GWR Railcar No. 22

Great Western Railway Railcar No.22 of 1940 on the main demonstration line at the Didcot Railway Centre.
Read more about this Railcar here:
www.didcotrailw...
Music (edited by me to extend length): "Hot Swing" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 creativecommons...
incompetech.com...
From the Incompetech Silent Film Royalty Free collection

[@Elvo7684]

Separate area for prams and bikes, what a novel idea! Comfortable wide seats, open clear windows that line up with the seats also a view of the track ahead or behind. Thank you for sharing this modern train of the future, I hope the new operators for Arriva Wales order some!

[@rogerredding5269]

We had two of those g.w.r rail cars on Worcester shed in the early sixties blood & custard no 19 & 21 went from shrub hill or forgate St to great Malvern a few times plus a few times to Evesham behind one of those rail cars very comfortable to ride in and the seats lined up with the excellent sized windows smooth running and a fair bit of speed as well 70 mph max I think ? although they tended to rock and roll a bit at 60 +, but on the whole I think a very good rail bus for its time ideal for branch line duties shopper specials etc ? they looked ahead of their time to me? I may be wrong but I am sure I saw one or two on occasion pulling a single carriage or goods van ? What year were they made ? How many were made? how many preserved? Those were the days viewing the steam locos from railway walk G.W.R Castles Halls Grange's etc happy days .Best wishes ex Worcester man u.k Roger Nanaimo Canada.

[@None-zc5vg]

@@rogerredding5269 I saw a video about the GWR railcars which mentioned that some of them were fitted with a towing-bar that would allow them to do limited "goods" duties while carrying passengers as well.

[@kellenleland6559]

sorry to be offtopic but does someone know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb forgot my password. I love any assistance you can give me.

[@rykerjesiah9409]

@Kellen Leland instablaster =)

[@kellenleland6559]

@Ryker Jesiah thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process atm. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@johntimken9842]

I used to get a return ticket (3d ?) and ride on this train from Worcester Shrub Hill to Worcester Foregate St. and then back again on the next available train. Modern trains are hell, this was a pleasure.

[@Useaname]

Great memory. Thank you.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

3d wow - thats something like 1.5p decimal money

[@paulbennell3313]

This must've seemed unimaginably modern in 1940 when steam trains were still the norm!

[@merledoughty5787]

we had in New Zealand three types of DMU we called them railmotors some were made in the UK there were the Standard railcars driven by a Fiat engine the Standard 88 seaters were powered by Meadows engines go check these out some are still preserved and used on excursions

[@nigelpearson6664]

I always assumed these railcars were a half hearted attempt at something modern by GWR. I never realised how well made they were and as modern as the 1960's versions except for styling. 60 MPH was fast then and fast enough now.

[@calicocatz7890]

What a lovely railcar- and very modern-looking for 1940 -with Art Deco influences. I could fall asleep in those seats.

[@None-zc5vg]

The GWR cars only look dated now because of the tapered streamlined cab-ends that were a period thing (they were streamlining everything in the '30s).

[@malcolmtaylor518]

Love this railcar, glad they restored it.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Yes, it is really nice - its a shame that the post war diesel railcars were not as nice as this.

[@martinfirth7744]

Ah - memories! A glorious film which takes me back to my childhood - watching these railcars struggling up the 1:75 inclines out of Bristol. Thank you.

[@davidchambers7508]

As one who has seen the Irish 5' 3" gauge AEC railcars in photos and experienced travel in a (de-engined) version as a toddler I find railcar 22 fascinating. It is quite smart and dignified and has all the attributes which make rail travel pleasant. I am sure Hyacinth Buckett would approve of it. It is a tribute to those who restored and operate it. I wonder how readily the engine of this railcar could replicated to put in sole surviving Irish AEC railcar 6111.

[@RB-hx7rd]

A fantastic restoration...

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

yes, and a much more stylish train than the diesel trains built by British Railways!

[@tonyday7233]

Lovely vehicle, lovely video.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Thank you - yes this railcar is really nice.

[@Martindyna]

Great restoration. Note how the 9.6 litre AEC engines emit no noticeable smoke. Strange how, in the `old days' Diesel engines weren't over fueled - another example being the Class 205 / 207 Thumpers which ran without any visible smoke once hot.

[@Rorrytherouter]

Really well preserved Railcar it's been many years since I paid a visit to Didcot and looking out the windows it seems that there's a lot more rolling stock there. Thanks for a nice video.

[@mjarail]

One could imagine Hercule Poirot, Capt. Hastings and Inspector Japp riding in this car.

[@Useaname]

Never knew what a railcar was until I got this recommended in my list. Thank you. Great video.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

thanks for watching and commenting!

[@roberthindle5146]

What a lovely, plush, airy and inviting saloon. Why dont they have things like this now?

[@None-zc5vg]

Modern trains are designed to pack in as many "customers" as possible, as if they are airliners. Where there were once 6 coaches towed by an engine, you'll now find 3 'modern' self-propelled coaches, with cramped seat-spacing that all but puts your knees in your face.

[@CBeaumontHIGTFY]

If a fleet of these could be built with the environmentally friendly / mordern engines, heritage railways that actually serve communities could operate all year round regular services. In particular, lines that connect to British Rail could run commuter or connecting services. It would be benefit all concerned - jobs, finance, economy - and of course passengers - getting more cars off the roads, etc.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

+Christopher Beaumont that sounds like a great idea, although what is more likely would be the heritage railway using the converted London Underground D stock trains the Vivarail 'D Train'

[@CBeaumontHIGTFY]

+citytransportinfo I am very pleased that the D Stock is going to survive in some form. The overhaul plans are substantial - but it's something!

[@None-zc5vg]

You'd need to rebuild the lines that no longer exist before you could run these single-car units. British Railways closed most of them for keeps and they'll stay closed.

[@gretchenchadwick8343]

My special needs son agrees with you on that completely! He thinks Progress Rail, Siemens, or any other company that builds railroad equipment should build clones of these with recycled ♻️ aluminum bodies and frames, Plexiglas and/or safety glass windows 🪟, Cummins and/or caterpillar diesel engines with mufflers and catalytic converters, led headlights and taillights, air conditioning, and their fuel is either renewable diesel or biodiesel.

[@CBeaumontHIGTFY]

@@gretchenchadwick8343 Thank you for your comment! I am classed as "High Functioning Asperger's Syndrome Condition" (part of Autism Spectrum Disorder nowadays; even the word condition took time to be added rather than disability). My opinions on the terminology vary but that is another subject, though I will say that I much prefer "condition which can be very disabling". Anyhow, what I wanted to say - do please tell your son that great minds think alike. All good wishes, C

[@tonywise198]

Great memories of Slough to Windsor.

[@lukecrowley571]

I wish modern train interiors we as nice as this!

[@fredgrove4220]

The good old "flying banana " I used to get one of these from Evesham, to Worcester Shrub Hill, many many years ago , when the railways in Britain were proper railways. The GWR wasn't called " Gods Wonderful Railway " for nothing.

[@Queen-of-Swords]

Reminds me of Daisy from Thomas the Tank Engine but I think she was an electric railcar. Very similar styling!

[@peterb1543]

I didn't realise it ran so smooth

[@Tigercatflyboy]

Just lovely, I remember seeing these little jems waiting in their own bay platform at Reading GWR Station in the late 50's early 60's I think they used to shuttle back and forth between Reading and Didcot or Twyford not exactly sure. Always wanted to have a ride in one but never got the opportunity, many thanks for putting up this video, a step back in time.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Thank you for watching and sharing your memories from years ago

[@chrismccartney8668]

Current Light Rail/DLR/Tram/Guided Bus just 80 years ahead of its time. .

[@hailey3737]

Cool railcar! Looks different from the dutch streamlined diesel railcars from my home country, the Netherlands.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

It is really nice - much nicer than the diesel trains which were built by British Railways in the 1950s

[@hovermotion]

Great vid ,.one of my fave dmu's

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Thanks.

[@radiator0]

This is the best looking railcar ever..

[@lewis72]

Looks better and far more comfortable than a Class 101 cattle truck or those Leyland bus things.

[@leprechaunshelper]

A thing of great beauty and engineering 😍

[@rolandharmer6402]

The seats to line up with the windows - something that is beyond todays designers!

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

+Roland Harmer Thats becuase they try to cram in more passengers - rather than run longer trains.

[@james123212]

the pillars between windows also have to be bigger for crash worthiness resulting in less window space

[@MrStabby19812]

What? You don't like staring at a bit of plastic instead of the countryside.

[@UTubeGlennAR]

:) ------- Loverly Restoration, thanks for the ride...... :)

[@angelsone-five7912]

I notice that one bogie has the connecting shaft removed making it 2 wheel drive at that end. Shame this can`t get out and stretch its legs a bit.

[@billcobbett9259]

Why won't they allow this wonderful thing to stretch its legs on a longer line? It would be ideal for preserved GWR lines, and more people would be able to see it.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Yes it would be nice, especially as the demonstration lines at Didcot are very short. . Who knows if it will ever come to pass.

[@billcobbett9259]

They let the railmotor 93 out, so why not this one? It would be ideal for a short line like the South Devon, or shuttles on the WSR.

[@hakangun6795]

Very nice

[@shytalker]

Lovely Railcar

[@nitramretep]

Great video, thanks!

[@riverhuntingdon6659]

Lovely way to travel, and looks comfy too. The way they did the transmission reminds me of the old "BUT" railcars in Ireland, built by their Great Northern Railway I think it was. Give me No 22 anyday rather than a new plasticy 170 and the like. No character to the new DMUs.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

I bet that many people would agree with you - certainly things were done with a visual flair in those days.

[@myriaddsystems]

Even GWR's diesels were quite interesting

[@angeltransportpjects]

Flying Bananas ... The new Dapol model of this vehicle is extremely nice! :o)

[@briancarson9309]

Excellent.

[@v8pilot]

When I was a kid on the 1950s I sometimes rode on one of those railcars from Dorchester to Weymouth. Maybe it was no. 22. One of them was more streamlined, with rounded corners and I thought that one looked better than the 'razor edge' railcars.

[@angelsone-five7912]

That`s the early models, they went to this style as an economy measure.

[@rolandlong3870]

beautiful

[@billmmckelvie5188]

The railway companies wonder they come under flak for their seats. What do they expect when we've gone from living room sofa to ironing board and they have the audacity to start putting them in first class too!

[@PeterBriggs01]

awesome vid

[@peteknight9537]

I like Railcar 4, in Steam museum at Swindon, it's got a buffet.Regards Pete

[@bennickss]

20 years older.. and it still has a better horn than the deltic.

[@chrisinnes2128]

Virtual every "train" has a better horn than a deltic

[@Operafiend22]

Incredible....I'd take public transportation if these were brought back

[@Westside_Kenny]

Excellant Video i love the Railcar no 22 my lima model is just as good :)

[@Thomas1980]

wow...nice!

[@nigelmitchell351]

Looks really tight on platform clearance.?

[@1258-Eckhart]

Very elegant machines: good to see one in such fine fettle. If there were two engines, presumably both bogies are motored? And then via that rather unlikely-looking external cardan-drive? Must have made for interesting curving characteristics, even if the bogies were pivoted over the inner axles ...

[@Andyww08]

The centre casting of the bogie, is where it is on most railway stock, right above the middle of the bogie. The drive shatfts themselves are telescopic, and drive the inner axle via a crown wheel, which also has a dog clutch for forward and reverse selection. When first built the outer axel was also driven, via a short cardean shat between the outer and inner axles, no one really knows when this was done away with

[@montystelevision3238]

This train - compared to the crap on the rails now! We have certainly regressed in our rail travel.

[@lawrencecody9316]

I think the present day trains are doing the job they were built to do, and faster acceleration,better info for passengers etc:..but where they fail in a BIG way, is the interior comfort and design...and this GWR railcar wins hands down..and is how seating should be..comfortable, and to be able actually see out of EVERY window, or as todays trains are..,not out of every a window, unlessyou happen to get the seat that has a window, and not the side of the train, generally badly aligned in relation to windows..

[@mickd6942]

It oozes style , compare it the the railbuses that BR bought

[@None-zc5vg]

The nearest thing to these in my area were the Class '122' "Bubble Car" units that linked two main lines until 1989, but they were more cramped than these prewar single cars. Modern coaches try to squeeze too many people into one coach, giving 'knees-in-your-face' comfort: they should bring back a roomy guard's compartment, for starters, but that would use valuable money-space.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

modern trains need to be longer too!

[@likklej8]

They were rather smelly to travel in because so many people were smokers. Love the restoration job. I can never remember such clean interiors when they were in service.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

ah, yes, although I never travelled on these trains I recall travelling on other trains (and on buses) in the era when there were smoking carriages (and on buses smoking was allowed upstairs) and yes, they were smelly... even though I never smoked myself I recall how any stay of more than a few minutes inside the smoking areas resulted in clothing starting to reek of the stuff. Also, there was a greasy yellowish film everywhere!

[@SimonS44]

This car looks nice, good video! :) the music from 02:30 reminds me so of rewboss

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

SimonHellinger One reason why I chose the music was that it was said to be similar to 1940's music.

[@Novel_clips]

Sounds like my van

[@devon896]

Quieter and more comfortable than an IET.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

I am unsure about the quietness as the amount of noise could be speed related (and here at Didcot these travel very slowly) but as far as seat comfort is concerned, yes I agree!

[@JamesPetts]

Would you have any objection if I were to use fragments of the audio from this and other of your videos as sound effects in a free, open-source non-commercial computer game called Simutrans? This is a splendid recording of an old GWR railcar. I should happily credit you, of course.

[@gazzab3224]

I want to ride on it.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Yes you can - it will be running on four Heritage Diesel days in September 2018... see here: www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/events/calendar.html The Didcot Railway centre is next to Didcot Parkway station, its entrance is inside the station!

[@GarethJonesPilipala]

Would it be possible for me to use a short clip of your video (from 12 to 28 seconds) in a KZbin video I am preparing on the evolution of the single railcar? Full credit will be given of the origin of the clip.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Hello Gareth, please email me - [e-mail] Thank you, Simon

[@LiftEnthusiast2020OFFTOPIC]

From the inside it looks like they cut off the ends of a br mark 1 then they put cabs at either ends

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

yes, although this train comes from many years before BR, let alone its Mk1 carriages!

[@jimyoung2188]

quite good looking carriages

[@jimyoung2188]

that as when tradesmen knew how to work and stood by what they made ,not like today just bunged together and hope no one gets killed

[@pp37903]

The railway is far safer now than it was in the past. There hasn't been a fatal accident on the UK rail network since 2007, the longest time without one in 200 years.

[@5mnz7fg]

How charming, especially the interieur!

[@paulsim8668]

U U, u........;-)

[@festivalimage]

No Cab footage.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Sorry! I do not recall why I did not do this. All being well this railcar will be running at Easter and if I can get to Didcot I will try to get some cab views

[@owenchuarbx]

It just feels more like the ancestor of the Class 153

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Crystal Mover In a way it is. Later versions of these railcars were single ended and operated in pairs (one facing each way), sometimes with an ordinary unpowered passenger coach between them. But for WW2 there would probably have been many more of these railcars, as they were found to be liked by the passengers.

