Crewe Locomotive Works

In the early 1840s the Grand Junction Railway Company began construction on a small railway works to the north of their station at Crewe, with the first locomotive being completed in 1843. By 1848 the works employed over 1,000 men producing one locomotive per week. Over the next 100 years the works expanded at a rapid rate with the town growing around it. During World War I the works becomes heavily involved in the production of munitions, it was at this time that women were first employed in the works.

In 1926 production begins on a new Erecting Shop that would eventually become known as ’10 Shop’. To help with the war effort in 1939 the works produced over 150 Covenanter tanks for the British Army, during this time between 7,000 and 8,000 men and women were employed. In 1956 the last steam locomotive was produced at Crewe, this was the 7,221st locomotive to be built in the works. Over the next 50 years the works slowly began to decrease in size as vast areas were redeveloped in the name of progress, with the last electric locomotive rolling off the production line in 1991. Following the break-up of British Rail the works has seen multiple owners and now employs around 250 staff.