DX68811 Permaquip Personnel Carrier

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Permaquip Personnel Carrier DX68811

DX68811 is a unique Permaquip Personnel Carrier Mk II, also described as a "Patrolmens' vehicle". It is powered by a VW 6-cylinder turbocharged water cooled diesel engine and may be thought of as a more modern version of the Wickham Trolley. It is works no. 001 of 1987, and carried Elec-Track running no. ETI 41.[1]

The BRBritish Rail or British Railways DepartmentalRolling stock used for the railway’s own functions (engineering etc.) rather than for general passenger or goods traffic. DX 688XX number range was allocated to Permaquip Personnel Carriers. The first five, DX68800 to DX68804 were ordered in 1985 for use on the former Cambrian lines where they were to replace the last London Midland Region Wickham Trolleys.[2] A further six were built in 1986 and numbered DX68805 to DX68810.[3] DX68811, which was delivered in 1987, was the only Mk II and was also the last Personnel Carrier built by Permaquip for British Rail[1].

Service and preservation

DX68811 was a 'one-off' modified design with less seating and a higher top speed of 50mph. It was intended for use in the Scottish Highlands, mainly on the Far North lines from Inverness into Sutherland and Caithness, where long stretches of the routes to Kyle, Wick and Thurso had limited road access.[4]

DX68811 was purchased from contractors Morgan Sindall in June 2015 by the Rail Trolley Trust and delivered to the Whitrope Heritage Centre at Hawick, Roxburghshire in the same month.[1] It was still resident there in 2019.[3]

It arrived at Highley on 2 February 2022, awaiting repairs, and is on long term loan to the SVRSevern Valley Railway from The Rail Trolley Trust.[1] In June 2023 SVRSevern Valley Railway Operations notes stated work has now started on reactivating it.

In the image below also visible behind it are BP065 Permaquip Ballast Packer and Parry People Mover PPM 50 prototype 'Car 12'.

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Rail Trolley Trust
  2. Butcher (1986) p.6.
  3. 3.0 3.1 UK Preserved 2019 p.123.
  4. Adrian Nicholls on Flickr

Links