A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. A railroad car or railway carriage is a Vehicle on a rail transport system (railroad or railway that is used for the carrying of Cargo or "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one place to another The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a driver's cab at one or both ends. A Railway coach &mdash also known especially in the UK, as a railway carriage &mdash is a passenger car designed for the conveyance of passengers Some railways, e. g. the Great Western Railway, used the term Railmotor; others use railbus. The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West Railmotor is a term which was used by several British railway companies for a steam railcar If it is able to pull a full train, it is rather called a motor coach or a motor car. A motor coach (in the European use of the word or motor car is a powered rail vehicle able to pull a train and at the same time transport passengers or luggage

In its simplest form, an American speeder. A speeder (also known as railway motor car putt-putt track-maintenance car crew car jigger trike quad trolley or inspection car is a Maintenance of way Motorized

With some weather protection, including mountable canvas side curtains

An early steam railcar for the narrow gauge Niederösterreichische Landesbahn, built by Komarek of Vienna in 1903. Works photograph

An early gasoline-engined rail omnibus on the New York Central railroad. The New York Central Railroad, known simply as the New York Central in its publicity was a Railroad operating in the Northeastern United States.

Two modern diesel-powered rack railcars on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. The Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR ( Welsh: Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa) is a narrow gauge rack and pinion Mountain railway in Gwynedd

A 3 car train of the unique 2000 class railcars in suburban Adelaide, Australia.

ZIM-based railcar on narrow gauge railway in Gayvoron, Ukraine

In its simplest form it may be little more than a motorized version of a railway handcar. GAZ-12 ZIM (ГАЗ-12 ЗиМ is a Limousine produced at the GAZ from 1950 till 1959 A handcar (also known as a pump trolley, pump car, jigger or Kalamazoo) is a Railroad car powered by its passengers or by people

The term is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of multiple unit which consist of more than one coach. The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still The term is used more generally now in Ireland to refer to any diesel multiple unit (DMU). Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board Diesel

Uses

Railcars are economic to run for light passenger loads because of their small size, and in many countries are often used to run passenger services on minor railway lines, such as rural railway lines where passenger traffic is sparse, and where the use of a longer train would not be cost effective. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA is a form of Economic analysis that compares the relative expenditure (costs and outcomes (effects of two or more courses of action A famous example of this in the United States was the Galloping Goose railcars of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, whose introduction allowed the discontinuance of steam passenger service on the line and prolonged its life considerably. Galloping Goose is the name given to a series of seven Railcars (also known as "motors" built in the 1930s by the Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad (RGS was a narrow gauge Railroad which ran from Durango to Ridgway in the western part of the US

Railcars have also been employed on premier services. In New Zealand, although railcars were primarily used on regional services, the Blue Streak and Silver Fern railcars were used on the North Island Main Trunk between Wellington and Auckland and offered a higher standard of service than previous carriage trains. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The NZR RM class 88-seaters were a class of Railcar used in New Zealand known unofficially as 'articulateds' 'twinsets' 'Drewrys' and 'Fiats' This article is about the New Zealand railcar service and the railcars themselves History Construction Auckland - Te Awamutu Auckland's first railway southwards was the line between Point Britomart and Onehunga, opened in 1873 Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the The Auckland metropolitan area or Greater Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country

Propulsion systems

Steam

See also: Railmotor, for the steam-powered vehicles used by British railways

William Bridges Adams built steam railcars at Bow, London in the 1840s. Railmotor is a term which was used by several British railway companies for a steam railcar William Bridges Adams (1797 – July 23, 1872) was an Author, Inventor and Locomotive engineer. Bow is an area of East London England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Many British railway companies tried steam railcars but they were not very successful and were often replaced by push-pull trains. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 Push-pull is a mode of operation for Locomotive -hauled Trains allowing them to be driven from either end Sentinel Wagon Works was one British builder of steam railcars. Sentinel Waggon Works Ltd was a British company based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire that made steam powered lorries ("road locomotives"

In Belgium, M. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those A. Cabany of Mechelen designed steam railcars. Mechelen ( Mechlin in English is a Dutch-speaking city and municipality in the province of Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium. His first was built in 1877 and exhibited at a Paris exhibition. This may have been the Exposition Universelle (1878). The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from May 1 though to November 10, 1878 The steam boiler was supplied by the Boussu Works and there was accommodation for First, Second and Third-class passengers and their luggage. Boussu is a Walloon Municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. There was also a locker for dogs underneath! Fifteen were built and they worked mainly in the Hainaut and Antwerp districts. Hainaut ( French; English traditionally Hainault, Dutch: Henegouwen, German: Hennegau, Walloon ||-||-||-||} Antwerp ( Dutch:, French: Anvers) is a City and Municipality in Belgium and the capital of the

Diesel

While early railcars were propelled by steam, gasoline, and diesel, modern railcars are usually propelled by a diesel engine mounted underneath the floor of the coach. A diesel engine is an Internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle (named after Dr Diesel railcars may have mechanical (fluid coupling and gearbox), hydraulic (torque converter) or diesel-electric hybrid transmission. A fluid coupling is a hydrodynamic device used to transmit rotating mechanical power A torque converter is a modified form of Fluid coupling that is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an Internal combustion engine A Diesel locomotive is a type of Railroad Locomotive in which the prime mover is a Diesel engine.

