Virtual Museum

The Spider Bridge

Crewe Works was once served by a 457 mm (18 inch) gauge tramway system for the internal transportation of goods, with construction beginning in 1857 under the  Locomotive Superintendent John Ramsbottom. Over the following years the system was extended from the Old Works to Crewe Railway Station; this involved the construction of the ‘Spider Bridge’ in 1878. 

The bridge itself was a foot bridge that ran from the Old Works to the Railway Station with the inclusion of the tramway, this allowed spare parts to be transferred from the works to the Station for onward transport to wherever they were needed on the network. 

Unfortunately it could only be accessed from the Station using steps from the platform, making the transfer of goods from the tramway challenging and eventually leading to this method being abandoned. However for many years following, the bridge continued to give pedestrians access to the works until it was demolished in 1939. 

The last surviving section of the bridge can be seen outside of the North Junction Signal Box and was restored in 1987 as part of the Crewe Heritage Festival after nearly 60 years of neglect following the construction of the current North Junction Signal Box.