10000 Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Trains have got more component based and reliable - they don't need a big works anymore just somewhere to send bits to for servicing. Wolverton and Springburn owned by Knorr-Bremse still service/upgrade stock as does Eastleigh but the work volume of work is nothing like it was. You've also got work being done by LNWR at Crewe, Brush in Loughborough, EMD have a siding in Longport,Stoke plus DB does it's own heavy engineering at Toton. That may be true but I think you are missing the point. Major works like Crewe were manufacturing plants not just servicing. Raw materials went in and new locomotives came out. We no longer do that on a major scale. We buy most of it from abroad like many recent diesels coming from Canada. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Thanks for the history lesson! The previous was referring to the changes since 2007 when it was still relatively complete as a works - Crewe hasn't produced anything since the end of the HST/56/90 production runs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
D6975 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Except the 91s that is.. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 And the 91s.... Ha of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted August 8, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 8, 2014 That may be true but I think you are missing the point. Major works like Crewe were manufacturing plants not just servicing. Raw materials went in and new locomotives came out. We no longer do that on a major scale. We buy most of it from abroad like many recent diesels coming from Canada. Hitachi in Aycliffe are currently building a large rolling stock works - primarily for the IEP programme, but with an eye on the European market. Although the IEP plant will fit out and assemble shells from Japan, they have enough land (and plans) to have the capability to expand into a fully fledged body shell plant. http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/business/news/11245419.Milestone_reached_at_Hitachi_Rail_Europe%E2%80%99s_Newton_Aycliffe_factory/ Cheers, Mick 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted October 7, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 7, 2014 Amid all the dereliction of the old works there are still some nice area to be found in the town, queens park has had something of a renaissance after a long drawn out refurbishment, went there on sunday as it was such a nice day as its only a 10 mins walk from the house Entry to the park is via the twin gate houses and clock Which has this inscription carved into it..... The clock has this in the side This is looking back towards the new cafe and war memorial Where there were a troop of bagpipers practicing The war memorial for the burma war Also over the road to the park is the old LNWR orphanage whichiphone is currently sat unused Complete with old BR signage 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Hi Jim Many thanks indeed for the pics.............I was born(1948) just ten minutes walk from Queens Park....where my grandmother would push me in my pushchair in my early years. I was born in McNeill Ave, just off West St.,, about 50metres as the Crow flies from the Erecting Shop, where my grandfather worked with responsibility for the locos motion gear, until he retired in 1967. All your pictures are fond memories, as it was the area I grew up in, only to leave when I got married. Thanks...............Bob. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Have any of you walked along West Street , alongside the very high red brick wall of the length of the erecting shop.? As a child in the 50's and 60's , I can remember the whole wall being painted to resemble a row of terraced houses....if you look carefully today, it is just about still recognizable as such, but now badly faded. Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted November 15, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 15, 2014 I believe they painted them like that during the war to disguise the works from ariel assualts I'll get some pics tomorrow if i get a chance on my way into town to the model show 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250BOB Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I believe they painted them like that during the war to disguise the works from ariel assualts I'll get some pics tomorrow if i get a chance on my way into town to the model show That would be interesting if you could Jim. I know it was for camouflage purposes.........but if the Germans missed the Erecting shop with their bombs, it was only 100yds on the other side of the road to Rolls Royce. They were that close together, as you obviously can see as you drive by. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rail Announcement Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Some pictures in Crewe works from 2012: http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p565588551/h6698e6e3#h6698e6e3 http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p565588551/h4a62679c#h4a62679c http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p793657826/h6edcac23#h6edcac23 http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p990136100/h17499197#h17499197 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted November 18, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 18, 2014 Some pictures in Crewe works from 2012: http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p565588551/h6698e6e3#h6698e6e3 http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p565588551/h4a62679c#h4a62679c http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p793657826/h6edcac23#h6edcac23 http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p990136100/h17499197#h17499197 cracking set of shots there spent ages looking through them, a few familiar faces, then i stumbled across one of brad pitt that must have got mixed up with the batch!! http://railpicturelibrary.zenfolio.com/p565588551/h6698e6e3#h49bd04f0 (first time i've seen that pic, seems like a lifetime ago!!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2015 bit of a bump for this topic they have now built a Mc Donalds and a pub on part of the old works site, between flag lane and the shortened works buildings, but they have had the foresight to leave the trackbed clear between the car park and mainline, much to my surprise this morning i noticed they have relayed the track since the weekend, where there has been none for a few years is now sat waiting for tamping 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Banger Blue Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 Is that the same brick wall above, as seen in your photo in post #17, to the right of the 40 scrap line ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) Thats the one In fact if you look at the the above pic you can see a couple of bridge pillars, where the brick wall ends and pallisade fencing starts, (above the skip), if you also look at the cl40 pic you can see them too, the above poc is taken from pretty much the same place but at a lower elevation Edited December 3, 2015 by big jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Phil Mc Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 Still cant believe this is the same place !! Cheers, Phil. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 Eagle Bridge. Once rode over there at the open day in 1969..... Also the one and only time I saw Kestrel. Cheers, Mick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Phil Mc Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 In 1969 I was -4 years old ! Did go on plenty of the Sunday morning works tours as a kid, always guided round by the little bloke in a long black coat and trilby Happy days. Cheers, Phil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 3, 2015 In 1969 I was -4 years old ! Did go on plenty of the Sunday morning works tours as a kid, always guided round by the little bloke in a long black coat and trilby Happy days. Cheers, Phil. Did many of those too with my dad in the 80s Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Phil Mc Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 I may well have seen you there Jim! Then sandwiches for lunch, in the station carpark, overlooking the avoiding lines, before an afternoon on the station. I have still got some truly terrible pics from those days!! Cheers, Phil. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted December 3, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 3, 2015 (edited) In 1969 I was -4 years old ! Did go on plenty of the Sunday morning works tours as a kid, always guided round by the little bloke in a long black coat and trilby Happy days. Cheers, Phil. Likewise. Was it two tours - 10am and 2pm? Once did one in January and nearly didn't home because of the snow. Must dig out the photos of the snowdrifts IN the works..... In one of the workshops, we were under strict instructions not to take pictures... Somewhere I still have illicit photos of the first 90 and 91 shells in workshop green primer. Cheers, Mick Edited December 3, 2015 by newbryford Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Horse Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 Guess we were all on the same tours then Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MarshLane Posted September 28, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2016 Just spent a very interesting (if somewhat depressing!) 20 minutes wandering through this thread. As many have commented, the changes at Crewe are unbelievable over the time, but I guess we should be satisfied that at least something of it still survives. I wonder if anything ever used the new track that was laid? Im guessing that is the main line connection into the works?? Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted September 28, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 28, 2016 apparently they lifted the track in error when they cleared the site for maccy d and the 4 eagles and they had to put it back in, nothing looks to have used it since relaying, they tamped it with handheld machines rather than on track plant the mainlne connection is still in but i think they would have to do some serious tree surgery before anything could use it again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold MarshLane Posted September 29, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 29, 2016 Thanks Jim Probably highly unlikely now I guess!! Still we live in hope! Rich Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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