-0s. When the end of steam came in 1967, Crewe Works had already adapted to the new locomotion requirements posed by diesel and electric traction, and today this involvement in meeting the needs of British Rail continues.
