A Visit to Locomotive Works, Crewe (1913) | Railways on Film

[@didosauce6008]

It’s so nice to see a glimpse of history through the perspective of someone living in it

[@petesstuff]

Amazing film. Designed and built using real tools and pure skill. Not a computer or robot.... thanks for uploading

[@chubeye1187]

No wonder they leaked steam so much

[@TASEUK]

@@chubeye1187 I think you've terribly misunderstood how a steam engine works

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@TASEUK They did leak a lot of steam, especially in the later years of 50's and 60's when poorly maintained. Crewe scrapped a lot of locos, but later this work was taken over by yards such as Cashmores, Great Bridge who scrapped 1000's. Great recycling. Now Crews works itself has been demolished.

[@Henry24542]

This film was made in the Spring of 1913. The engine featured is the last of the initial order for ten of the class - Crewe Motion No. 5146 which entered traffic in June of that year as No. 2046 Charles N. Lawrence. The ninth engine (C.No. 5145) actually entered service a month later in July. As No. 1159 Ralph Brocklebank that one soon became famous for a high standard performance recorded by the dynamometer car. If viewing the other KZbin pre World War One Crewe Works film clips (upon which comments are disallowed!), bear in mind that most of the titles are wrongly dated. Film 11127 shows the building of 'George the Fifth 4-4-0 No. 132 S.R. Graves (to traffic March 1913) and then the steaming of No 5000 Coronation, of the same class, in 1910. Film 4800 opens with some 1902 shots followed by 'Jubilee' compounds under construction in No. 8 Erecting Shop in 1900-01 then scenes from the late Autumn of 1904 when 'Class A' 3-cyl 0-8-0 No. 1821 is shown after a General Overhaul, an 1870s carriage hauled by a horse - probably to be scrapped? A c. 1908-10 sequence filmed from a moving train ends the clip - anyone know where it is? Finally Film 12016 should be taken down as it is merely an incomplete version of Film 4800 printed from the wrong side of the negative, ie. as a mirror image which is just confusing!

[@leeky7]

One of the great near-misses of locomotive design. Capable of good work, and a good overall design, let down by appalling detail design which created maintenance problems and cut their lives far too short. Hence their slaughter in the early 1930s. Many of them didn't even last twenty years.

[@steamandsmoke97]

Quite interesting! I have a 3.5" gauge custom Bassett-Lowke built super-detailed rendition of No. 650 "Lord Rathmore". It's a true 4 cylinder inside admission engine with rockers from the outside valve chests to run the insides, complete with radiant superheaters, steam operated cylinder drains, and working vacuum brakes.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

@@leeky7 Locos were not only built at Crewe, but many were scrapped here too. Now the whole loco works has been demolished!

[@leeky7]

@@PreservationEnthusiast Very true. I remember locos, Super Ds and, of all things, Tilbury tanks, waiting in dumps at Badnall Wharf, Betley Road and Winsford, because Crewe couldn't cut them up fast enough!

[@andrewnyland7090]

@@PreservationEnthusiast Crewe works is still open and now owned by Alstom.

[@ThomasTnPProductions]

Wonderful and amazing footage. Greetings from Chile!

[@renatoproductions7605]

Madre mía Rorro que haces aquí compañero

[@pilotgeoff]

Crewe, a great old railway town.

[@petersmith5277]

Amazing to see workshop & workers 107 years ago and their future - some may have left Crewe and great losses in WW1. Despite light flashes the abilities in engineering is great to see - but wages were low with plenty of engineers and workers evident - the hats and the hierarchies of supervision are fascinating. Great film - thanks.

[@jonka1]

Wonderful footage and all the better for the imperfections. Thank you for not entertaining us with music.

[@yeheygaming_53]

A Fine Place for Sick Engines.

[@billbeare1513]

Lovely old film !. My grandad was a 'boiler steam tube fitter on the old Lancashire and Yorkshire railway. And as already said by Gary, he went to the Somme. Luckily he returned to the railway. Unlike some, may they RIP, along with the men in this film.🧐🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@GaryNumeroUno]

Shame to think a lot of the guys in the film would have died during the next few years during the first world war....

[@richardwootton3562]

This was reserved work so they were not enlisted.

[@ianthomsonnewman4048]

Muy interesante e histórico. Gracias por el envío.

[@MrMopar413]

That reminds me of working at Wagner Mining Equipment Co building underground mining equipment. 70 years latter we basically worked the same way in our shop. I could go back in time and fit right in go to work no problem or they could go forward in time and work in our shop.

[@bodleyfludes7958]

Some nice photography here. I like the 'Claughton' , and, as it happens, the Special DX too. Thank you.

[@johngowers671]

The other loco was a Coal Engine

[@Sam_Dabboi]

Don't mean to spoil your fun but the second engine was a 17in coal engine

[@davidwpinkston4226]

saved that film just in time

[@jagc1969]

Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.

[@johnbrown9092]

Fabulous footage. Think I'll dust off my bowler !!

[@connorflaherty175]

Probably the only known film footage of an lnwr claughton, and as its being built, too.

[@xlthecoolguy-lz7uh]

This is NOT the only footage of a Claughton. In this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5bYXqmqhKqmqMU is some footage of the class in action.

[@kylestrasbourg4885]

Who else wants to go back in time to save one of the LNWR Claughton class steam locomotives?

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

Not me. Very polluting locos and not that efficient. Since time travel to the past is impossible, build one from scratch like the other new build locos. You'll have to save up quite a few million first though!

