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From Crewe to Shrewsbury – UK Rail Journeys Series 1 – Episode 17
In From Crewe to Shrewsbury our our two steam locomotives power us out of Crewe station and on to the Welsh Marches line.
Click on a ‘thumbnail’ to view the photographs for this podcast:
Crewe station:
The station, then on the Grand Junction Railway, has been open since 4th July 1837. It has a great historical significance and serves as a gateway to the North West because it is 158 miles from London.
There is the main line to Glasgow and lines diverge to Manchester Piccadilly, North Wales, Shrewsbury and Stoke on Trent. Just to the north the line to Liverpool Lime Street leaves the main line.
The famous locomotive works moved here in 1842 from Liverpool. In 1831 there were only 70 residents in the village of Crewe and so they built a town to house all the workers.
The coming of the LNWR:
The merger of the Grand Junction and the London and Birmingham railways in 1846, to create the London and North Western Railway, results in the largest joint stock company. There is great expansion at this time and in 1867 the station is rebuilt. In the 1890s records show that 1,000 trains pass through the station in a 24 hour period.
The Crewe Arms Hotel:
This is the first ‘railway hotel’ and dates from 1837. Queen Victoria is an early guest on her journeys to Balmoral. The hotel undergoes major rebuilding in 1880 and that is the façade you see today.
Today there are 61 bedrooms in the Crewe Arms Hotel. It operates as part of the Best Western franchise.
On to the Welsh Marches Line:
As we steam out of Crewe we are hauled by Mayflower and Bahamas. They will pull us all the way to our final destination, Paddington, this evening.
Listen to the podcast to hear the full story of our journey through the countryside to Shrewsbury.
Next up:
Join me in a couple of weeks for the final episode in this series when we reach London.
Links:
To visit the Steam Dreams website please follow this link.
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Music in this podcast:
Steam Railway and The 50s 56 Caddy are licensed from AKM Music and The Tavern is licensed from Joseph McDade.
© The MrT Podcast Studio 2022
