British Rail railbuses
British Rail produced a variety of Railbuses as a means both of building new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide services on lightly-used lines economically.
Terminology
Railbuses are a very lightweight type of Diesel multiple unit Railcar designed for use specifically on little-used railway lines, and as the name suggests share many aspects of their construction with a bus, usually having a bus, or modified bus body, and having four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies.
First Generation BR Railbuses
In the late 1950s, British Rail tested a series of small Railbuses, produced by a variety of manufacturers. These proved to be very economical, but also somewhat unreliable. The lines they worked on were mainly closed by during the 'Beeching Cuts' and, being non-standard, they were all withdrawn in the mid-1960s, before being allocated TOPS classifications.
In addition to these Railbuses, BR ordered three for departmental (non-revenue earning) service. The full list of passenger and departmental units is set out below.
| Number Range | Builder | Introduced | No. Built | Region | Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79958-59 | Bristol / East Coach Works | 1958 | 2 | Scotland | 1966 |
| 79960-64 | Waggon und Maschinenbau | 1958 | 5 | Eastern Region | 1967 |
| 79965-69 | Wickham | 1958 | 5 | Scotland | 1966 |
| 79970-74 | Park Royal | 1958 | 5 | London Midland / Scotland | 1968 |
| 79975-79 | AC Cars | 1958 | 5 | Scotland / Western Region | 1968 |
| 999507 Elliot | Wickham | 1958 | 1 | Departmental | 19?? |
| 998900-998901 | Drewry | 1950 | 2 | Departmental | 19?? |
Second Generation BR Railbuses
British Rail returned to the idea of railbuses from the mid-1970s, and a number of prototype single and two-car Railbuses were built and tested. Some were sent abroad in the hope of gathering export orders for BR's engineering division, BREL. These orders never transpired, but British Rail did proceed with its own orders for two- and three-car Railbuses, which became known as Pacers and were allocated TOPS Classes 141-144.
The prototype two-car Railbus was allocated Class 140 and is dealt with on that page, but the prototype single car Railbuses were not classified and are set out in the table below.
| Number | Identity | Builder | Introduced | Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDB 975854 | LEV1 | Leyland | 1975 | 19?? |
| - | RB004 | Leyland | 1984 | 19?? |
Preservation
A number of the BR Railbuses, both first and second generation examples have survived into preservation, as follows:
| Vehicle No. | Builder | Year Built | Location | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Generation Railbuses | ||||
| 79960 | Waggon und Maschinenbau | 1958 | North Norfolk Railway | - |
| 79962 | Waggon und Maschinenbau | 1958 | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway | - |
| 79963 | Waggon und Maschinenbau | 1958 | North Norfolk Railway | - |
| 79964 | Waggon und Maschinenbau | 1958 | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway | - |
| 79976 | AC Cars | 1958 | Colne Valley Railway | - |
| 79978 | AC Cars | 1958 | Colne Valley Railway | - |
| DB999507 | Wickham | 1958 | Middleton Railway | Elliot; High-speed track-recording unit |
| DB998901 | Drewry Car Company | 1950 | Middleton Railway | Overhead-line inspection car |
| Second Generation Railbuses | ||||
| RDB975874 | Leyland | 1975 | National Railway Museum | LEV 1 |
| RB004 | Leyland | 1984 | Telford Steam Railway | - |