Changes

The Great Western Railway introduced '''Diesel Railcar''' units in the 1930s as a more economic replacement to steam traction on smaller branch lines. They were first used around the Kidderminster / [[Bewdley ]] / [[Hartlebury Triangle ]] triangle from 1936, entering service on the rest of the Severn Valley and [[Tenbury Branches Branch|Tenbury branches]] in 1941 where they continued in use until the 1960s. Railcar 22 is owned by the Great Western Society at Didcot but was resident on loan at the SVR in the 1960s and 1970s.

Railcar 22 entered service from Newport shed on 18 September 1940.<ref name = "Didcot" /> On 30 July 1941, 22 and sister number 23 were noted in the Kidderminster area, believed to be on test runs for the introduction of railcar services on the Severn Valley and Tenbury Branches which began that year.<ref name = "Turley">[[Bibliography#Books | Turley (2005) P. 41.]]</ref> Thereafter Railcar 22 was based in the Bristol area and between 1950 and 1954, in the Reading area where it had been paired with Car 38 after sister Car 35 was destroyed by fire. For the next few years 22 was based at Leamington, before a move to [[Worcester]] in 1958 from where it regularly worked services on the Severn Valley Branch as far as [[Shrewsbury ]] and also on the [[Tenbury Branch]]. A railcar servicing depot had been established at Worcester in the Carriage & Wagon works area. This was north of Shrub Hill on the opposite side of the main line to the steam shed. Vehicle fuelling points were provided both inside and outside the shed and there were underfloor maintenance pits.<ref name = "Bartlett">[https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/blog/author-guest-post-steve-bartlett/ Bartlett, Steve, ‘Worcester’s Great Western Diesel Railcars Working on the Severn Valley’, Pen & Sword blog, 30 September 2020] (Retrieved 8 November 2021)</ref>

[[File:Railcar W22W 28.5.1967 David Adams.jpg|thumb|300px|right| Railcar 22 at Bridgnorth in BR green liveryin 1967]]After withdrawal, W22W was stored at Swindon until being bought by the Midland Group of the Great Western Society in 1967. The Railcar left Swindon on 3 May 1967 as part of the Down Swindon to Gloucester parcels train, and arrived at Kidderminster as part of another freight train on Friday 5 May. On Friday 12 May it travelled to [[Alveley Sidings]] as part of the Alveley empties coal train, from where it was propelled onto the SVR's section of the railway by BR's Type 2 diesel after platelayers had temporarily replaced the section of rail normally removed to ensure no unauthorised movements took place across the boundary. On Saturday 13 May 1967 it was collected by [[3205]] and [[GWR 6562 Brake Composite | GWR Brake Composite 6562]] and delivered to [[Bridgnorth]].<ref> A G Cleaver, "The Early Days Of The 'Severn Valley'", ''SVR News'' 190 (2015) p24.</ref><ref name=SVR6>SVR News 6</ref>

On 22 October 1967 the SVRS staged a "Railcar Weekend" with W22W making hourly trips to [[Hampton Loade ]] and back. The day also saw the arrival of [[2047 Warwickshire]].<ref>SVR News 7</ref>

The page below is extracted from the GWR's internal document "GWR Birmingham and Worcester Divisions, Working of Coaches (rail motor, auto cars etc), 5 October 1942". It shows the working arrangements for the [[Railcar 22|GWR Railcars]] which were based at Worcester. <ref group="note">The services shewn to at the foot of this page refer to trains for workers at the Royal Ordnance Factory in premises commandeered from Cadbury's, which produced ammunition during both World Wars. Blackpole was an unadvertised halt to the north of Worcester built to serve the factory and operated only during and immediately after the Wars.</ref> Three cars ("A", "B", and "C") were used daily. "B" mainly served the Severn Valley Branch, including services to and from Highley mainly for the use of miners working at [[Collieries served by the Severn Valley Railway#Highley Colliery|Highley Colliery]]. "C" mainly served the Tenbury Branch. Both "B" and "C" are referred to as "New type".

:''It emerged there was also a dedicated Worcester railcar drivers’ link; the drivers stayed with their railcars as they roamed over the Severn Valley system [..] Worcester’s Severn Valley turns started with early morning positioning empty stock movements. In 1950 no less than three of Worcester’s four diesel railcar diagrams started the day on the Severn Valley system. First out was a 4.55am Worcester to [[Highley]] empty stock to form a 6.07am Highley to [[Bewdley]]. Next out was a 5.10am to Kidderminster empty stock to form a 5.53am Kidderminster to [[Alveley Halt]] [..] This railcar then made a three minute empty stock movement to [[Hampton Loade]] where it reversed and worked a 6.33am unadvertised service back to Alveley Halt. Both trips were for the conveyance of colliers to work. The third Worcester diagram, the daddy of them all, was a 5.35am forty-eight miles empty stock movement to Ludlow via Shelwick Junction, on the approaches to Hereford. There it reversed and went up the North & West route to Ludlow where it formed a 7.25am Ludlow to Woofferton, continuing from there as an 8.09am to Kidderminster, via Bewdley. Having spent the day working this section its return home was equally worthy of record. This was a 7.26pm Woofferton to Worcester Shrub Hill advertised service via Leominster and Bromyard''<ref name = "Bartlett" />.