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Happy Birthday, Crewe

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Oswyntail

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Apparently, today is the 175th anniversary of the opening of the station at Crewe. At the time, it served a village with a population of around 70.
One of my big regrets is that I never visited Crewe in its 1960's heyday. It seems a shadow of its former self these days, with the shed closed, and the traffic just too homogeneous. Any special memories for anyone?
 
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Michael.Y

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I'd not call the station with the most TOCs serving it "homogenous." It's about as varied as you can get in today's multiple unit dominated world.
 

Oswyntail

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I'd not call the station with the most TOCs serving it "homogenous." It's about as varied as you can get in today's multiple unit dominated world.
Put like that, I suppose you're right, But the big expresses - MUs - regional trains - MUs - locals - MUs; no potential for surprise at all. But that is teh essence of today's railway:cry:
 

6Gman

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Apparently, today is the 175th anniversary of the opening of the station at Crewe. At the time, it served a village with a population of around 70.
One of my big regrets is that I never visited Crewe in its 1960's heyday. It seems a shadow of its former self these days, with the shed closed, and the traffic just too homogeneous. Any special memories for anyone?[/QUOTE]

Many, many, many!

A Jubilee coming through on the Up Main c.1965

A 9F hauling a brand new Class 311 on its delivery run to Scotland c.1967

The West Coast Postal in No.4 Platform (now 6) in the 1970s

The prototype Mk IIIs on test runs

Taking a mate from school who had just taken up trainspotting. He spotted something 'different' in Platform 3 (now 11). "Is that a Peak" he asked. It was a Hymek!

The pre-Christmas postal and parcels rush with most of the bay platforms full of vans of all ages (incl ex-LMS/GW/LNER & SR)

Happy memories!
 

lord rathmore

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In 1960/61 I went there several times as a young lad and the Scots were my favourites, remember 46106 gleaming clean and 46141 cabbed in a bay platform. Semi's on expresses, Crabs and 9Fs, also 51412 shunting in the yards.Heaven for me would be an endless summer afternoon at Crewe.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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From the 60s:
Waiting for the poor soul who operated the roller departure blind to scroll it up another 6 feet or so to display the next few trains.
Trying to read the teleprinter showing train running information to staff through the window into the office, to find out how the Emerald Isle Express was doing (usually "STAFFORD 1Dxx 45 LATE"...).
Usually a number of EE Type 4s whistling away.

For what it's worth, didn't Stafford, Warrington and the other original Grand Junction stations also open on the same day?


If you check out the Tithe Maps section of the Cheshire Archives site http://maps.cheshire.gov.uk/tithemaps/TwinMaps.aspx and zoom in on Crewe,
you can check the infrastructure changes over the intervening 175 years using the alternative OS maps side by side with the original 1839 tithe map (which shows all the plots of land and their ownership/occupation).
The 1839 map shows the Chester/Manchester lines even though they weren't open at that date.
On the 1875/1910 maps you can trace the original alignment of the Chester line, well to the north of the present line.
 
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ole man

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Mine are of the humm of class 85's and 86's starting up, and the HST's that ran through, they was loud, endless 20's, can you tell i'm a diesel man.
The station staff and guards had massive big hats with whitr stripes.
 
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