The drawing office at the London & North Western Railway's Crewe works employed draughtsmen to deisgn locomotives and carriages. Crewe was one of the most important railway works in Britain and manufactured a huge range of railway equipment, turning raw materials into finished articles. Opened in 1843, the works constructed locomotives, carriages and signalling equipment, and even made soap for cleaning oil stains. After 1935 the Crewe drawing office took a subsidiary part in locomotive design to the headquarters office at Derby.