A motor coach (international usage) or motorcar (US usage) is a
self-propelled passenger vehicle also capable of hauling a train. With
multiple unit
A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contr ...
train control, one operator can control several "motor coaches", possibly even combined with
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
s, efficiently in the same train, making longer trains possible.
Motor coaches can replace locomotives at the head of local passenger or freight trains. Especially electrified narrow gauge lines on the European continent often saw this form of operation. Many of these railways closed down, and many others changed to
electric multiple units
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...
. However, a few lines in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
still work with train consists hauled by motor coaches. It can be expected that the
Bernina line of
Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB ...
will continue for a long time to be operated with motor coaches pulling passenger and freight trains.
Examples of motor coaches
Image:19900922K086-27.jpg, Two motor coaches of RhB
The Rhaetian Railway (german: Rhätische Bahn; it, Ferrovia retica; rm, Viafier retica), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB ...
in MU pulling the maximum allowed load of 140 t on the Bernina line
Image:BT BDe 3-4 43.jpg, An old Bodensee-Toggenburg (Switzerland) motor coach pulling four coaches: not an EMU and not a railcar
Image:20070520S326 73-221.jpg, Electric motor coach of CEV (Switzerland) with driving trailer
File:20040529K244-01A.jpg, Metre-gauge electric twin motor coach ABDe 8/8 4004 of the MOB
Mob or MOB may refer to:
Behavioral phenomena
* Crowd
* Smart mob, a temporary self-structuring social organization, coordinated through telecommunication
Crime and law enforcement
* American Mafia, also known as the Mob
* Irish Mob, a US crimin ...
in Switzerland pulling two coaches and two cement wagons
Image:Steuerwagen 954.jpg, A Czech diesel motor coach with a driving trailer
A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK and Ireland) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or two driver compartm ...
Examples of railcars
Image:Swiss Rail ARB old2.JPG, ARB BCFhe 2/3 6 in Switzerland, oldest operational rack railcar of the world, built in 1911
Image:Автомотриса_АС1А-1412_Soviet_motor_coach_AS1A-1412.jpg, Soviet railcar AS1A at Museum of the Moscow Railway (Moscow Rizhsky station)
Image:Libun8.jpg, Czech railbus (now nicknamed Regiomouse)
File:Riffelberg station(1).jpg, Rack railcars of Gornergratbahn in Zermatt, Switzerland
Examples of multiple units not combined with other vehicles
File:Gornergratbahn oberhalb Riffelboden.jpg, Rack electric multiple units of Gornergratbahn in Zermatt, Switzerland: Two-car-units can work in MU
File:FGC A GTW 04.jpg, Two rack GTW of the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya working in MU on the Montserrat line
File:Štrbské Pleso, Zubačka 11.jpg, ZSSK Class 405.95 on the Štrba to Štrbské Pleso rack railway, Štrbské Pleso
Štrbské pleso (, german: Tschirmer See, pl, Szczyrbskie jezioro, hu, Csorbató or ) is a picturesque mountain lake of glacial origin and a top tourist destination in the High Tatras, Slovakia. It is the second-largest glacial lake on the Sl ...
File:EM 1367 leading a southbound 4 car set as the morning sun breaks through the clouds, near Epuni - 17 May 2003.jpg, Two EM class EMUs in New Zealand
File:Metra Electric train.jpg, Bilevel EMUs in Chicago
File:SEPTA Silverliner II.jpg, An MU of Silverliners of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA)
File:Saint-Pétersbourg - Métro - Pushkinskaya - IMG 3154.jpg, Sankt Petersburg Metro EMUs
See also
*
Autorail
The French word Autorail describes a single powered railcar capable of carrying passengers. While the concept faded for a while, it has been introduced with a new range of vehicles for both standard and metre gauge lines.
Many autorails from the ...
*
Budd RDC
The Budd Rail Diesel Car, RDC, Budd car or Buddliner is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The cars were primarily adop ...
*
Budd SPV-2000
The Budd SPV-2000 is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar built by the Budd Company between 1978 and 1981 for use on North American commuter railroads. The design was a successor to Budd's popular Rail Diesel Car (RDC) but based on the b ...
*
British Rail Class 108
The British Rail Class 108 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1958 to 1961, with a final production quantity of 333 vehicles.
Overview
The 108 was formed as a 2, 3, or 4 car unit. Its aluminium body led the type to be classed a ...
*
ČD Class 810
*
ČD Class 814
The ČD class 814 diesel multiple units (colloquially known as "Regionova") are a development of the prototype 812 613 and replace the earlier class 810 DMUs on local railways České dráhy in the Czech Republic. They are formed as 2 cars (Cl ...
*
ČD Class 840 and 841
The ČD Class 840 and 841 diesel multiple units are two versions of the Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 built for České dráhy. 841 is the basic version, 840 is a modification for services on steep mountain lines. Since 2013, České dráhy have been ...
*
New York City Subway rolling stock
The New York City Subway is a large rapid transit system and has a large fleet of rolling stock. , the New York City Subway has cars on the roster.
The system maintains two separate fleets of passenger cars: one for the A Division (number ...
*
Power car
In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle:
*a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, multiple unit or tram, often as the lead vehicle;
*a vehicle equipped ...
*
Railbus
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus (original or modified) body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed ...
*
Railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
*
Railmotor
Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it.
Steam railcars
Overview
In th ...
*
Uerdingen railbus
The Uerdingen railbus (German: ''Uerdinger Schienenbus'') is the common term for the multiple units which were developed by the German firm of Waggonfabrik Uerdingen for the Deutsche Bundesbahn and private railways after the Second World War. Th ...
Categories
*
Railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a drive ...
*
Railbus
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus (original or modified) body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed ...
*
Multiple Unit
A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contr ...
*
Locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
General
*
Autorail
The French word Autorail describes a single powered railcar capable of carrying passengers. While the concept faded for a while, it has been introduced with a new range of vehicles for both standard and metre gauge lines.
Many autorails from the ...
*
British Rail Railbuses
References
Literature
*
* {{cite book , last=Jackson , first=Alan A. , title=The Railway Dictionary , edition=4th , date=2006 , publisher=Sutton Publishing , location=Stroud , isbn=0-7509-4218-5
Railbuses
Multiple units