GWR 178 Autotrailer Third

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GWRGreat Western Railway 178 Autotrailer Third
GWR 178 20140309.jpg
Autocoach 178 behind GWRGreat Western Railway 1450
Built By GWRGreat Western Railway Swindon
Status In service
Number 178
Other numbers W178, W178W
History
Built 1930
Designed By CollettCharles Benjamin Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the Great Western Railway 1922-1941
Diagram A28
Lot 1410
Length 62ft 8in
Weight 30t (approx)
Seats 72 third
1969 Preserved on SVRSevern Valley Railway
1979 Left SVRSevern Valley Railway
2014 Returned to SVRSevern Valley Railway

Carriages

The GWRGreat Western Railway Autocoach, sometimes called an autotrailer, was used by the Great Western Railway for push-pull trains powered by a steam locomotive. The autocoach has a driving cab at one end, allowing the driver to control the train without needing to be on the footplate of the locomotive. This eliminates the need for the engine to run round to the other end of the coach at the end of each journey. The combination of locomotive and autocoach(es) is known as an auto-train or, historically, a railmotor train, and they were mainly used on small branch lines.

Steam locomotives provided with the equipment to be used as an auto-train are said to be auto-fitted. The driver operates the regulator, brakes and whistle from the autocoach; the fireman remains on the locomotive and in addition to firing, also controls the valve gear settings. The driver, guard and fireman can communicate with each other by an electric bell system.

Many Autocoaches were rebuilt from steam railmotors, although both examples on the SVRSevern Valley Railway were built as autocoaches from new.

Service

178 was built at Swindon in 1930 as part of Lot 1410 to Diagram A28.[1] Its working life ended at Wolverton.[2]

Preservation

178 first arrived on the SVRSevern Valley Railway on 1 January 1969, owned by D.R.G. Gwynne-Jones.[2] In Autumn 1975 the SVRSevern Valley Railway announced that 178 and GWR 6562 Brake Composite were to be acquired from D.R.G. Gwynne-Jones by The Great Western (SVR) Association.[3] However 178 left the SVRSevern Valley Railway in 1979, moving to the DeanWilliam Dean, Chief Locomotive Engineer of the Great Western Railway 1877-1902 Forest railway.[1]

178 returned to the SVRSevern Valley Railway in March 2014 along with autocoach 238 and auto-fitted locomotive GWR 1450, all three vehicles being owned by Pull Push Limited[4].

Gallery

Interior views of 178

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey
  2. 2.0 2.1 SVRSevern Valley Railway Stock Book Fourth Edition
  3. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 37
  4. Felstead, K., 'Track Record', The Railway Magazine, January 2021

Links

178 on Railway Heritage Register On-Line