The GWR Autocoach (or auto-trailer) is a type of

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

that was used by the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...

for push-pull trains powered by a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...

. The distinguishing design feature of an autocoach is the driving cab at one end, allowing the driver to control the train without needing to be located in the cab of the steam locomotive. This eliminates the need to run the engine round to the other end of the coach at the end of each journey. When one or more autocoaches are connected to a suitably equipped steam locomotive, the combination is known as an auto-train, or, historically, a railmotor train. A steam locomotive provided with the equipment to be used as an autotrain is said to be auto-fitted. The autocoach is the forerunner of the

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 ...

used with

push–pull train Push–pull is a configuration for locomotive-hauled trains, allowing them to be driven from either end of the train, whether having a locomotive at each end or not. A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via ...

Design features

A locomotive fitted with additional control equipment is used to power the autotrain. When running 'autocoach first', the regulator is operated by a linkage to a rotating shaft running the length of the locomotive, passing below the cab floor. This engages (via a telescopic coupling) with another shaft running the full length below the floor of the autocoach. This shaft is turned by a second regulator lever in the cab of the autocoach. ''(See photograph sequence below.)'' The driver can operate the regulator, brakes and

whistle A whistle is an instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or nose flute type to a lar ...

from the far (cab) end of the autocoach; the fireman remains on the locomotive and (in addition to firing) also controls the

valve gear The valve gear of a steam engine is the mechanism that operates the inlet and exhaust valves to admit steam into the cylinder and allow exhaust steam to escape, respectively, at the correct points in the cycle. It can also serve as a reversing ...

settings. The driver can also warn of the train's approach using a large mechanical gong, prominently mounted high on the cab end of the autocoach, which is operated by stamping on a pedal on the floor of the cab. The driver, guard and fireman communicate with each other by an electric bell system. Internally, the passenger section of the coach is divided into two open saloons – originally for smoking and non-smoking – with a lobby in the middle separating the two. There is usually a small guard's and luggage compartment at the 'loco' (non-driving) end of the coach. Passengers access the coach via the lobby. The coach is equipped with retractable steps, which are extended if the train stops at rural halts with either low or non-existent platforms, and which fold-in tight against the coach underframe to keep them clear of line-side obstructions when the train is moving. These steps are controlled by the guard using levers in the lobby. File:GWR coach A38 225 driving compartment.jpg, The lever above the cab window moves a vertical rod... File:GWR coach A38 231 rear end auto gear.jpg, ...which rotates the long rod beneath the coach... File:GWR coach A38 231 rear coupling.jpg, ...to turn the flat bar at the back of the coach... File:4866 autotrain connector.jpg, ...that engages with the socket on the locomotive to operate the regulator.

In operation

If more than one autocoach was used, the locomotive would usually be marshalled between the coaches, as 'play' in the control linkages could otherwise make operation difficult. This arrangement was not always possible where turntables were not convenient for turning coaches and hence up to two autocoaches could follow or lead a locomotive with cab ends away from the locomotive. Many GWR suburban services around

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

were formed of fixed autotrain formations of four autocoaches, two each side of the locomotive with cabs leading in each direction. When these were introduced in 1906, experiments were made to harmonise the appearance of the locomotive in the middle of the train by cutting down the side tanks and encasing the entire locomotive in a square bodyshell of the same basic design, height and width as the coaches, complete with 'windows' and the same chocolate/cream paint livery. Two 2021 Class and two 517 Class engines were modified in this way.

Accidents and incidents

* On 15 April 1923, carriage No. 70 formed a passenger train hauled by locomotive No. 215. The train was in a head-on collision with a freight train at

Curry Rivel Curry Rivel is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton and east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The parish has a population of 2,148. The parish includes the hamlet of Burton Pynsent. History The ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...

due to a signalman's error. Nine people were injured. * On 16 November 1937, an empty train in a siding at the eastern end of

Ealing Broadway station Ealing Broadway is a major single-level interchange station in Ealing in London, England. It is in the London Borough of Ealing, West London, and is served by the London Underground and also National Rail on the Great Western Main Line. On the U ...

(between platforms 2 and 3) was waiting to be called into the platform to form the next service to when the driver started the train in thick fog without noticing either that the points were not set for the platform nor that the signals were against him, and the auto-trailer crashed into the

signal box In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The '' IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing' ...

. This auto-trailer, no. 211 of Diagram A³¹, had been converted in August 1935 from steam rail motor no. 81 (Diagram Q¹); it was repaired after the accident, and was not withdrawn until March 1959.

Fleet list

Auto-fitted locomotives

Several locomotive classes included examples equipped to work in autotrains at different times. These included:

References

External links

{{commons category, GWR autocoaches
West Somerset Railway – Photo gallery: Restoration of Autocoach no 169
– Includes many pictures of the innards of an autocoach Autocoach