[@inegozamora168]

I wondered this train could be perfect for a new character Thomas & Friends Big World Big Adventure Kinder surprise for the two great western engines duck and Oliver and Donald and Douglas and also daisy the diesel railcar too and hugo the Rail Zeppelin engine

[@eurouc]

What peculiar, funny looking and out of proportion doors leading into the engineers compartment

[@johnmiles5929]

Err, that's because it's the guards compartment and the large door is so that large things can be loaded onboard, quite simple really, obviously far to cleaver for the us.

[@johnjephcote7636]

I do not understand why so little consideration is given to basic passenger comfort in modern trains; seats that are little more than cloth stuck onto hard plastic. Even 'second /standard class deserves some sprung or foam upholstery. I find that in general, few people understand why, until c.1954 there were mainly two classes - 1st and 3rd (the Midland having abolished 2nd Class and upgraded 3rd in a brilliant piece of marketing). Only the cross-channel routes retained 2nd class so as not to confuse continental visitors; the preserved railways perpetuate this.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

I think that the old style of fully upholstered comfortable seats would fall foul of present-day fire safety regulations. Also, it was labour intensive and a highly skilled craft whereas present-day upholstered seats are easier to make and quicker too. I used to work in soft furnishings and most of my customers were upholsterers. A few times I even saw them working on recovering train seats!

[@metalman4141]

I though all Diesel engines are injected!

[@northstar1950]

Are these 'Wilson Epicyclic' gearboxes of the pre- selection type?

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

sorry but I do not know

[@angelsone-five7912]

Yes they are pre-select. In the Pathe film when No 1 is rolled out the commentator mentions that and says that lots of popular cars have them too. I don`t know about lots but some certainly did.

[@northstar1950]

@@angelsone-five7912Thank you , I think Daimler and Lanchester cars did although I stand corrected regarding the latter, I have driven a Daimler bus with the same transmission type but never a car.

[@angelsone-five7912]

@@northstar1950 I used to go to school on a London Transport RT bus and the driver would put the gear lever into the next gear he wanted but it didn`t change til he pressed down the left side pedal.

[@northstar1950]

@@angelsone-five7912 , Yup the RT type were also pre-select as were many others including Birmingham's Guy Arabs of their post was 'Standard' design. RTs had the selector leaver on the left hand side of the steering column, Guy tended to have a stick on the floor to the left of the driver and the Daimler I drove had a quadrant lever on the right hand side of the column. The design lost favour when two pedal Semi-Auto boxes that started to appear in the late 60s.

[@billcobbett9259]

Can anyone tell me why this unit has never appeared on other preserved lines? I would have thought a run up the WSR would be ideal for it.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

I have no idea!

[@billcobbett9259]

It seems wasted just going up and down the demo lines at Didcot, when there are so many longer lines where it could be given a good run. Maybe the folks responsible for it don't want to stress it too much.

[@CBeaumontHIGTFY]

This is the only one of 3 survivors that runs. The other two: one is being restored from scratch, the other is static. So wise to look after this one. As said in another comment, if replica's of this could be mass produced, they would be ideal for heritage lines which could actually provide a commuter service. WSR, Mid-Hants, South Devon, Paignton / Dartmouth ~ examples of lines which connect towns.

[@leonblittle226]

I have suggested this make an appearance on the South Devon Railway because it would be very much at home on the line and at just under 7 miles is just about what this was built to do. The photographers would love it, but getting them to chuck in a few quid for the cost of transporting this down is like getting blood from a stone with some of them.

[@LiftEnthusiast2020OFFTOPIC]

Sounds like a bus

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

it has same engine as diesel buses of that era!

[@joeritchie7286]

Sounds like a lorry

[@johnwhiskerd7079]

Travelled from Malswick Halt To Gloucester Central each day in 1958. On many days a railcar was used. Often illegally walked back to Malswick Cottage along the permanent way.

