Crewe Heritage Centre is a railway museum in Crewe, Cheshire, England. Managed by the Crewe Heritage Trust, the museum is located between the and the town centre; the site was the location of the original Locomotive Works, which was demolished in the early 1980s.
The centre was established in the old London, Midland and Scottish Railway yard, which was once part of Crewe Works, between the junction to and the West Coast Main Line. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, on 24 July 1987. It was renamed Crewe Railway Age in 1992 by the owning registered charity; however, after the management of the centre was taken over by a new group of volunteers, the museum returned to its original name in early 2008.
The centre has a series of exhibits, ranging from the only surviving APT-P train, a miniature railway, model railways and three open signal boxes, with a varied collection of standard gauge steam, diesel and electric locomotives; occasional visiting locomotives are also on show. The main Exhibition Hall features many artefacts and exhibits associated with Crewe, from its locomotive and carriage construction to its famous junction railway station.
Built by British Rail (BR) in the 1970s and 1980s, this Advanced Passenger Train (APT) is the only surviving APT-P set. It is open at all times, with an occasional cafe run from the original buffet car on selected days only. The APT-P museum can be found inside one of the carriages, with photographs on display from the project. The set was tilted for the first time in preservation in 2013. In early 2018, an additional surviving power car (M49006) arrived at the museum. It is displayed separately alongside the main set.
Constructed in 1992, the miniature railway is a long gauge ride, which takes visitors from Crewe Old Works to Spider Bridge, via Forge End, with the optional return journey. The railway includes a mixture of steam, petrol and battery electric locomotives; rides on this attraction are included in the museum admission price.
The Heritage Centre is also home to the Exhibition Hall, which doubles both as an event space and as the main museum building. It features displays and exhibits about the town of Crewe.
During the 2018/19 closed season, the building underwent a light refurbishment; this included replacement of the original 1987 entrance doors and a full internal repaint.
There are three signal boxes on site: