Diesel rail cars
 

Seeing a short film about diesel rail cars on the K & WVR reminded me of something I read a long time ago.

Seems that before the Maldon - Witham branch line was closed they used these diesel rail cars.

One cold morning the unit was at Maldon and it would not start. Reports said the passengers pushed it along the platform and "bump started" it !:eek:

Could that have been possible ?

I have my doubts but you never know anything is possible.

They have got one in Swindon museum i keep meaning to go and have a look around the museum but never seem to get around to it.

ccmmick.

This snippet refers to a railcar driver.

"One driver on the Maldon branch was so impressed with the transformation of working conditions, that he turned up for work in his best suit. This was fine till the vehicle failed and he had to finish his shift driving a J15! "

Bet he was really pleased !:D

Ever heard of a loco driver wearing his best suit at work on the engine ?

Also found the bit I was looking for.

"It wasn't unknown for passengers to have to push start the railbuses on the Maldon branch in the winter because the battery was flat. Being of limited capacity, if the railbus had been left outside on a cold night the battery couldn't start the engine."

This was the type of railbus referred to.

http://www.railcar.co.uk/hisOthers/WMintro.htm

They had one of them on the Bodmin line a Bubble Car i would have thought you could have pushed one of them but not GWR railcar.

ccmmick.

Seems some were saved ?

"Happily there were a few embryonic preserved railways at the time, and they saw the benefits of these vehicles. Four German vehicles and two AC Cars (initialy three) were preserved."

Where are they now ?

The WVR had one years ago I dont know if it still there or not.

ccmmick.

79960 is on the North Norfolk Railway
79962 is on the KWVR
79963 is on the Mangapps Farm Railway
79964 is on the KWVR
79976* + 79978 are on the Colne Valley Railway*
79998 + 79999 are on the Royal Deeside Railway

The above info is from The Railcar Association website:
http://www.railcar.co.uk/index.htm

*79976 is currently in some considerable state of undress at Loughborough GCR, here's a pic of it from August 2009:
http://daverowland.fotopic.net/p61168976.html

My god that is a long time ago Dave :D :D.

ccmmick.

Whoops!
Actuall, I perfected my time machine next week, and moved the railcar back to Anglo-Saxon times. Just for a laugh, of course....
OK - I'll correct it! :);)

Thanks for that Dave i was wondering what sort of camera you were using back then :D :D :D :D.

ccmmick.

It WAS a very long exposure....:) :)

If you look carefully at the Bayeau Tapestry - is that the baggage train at the back?

Don't be so silly - it's a known fact that there weren't any train ferries until at least 1066 - 57 years after I took the 'time-lapse' photo.....:D:cool: