Railbus 4-wheel AC Cars Profile and Models

Railbus 4-wheel AC Cars

W79978 at the Colne Valley Railway in August 2010. ©Foulger Railway Photography

In the late 1950s, British Rail tested a series of small railbuses, produced by a variety of manufacturers, for about £12,500 each (£261,000 at 2014 prices). These proved to be very economical but were somewhat unreliable. Most of the lines they worked on were closed following the Beeching Cuts and, being non-standard, they were all withdrawn in the mid-1960s. AC Cars built five examples at their factory in Thames Ditton, Surrey. They were the first of five railbus designs to be delivered and operated in the Scottish and Western regions for 10 years.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Unit

Diesel-Mechanical Railbus

Builder

AC Cars, Surrey

Build Dates

1958

Total Built

5

Coaches Per Unit

Single Car

Power Output

150 hp

Top Speed

50 mph

Passenger Capacity

46 seats

Operated By

British Rail

Main Duties

Local Passenger

In Service Until

1968

Surviving Examples

1

 

OO Gauge (1:76 Scale)
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O Gauge (1:43 Scale)
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Products awaiting categorisation

Scale Brand Image Construction Type DCC Capability Product Code Product Title Livery
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale) Anbrico AC AC Cars 4 wheel Railbus British Railways Kit (Motor and gears not included) Requires assembly Not set AC
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AC Cars 4 wheel Railbus British Railways Kit (Motor and gears not included) Awaiting Categorisation