All-electric

Main article: electric locomotive

All-electric railcars don't produce greenhouse gases at the point of use, but generating the electricity used to power them produces greenhouse gases at the power station. "Electric Trains" redirects here For the 1995 Squeeze single see Electric Trains (song.

Battery-electric

Experiments with battery-electric railcars were conducted from around 1890 in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy. In the USA, railcars of the Edison-Beach type, with nickel-iron batteries were used from 1911. The nickel-iron battery is a storage battery having a Nickel(III oxide-hydroxide Cathode and an iron Anode, with an electrolyte of Potassium An Edison Railcar was used in New Zealand from 1926 to 1934, see NZR RM class (Edison battery-electric). The NZR RM class Edison battery-electric railcar was a popular and successful Railcar that ran in Canterbury, New Zealand for eight years The Drumm nickel-zinc battery was used on four 2-car sets between 1932 and 1946 on the Harcourt Street Line in Ireland and British Railways used lead-acid batteries in a railcar in 1958. History Developed by an Irish chemist Dr James J Drumm (1897-1974 and installed in four 2-car Drumm Railcar sets between 1932 and 1948 for The Harcourt Street railway line ( ran from Harcourt Street in Dublin through the southern suburbs to Bray. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world See also Rail transport in Great Britain, National Rail, Network Rail This article is about the defunct entity "British Railways" Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French Physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of Rechargeable battery. The Battery Electric Multiple Unit was an experimental two-car Multiple unit, built at the same time and in the same style as the prototype Derby Lightweight Between 1955 and 1995 DB railways successfully operated 232 DB Class ETA 150 railcars utilising lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French Physicist Gaston Planté, are the oldest type of Rechargeable battery.

As with any other battery electric vehicle, the drawback is the limited range (this can be solved using overhead wires to recharge for use in places where there are not wires), weight, and/or expense of the battery. The battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of Electric vehicle (EV that uses chemical Energy stored in Rechargeable battery Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit Electrical energy to Trams Trolleybuses or Trains at a distance from the

Overhead wires

Main article: overhead wires

Multiple units

Sometimes when there are enough passengers to justify it, railcars can be joined together. Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit Electrical energy to Trams Trolleybuses or Trains at a distance from the Usually these form multiple units with one driver controlling all engines, however it has previously been the practice for a railcar to tow a carriage or second railcar which does not provide any power. The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still It is possible for several railcars to run together, each with its own driver (a practice of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee). The County Donegal Railways Joint Committee operated in north-west Ireland during the 20th century The reason for this was to keep costs down, since small railcars were not always fitted with multiple unit control.

There are also articulated railcars, with bogies under the point between the carriages rather than two pivoting bogies under each carriage (see Jacobs bogie). Articulated cars are rail vehicles which are much longer than single passenger cars because they combine a number of smaller lighter cars which are semi-permanently Jacobs bogies (named after Wilhelm Jakobs (1858 - 1942 are a type of rail vehicle Bogie commonly found on articulated Railcars and Tramway vehicles

Railbuses

A variation of railcar is a railbus, a very lightweight type of 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. A bogie (ˈboʊgi (BŌ-gē is a Wheeled wagon or trolley In mechanics terms a bogie is a Chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to a vehicle

Railbuses were used commonly in countries such as Germany, and a type of railbus known as a Pacer is still commonly used in the United Kingdom. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Pacer is the operational name of the British Rail Class 140, 141, 142, 143 and 144 Diesel multiple unit The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located New Zealand Railcars class RM, the NZR RM class (Leyland diesel) and the unique Wairarapa railcars which were specially designed to operate over the Rimutaka Incline between Wellington and the Wairarapa region more closely resembled railbuses. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The NZR RM class Leyland diesel railcar or Midland railcar was the first diesel-powered vehicle to enter revenue service on New Zealand 's national The NZR RM class Wairarapa railcar (or Rimutaka railcar) was the first truly successful class of Railcars to operate on New Zealand 's The Rimutaka Incline was a 3 mile (5 kilometre long gauge Railway line on an average grade of 1 in 15 between the Summit and Cross Creek stations on for the electorate see Wairarapa (NZ electorate Wairarapa - pronounced "Wy-ra-ra-pa" (often known as "The Wairarapa" is a geographical In Australia, where they were often called Rail Motors, railcars were often used for passenger services on lightly-used lines. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. In France they are called an Autorail. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The French word Autorail describes a single powered vehicle capable of carrying passengers Once very common their use died out as local lines were closed. However, a new model has been introduced for lesser used lines.

After the cessation of mainline passenger service on BC Rail in Canada, BC Rail started operating a pair of railbuses to some settlements not easily accessible otherwise. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page

In Russia, Metrowagonmash (Russian: ОАО "Метровагонмаш") of Mytishchi manufactures railbus RA-1 with a Mercedes engine. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Metrowagonmash (ОАО "Метровагонмаш" is an engineering company in Russia. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Mytishchi (Мыти́щи mɨ'tʲiɕɕi is the second-largest city (according to the 2002 census) in Moscow Oblast, Russia, adjacent to Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the As of the summer 2006, the Gorky Railroad planned to start using them on the commuter line between Nizhny Novgorod and Bor. Nizhny Novgorod (Ни́жний Но́вгород Nižnij Novgorod) colloquially shortened as Nizhny, is the fourth largest city in Russia Bor (Бор is a town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the left (northern bank of the Volga River, across from ^[1]

Rail bus runs in Kalka-Shimla Railway route in India. The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge Railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla Another railbus was in service in Shimoga-Talguppa route, but the same was closed in June, 07 for gauge conversion from narrow gauge to broad gauge under Project Unigauge. Shimoga-Talaguppa railway is a railway line in India connecting the city of Shimoga to the village of Talaguppa in the Indian state Project Unigauge is an ongoing exercise of the Indian Railways to standardise most of the Rail gauge in India towards a single 1676 mm (5 ft 6 in

Parry People Movers

A UK company currently promoting the rail bus concept is Parry People Movers. Parry People Movers (PPM is a British company manufacturing lightweight railbuses that use Flywheel energy storage (FES to store energy for traction Locomotive power is from the energy stored in a flywheel. Flywheel Energy Storage (FES works by accelerating a Rotor ( Flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as Rotational energy Prototypes have an on board diesel motor to bring the flywheel up to speed. In practice, this could be an electric motor that need only connect to the power supply at stopping points. Alternatively, a motor at the stopping points could wind up the flywheel of each car as it stops.

Road-rail vehicles

The term railbus also refers to a dual-mode bus that can run on streets with rubber tires and on tracks with retractable HyRail train wheels. A Road-rail vehicle is a Self-propelled Vehicle that can be legally used on both Roads and rails.

Railbus is also a term that refers to a bus that replaces or supplements rail services on low-patronage railway lines or a bus that terminates at a railway station (also called a train bus). |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains This process is sometimes called bustitution. The term "bustitution" is a Neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing train service whether street railways ( Light rail or Tram

See also

• Air brake (rail)
• Autorail
• British Rail BEMU
• British Rail Railbuses
• Budd Rail Diesel Car
• Diesel multiple unit
• Doodlebug (rail car)
• Edwards Rail Car Company
• GWR railcars
• Handcar
• Luxtorpeda
• McKeen Motor Car Company - pioneering US railcar builder
• Railway brakes
• Road-rail vehicle
• Rail car mover - some of which resemble HiRail trucks. An air brake is a conveyance braking system applied by means of compressed air. The French word Autorail describes a single powered vehicle capable of carrying passengers The Battery Electric Multiple Unit was an experimental two-car Multiple unit, built at the same time and in the same style as the prototype Derby Lightweight 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 For other meanings of RDC, see RDC (disambiguation. The Budd Rail Diesel Car or RDC is a self-propelled diesel-hydraulic A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a Multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board Diesel In the United States, doodlebug was the common name for a self-propelled Railroad car (multiple unit Edwards Rail Car Company located in Montgomery Alabama, specializes in the manufacture of self-propelled rail cars patterned after original Edwards designs dating In 1933 the Great Western Railway introduced the first of what was to become a very successful series of Railcars which survived in regular use into the 1960s when they A handcar (also known as a pump trolley, pump car, jigger or Kalamazoo) is a Railroad car powered by its passengers or by people Luxtorpeda was a common name of a famous Polish train which ran on some of the most important rail routes of Poland in the 1930s The McKeen Motor Car Company of Omaha Nebraska was a builder of internal combustion-engined Railroad motor cars ( Railcars, constructing 152 Brakes are used on the vehicles of railway Trains to slow them or to keep them standing when parked A Road-rail vehicle is a Self-propelled Vehicle that can be legally used on both Roads and rails. A rail car mover is a vehicle capable of travelling on both roads and Rail tracks and fitted with couplers for moving small numbers of Railroad cars around A Road-rail vehicle is a Self-propelled Vehicle that can be legally used on both Roads and rails.
• Schienenzeppelin
• Speeder
• Stadler GTW
• Unimog

External links

• HyRail
• Fleet Body Equipment
• Rail-Gear (Boatright Enterprises, Inc)
• The Road Rail Bus, an experimental bus for road and rail in the 1970s
• HyRail truck
• North Central Railcar Association (in Pennsylvania)
• Rail Motor Society (NSW, Australia)
• Stadler Rail
• North American Railcar Operators Association

Footnotes