Steam comes home to Crewe for Crewe Day with Coal Tank and Black 5 locomotives on site.

Crewe Heritage Centre commemorates Crewe Day this year by welcoming two of Crewe Works’ heavy weight steam engines this weekend, Saturday 6 – Sunday 7 July.

Coal Tank No.1054 will begin steaming from 10 AM on Saturday 6 July, ahead of a presentation ceremony at 12 PM where the National Trust hands ownership of the engine over to the Bahamas Locomotive Society.

Built in 1888 at the height of London and North Western Railway’s Crewe Works, the engine is believed to have worked in Birmingham and Wales before being decommissioned on the eve of World War II. The declaration of war saved the engine from the cutter’s torch, instead it was overhauled and entered back into service until 1958 when it was decommissioned for the second and final time. It returned to Crewe where its preservation journey began with one of the earliest examples of “crowd funding”, saving Coal Tank No.1054 for future generations.

Coal Tank No.1054 has been in the care of the Bahamas Locomotive Society at their Dinting Railway Centre museum since 1972 and now takes ownership of the engine following the National Trust’s change of collection focus.

Crewe Day, which takes place on 4 July, commemorates the anniversary of the first trains passing through Crewe Station on 4 July 1837.

“We’re delighted to see a true Crewe icon continue to the next stop of its journey as it passes into the ownership of the Bahamas Locomotive Society, and for the opportunity for our local audience to experience the thrill of heavy engineering and steam power in Crewe as it would have been 187 years ago.” Gordon Heddon, Chair of Crewe Heritage Trust.

Also on site at Crewe Heritage Centre for 6 – 7 July weekend is Black 5 44871, designed by famous Crewe Works engineer Sir William Stanier and built by the London, Midland and Scottish (LMS) Railway at Crewe Works in 1945. The train will be on site, ahead of departure from Crewe Station around 10 AM, returning overnight for departure on Sunday 7 July.

The Heritage Centre is open from 10 AM – 4:30 PM for visitors to see the locomotives, catch a glimpse of the Black 5 on the mainline from the viewing platform and experience the exhibition Forging History: the Legacy of Crewe Works, exploring the impact of Crewe Works on the town’s development.