Trains at Crewe (WCML, NWCL, WML, CDL, CML) - 15/08/2023

Описание: The 195th video of my train spotting adventures.
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This video follows on a day later from the Stafford trip, pushing my range further Northwest to one of the most important junction stations in England, that of Crewe Railway Station. A large 12-platform intercity and regional interchange station, it was the first railway station in the world to have its own adjacent railway hotel, the Crewe Arms Hotel, which still sees usage to this day.
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It opened in 1837 on the Grand Junction Railway. It provided a prime spot for the linking of several major and soon-to-be railway lines, including those to Chester and soon Holyhead, to Manchester and Liverpool, and to Birmingham and London.
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In 1846 the GJR merged with the London & Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway Company (LNWR), which until its demise in 1923 was the largest joint-stock company in the world. This facilitated the progressive addition of more railways; the extension of the lines from Chester to Holyhead, the Warrington line to Lancaster and Carlisle (wider WCML), the Manchester line to Leeds, and a new Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway to join the joint GWR owned Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway, providing direct links to South Wales. The station was also rebuilt in 1867 to increase capacity for the ever expanding railway network, with buildings and architecture remaining to this day, especially around Platform's 5 & 6 with the many walls and columns separating platform regions.
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Between 1896 and 1907 the station saw a massive overhaul to itself and the surrounding area. An "independent lines" programme was launched, creating a four-track railway to the west of the station for freight to bypass the station, including underpass lines which ran under the mainline tracks to the North, connecting to the North and South junctions of the wider Crewe area. The works cost around £500k (equal to over £57 million in 2021 money). A marshalling yard still in use today known as Crewe Basford Hall yard was constructed for efficient shunting and loading & offloading of freight, along with a progressive enlargement of Crewe station itself, providing eight through platforms each 1/4 of a mile long (roughly 400 meters). The total cost for all improvements was roughly £1 million (equal to over £110 million in 2021 money).
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After the nationalisation of the railways in 1948, modernisation set in, with major changes coming with the electrification of the WCML between 1959 and 1974, which included new Diesel or Electric Multiple Unit trains and other trains which did not need pilot locomotives or to split and re-join often at Crewe. In 1985, a large £14 million scheme modernised the station layout, namely the tracks and points, allowing 80 mph running through the station, at the cost of all but one of the 1902 extension platforms (which remains today as Platform 12).
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In 2011, Cheshire East Council purchased the nearby Royal Mail depot near Crewe station. This allowed them to convert the depot into a new second entrance to the station, alongside a large 244 space car park, at a cost of £7 million. The new entrance has step-free access and connections to the rest of the station via an underground walkway, including ticket vending machines. In 2016, the 1867 structures of the station were added to the UKs heritage list as Grade II listed buildings, ensuring their survival. Tied with Doncaster, Crewe has the most different rail companies calling at its station (7 in total currently).
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In the future, it's planned for HS2 services to call here via extensions to the new high speed line (pending completion).
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Filmed on the:
West Coast Mainline (and other lines starting/ending here)
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Services seen:
AWC) Services towards Stafford, Birmingham, Rugby, London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Chester, Holyhead, and other destinations.
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TFW) Services towards Manchester Piccadilly, Chester, Shrewsbury, and South Wales.
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LNR) Services towards Liverpool Lime Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Birmingham, and London Euston.
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EMR) Services towards Newark Castle via Derby.
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NT) Services towards Manchester Piccadilly via Manchester Airport.
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Trains seen:
AWC) Class 390 Pendolino, Class 221 Super Voyager
LNR) Class 350 Desiro
WMR) Class 730 Aventra (brief)
TFW) Class 67 + DVT, Class 150 Sprinter, Class 175 Coradia, Class 197 Civity
EMR) Class 170 Turbostar
NT) Class 331 Civity, Class 323
GBRf) Class 66
DB) Class 67
c2c) Class 720 Aventra (test)
RM) Class 325 Networker
WCR) Class 57; 57601 "Windsor Castle" & 57313 Scarborough Castle
NR) Class 37 (brief)
LSL) Class 08 Shunter (brief), Class 43 HST (brief), Class 87 (brief), Class 90 (brief), + other stored units
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