[@Matthew-it2jw]

Horn sounds alot like HST horn.

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

DaROBLOXChannel I asked about that, and the response made me think that the BR two tone horn came from these diesel railcars.

[@Matthew-it2jw]

Oooo, interesting.

[@Andyww08]

Yes you are right. The GWR spent a lot of time getting the tone of the horns right. There are 4 horns fitted. 2 of these work off the main reservoir, and 2 work off a couple of electriccally powered air compressors under the floor of the driving cabs at either end

[@jayswarrow1196]

Alright, whoever that Gary wild rhodent was, he obviously had too little respect, if any, for craftsman's hands, to keep that antique piece of glass without his bleedin signature-scratch... Silly stuff aside, mind you, that old boat sounds just like a Triumph, with slightly tired exhaust

[@chrisphillips4859]

Did that lady just put her k I'd in the luggage vestibule?!!!

[@roboftherock]

It is a kiddieless kiddie karrier!

[@simongleaden2864]

3rd class only passenger accommodation only then?

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

still very pleasant!

[@peterbradbury1592]

Did this type of railcar service Thame station in the 1950s

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

sorry I do not know.

[@ANDREWWALLFORD123]

That train is a single car?... Where is other car the way used always two cars possible to ride it as usual. But why there only one?

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

Andrew Wallford Thats the way the first of these were built. Later versions were built as single ended pairs so that they could operate as two carriages or (with a trailer in-between) as three carriage trains. But because of WW2 very few of these were built.

[@Andyww08]

They were designed and built to replace the branch steam train. They could haul 60 tons as a trailing load, and were also designed with a shunting control, so that the driver could lean out the window, and control the Railcar, via this one lever

[@None-zc5vg]

I'm a long way from Oxford now, but I heard that a lot of the line which ran through Thame from Oxford until the early '60s (for passengers) is potentially restorable (though the bowstring bridge that spanned the A40 near Wheatley was removed long ago and sent to South Wales for reuse) and they're planning to restore the Oxford-Cowley section for passenger services. Reopening the whole line through to Princes Risborough doesn't seem an impossible idea, and would (re)create a valuable secondary route to London.

[@chrisphillips4859]

This has too be canuck land.

[@retromechanicalengineer]

Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK.

[@RegiRaidillonVT]

I died when the Incompetech music came on

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

why?

[@RegiRaidillonVT]

citytransportinfo Because it felt like you decided to become GWR Sherlock Holmes, away through a Railcar

[@Taka_6511]

ポリゴンを感じる。

[@wharris302]

Sounds like a bus lol

[@CitytransportInfoplus]

dennis trident william There is a good reason for that - it has the same type of diesel engines as buses of that era!

[@Andyww08]

She has the same engines and gearboxes as what is known as the pre war batch of London Transport RT's. And she has 2 of each, one driving the bogis to oposite end of the engine

[@tonymaries1652]

The diesel multiple units built by British Railways in the 1950s also used standard bus engines and gearboxes, usually AEC or Leyland. But generally a two car BR unit would have just two 9.6 litre 125 bhp diesel engines for two rail vehicles. Hence they were rather underpowered. The GWR were clearly thinking about something with enough grunt to tackle some of their steeply graded branch lines in Cornwall and other parts of their network. I am not old enough to remember the pre-war LT RTs, only the survivors from the late 70s and early 80s when I lived in London. The engine and transmission on this sounds quite mellifluous, although not a patch on a Midland Red D9. A bus built for a real turn of speed compared with its mass-produced counterparts from AEC and Leyland. What a shame Midland Red were not invited to build diesel multiple units, based on the mechanicals of the legendary CM5 motorway coach, a vehicle which could rip a good one off the vast majority of family cars of that era, and even overtake express passenger trains on the section of the M1 where the main line from London to Birmingham runs alongside..