[@xlthecoolguy-lz7uh]

@@PreservationEnthusiast There was actually, at one point, a project to rebuild one of them. Unfortunately it's since being cancelled

[@johnbrown9092]

Great film.

[@JRS06]

5:02 wait, is that the only surviving footage of a DX Goods?

[@xlthecoolguy-lz7uh]

No. In this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3uUm4qZfdumbLM at 32 seconds in, A DX goods locomotive can be seen.

[@williamwoolhouse3702]

I have an 0 Gauge Model In Crimson Lake.No 5919 Lord Kitchener.which runs on my garden railway.

[@joshslater2426]

This footage would be really helpful if someone made a new build of a Claughton.

[@Rog5446]

These were known as Claughtons, and were eventually cannibalised to build the three cylinder Patriots.

[@xlthecoolguy-lz7uh]

Supposedly, there was an attempt to preserve a member of the class. One example of the class was hidden in Crewe shed, along with some other express engines, but William Stanier found them and ordered all of them to be scrapped, wiping out the "Claughtons" for once and (probably) for all.

[@Rog5446]

@@xlthecoolguy-lz7uh I often went into Willesden MPD and on one occasion, I saw the first rebuild (or cannibalisation) of Claughton 5971 'Croxteth' converted to 45500 'Patriot' the first of the Patriots, or Baby Scots as they were known. The wheels of the Claughton were easily recognised, as they had rather large centre hubs.

[@simontaylor2319]

The year granddad married. I think the war killed this country

[@jennyaspin8598]

Simon Taylor That’s interesting. That is exactly what I was going to write as my comment! My grandfather’s name was Charles Herbert Taylor. My father, Charles Trevor Taylor, born 10 years later, also worked there for a while. In the eighties he wrote a book about some of his experiences called ‘Life in a Loco Works.’

[@jonka1]

@3:55 clearly the men on the left are not expecting the lifting gear to fail.

[@martinjay3570]

My thoughts too.

[@randolfocarlos1]

MUITO SHOW RARIDADE

[@arthurbaldwin1804]

Is that a tunnel gauge that white arch shaped piece hanging overhead?

[@meandmymouth]

Health and Safety officers stand clear !

[@meandmymouth]

Men in bowler hats required for atheasic purposes :-)

[@applecounty]

+meandmymouth They knew their trade inside out.

[@meandmymouth]

+applecounty Absolutely. Man and machine enjoyed a synergy then that we will probably never see again.

[@antiussentiment]

Injuries did not cost companies anything in those days. So Health and Safety (and possibly site inductions) were not a priority. As an apprentice in those days you just had to hope your supervising tradesman knew how to point out dangers and hazards. Though if you had all your fingers at the end of your apprenticeship, people knew you were competent.. ~ smiles ~

[@Poliss95]

30,000 people were killed or injured on the railways in 1913 alone.

[@johnmehaffey9953]

Couple of buckets of coal and water for the boiler who needs a tender?

[@ironphilly2366]

some say they can turn a k2 into a pacific with A1 wheels

[@jackforde4883]

That engines not finished. It needs a tender

[@fs6086]

1931 those technology is considered hi tech

[@lostthe80s]

Today these same skilled boys would be pacing up and down bored as shit as sales assistants in H&M or McDonalds.

[@tinytonymaloney7832]

Was the engine that pulled the new one out a J15?

[@leeky7]

Not a J15; that was a Great Eastern loco. This is a Webb Coal Engine.

[@florjanbrudar692]

@@leeky7 The LNER called it a J15, so a Y14 by GER

[@philipblick8887]

Talk about health and safety....or rather the total lack of. One can only imagine the horrific accidents and deaths in these terrible work environments the good old days.....yeah right !

[@BlueSteel331]

bore-off man.

[@sarahlizziee5027]

I agree Philip!

[@lawrencelewis2592]

Fascinating but that is still an ugly locomotive. It's not designed by Gresley or Stanier, was it?

[@DavidJones-mn7ie]

No, by Mr. Bowen Cooke of the LNWR. Although most of the designing would have been carried out in the Crewe drawing office. Unfortunately these locomotives were rather mediocre, being much inferior to the best contemporary 4-6-0, the Great Western Star class.

[@tonymaries1652]

@@DavidJones-mn7ie Gresley was actually trained at Crewe before he went to the Great Northern Railway. The Great Western Star class was indeed by far the best British 4-6-0 of the pre First World War period. The Claughtons were not as good as the Stars but they did what they were designed to do, haul a 400 ton train at an average 60 mph so they kept the company and the travelling public happy. Quite a few other railways built passenger 4-6-0s before the grouping of 1923 including the Caledonian, Glasgow and South Western, Highland, North Eastern, Great Central, Lancashire and Yorkshire, Great Eastern and London and South Western. None of them could hold a candle compared to the Great Western. The Claughtons, the River class on the Highland Railway and the North Eastern S3s were probably the next best.

[@DavidJones-mn7ie]

@@tonymaries1652 I'd say the Great Eastern S69 were probably the best of the non-GWR bunch as they kept on working successfully into the 50s in their original form and were quite capable of working 440 ton expresses to tight schedules. The last two Manson superheater engines for the G&SWR were excellent, too.

[@PreservationEnthusiast]

None survived and good riddance too 🎉🎉🎉 The last survived just into BR ownership in 1948 but it was soon realised how useless it was, and was chopped for scrap in 1949 before even wearing its allocated BR number 😂😂😂