British steam railcars
A steam railcar is a rail vehicle that does not require a locomotive as it contains its own steam engine. The first steam railcar was an experimental unit designed and built in 1847 by James Samuel and William Bridges Adams. In 1848, they made the Fairfield steam carriage that they sold to the Bristol and Exeter Railway, who used it for two years on a branch line.
Railcars were built in the early 20th century for the London and South Western Railway and before entering passenger service one was lent to the Great Western Railway. Between 1902 and 1911, 197 steam railcars were built, 99 by the GWR.
Introduced either due to competition from the new electric tramways or to provide an economic service on lightly used country branch lines, there were two main designs, either a powered bogie enclosed in a rigid body or an articulated engine unit and carriage, pivoting on a pin. However, with little reserve power steam railcars were inflexible and the ride quality was poor due to excessive vibration and oscillation. Most were replaced by an autotrain, adapted carriages and a push-pull steam locomotive as these were able to haul additional carriages or goods wagons.
After trials in 1924, the London and North Eastern Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway purchased between them a total of 102 railcars using high speed steam motors from Sentinel-Cammell and Claytons in the late 1920s. These had all been withdrawn by 1947.
Origins
The first steam railcar was designed by James Samuel, the Eastern Counties Railway Locomotive Engineer, built by William Bridges Adams in 1847, and trialled between Shoreditch and Cambridge on 23 October 1847. An experimental unit, long with a small vertical boiler and passenger accommodation was a bench seat around a box at the back, although it was officially named Lilliputian it was known as Express.The following year, Samuel and Adams built the Fairfield steam carriage. This was much larger, long, and built with an open third class section and a closed second class section. After trials in 1848, it was sold to the Bristol and Exeter Railway and adapted for the 7-foot gauge and the body rebuilt to seat 16 in first-class and 32 in second-class. It ran for two years on the Tiverton Branch Line before the engine was converted to a 0-4-0 locomotive.
Enfield, combining a contemporary designs of engine and carriage, was larger still. Built by Samuel and Adams this was used in regular service by the Eastern Counties Railway until the engine was converted into a 2-2-2 tank locomotive. More engine and carriage combinations to Samuel designs were built in the 1850s in the Eastern Counties railway works, and another by Kitson & Co. called Ariel's Girdle. Later, in 1869, Samuel, Robert Fairlie and George England collaborated to build a prototype articulated steam railcar at England's Hatcham Ironworks that was demonstrated in the works yard. However, England went out of business at about this time and nothing is known about the fate of this vehicle.
Railmotors
Design
The steam railcar was revived in 1902 when Dugald Drummond of the London and South Western Railway built two for a branch line near Portsmouth.Steam railcars were introduced for two main reasons, either to compete with the new electric tramways that were abstracting traffic away in suburban areas or to provide an economic service on lightly used country branch lines. To allow for inexpensive low-level halts steps were provided, interlocked with the brakes so the train could not move with them extended.
There were two main designs, either with a powered bogie enclosed in a rigid body, or the engine unit and carriage were articulated, pivoting on a pin. The steam boiler could be enclosed or left open and was generally open on the articulated units and enclosed on the rigid bodies. Higher maintenance requirements of the engine meant some companies had more locomotive units than carriages.
The steam railcar had a driving position at both ends so it could run in either direction without being turned, or for a locomotive to run round its carriages at a terminus. Control from the rear end was normally by a wheel connected to the regulator by a continuous wire in or above the roof space or a rod running under the floor. The driver was provided with brake and whistle controls, and some means of communicating with the fireman, who stayed on the footplate. This was normally by a bell code and required a 'passed fireman' who was qualified to act as driver. Unpowered carriages could also be attached and some had control equipment.
With passenger accommodation in open saloons, the units were usually vacuum braked, steam heated and provided with gas lighting, although electric lighting was fitted to some units. However, there was little reserve power for additional carriages and therefore the cars were inflexible during busy hours, especially on the articulated types. The ride quality was poor on some due to a lack of proper suspension between the engine unit and the carriage body causing excessive vibration and oscillation for some rail motors. Most steam railcars were replaced by an autotrain, a push-pull steam locomotive and carriages.
London and South Western Railway
To provide an economic service on the LSWR and London, Brighton and South Coast Railway joint branch from to Southsea two steam railmotors were built by the LSWR in 1902, entering service in April 1903, and designated as K11 Class. The long carriage seated 30 in third class and 12 in first class and the total length of the vehicle was. The first unit was lent to the Great Western Railway, returning with favourable reports. However, when introduced in summer 1903 the units struggled with passengers on the gradients on the line and it was discovered that the GWR had trialed the unit on level track and without passengers. The units were rebuilt with a bigger firebox and boiler.These were followed by fifteen more railmotors for the LSWR system. The first two were built in 1904, the engines at Nine Elms and the carriages at Eastleigh and were designated H12 class. These were shorter than the earlier cars and seated 8 in first class and 32 in third. Thirteen more were built in 1905–6 to slightly different design, as class H13. These had the boiler pressure increased from to. Engines and carriages were not detachable and these units were capable of towing an additional carriage. After the outbreak of World War I limited the work available for railmotors the joint stock was taken out of service in 1914 and by 1916 only three units remained in service, to be withdrawn in 1919.
Great Western Railway
After the trials with the L&SWR railmotor, in 1903 the GWR designed and built two prototypes and by 1908 had 99 carriages and 112 engine units. Although there were detail differences between carriages there were six basic types: the prototypes were the only examples long and in 1905 two railmotors arrived from Kerr, Stuart and Company. These were unlike the others, of the articulated type and to the outline design of Tom Hurry Riches of the Taff Vale Railway but with locomotive style boilers. The other carriages were either or long and designed for branch or suburban use, the branch cars having a separate luggage compartment. There were between 49 and 64 seats and two cars had corridor connections at both ends.The engines, apart for the two for the Kerr, Stuart cars, were all interchangeable, although there were minor differences in the heating surface, wheel diameter and tractive effort. These were equipped with a swing arm suspension that was effective in damping out the vibration typical of steam railcars.
Withdrawals started in 1914, services being replaced by autotrains. Three were sold and one was destroyed in a fire but most were converted into trailers. However, by the 1923 grouping 53 remained in service and it was October 1935 before they were all withdrawn.
a reconstructed GWR steam railmotor built in 1908 is operational and based at Didcot Railway Centre.
Taff Vale Railway
Riches, the Taff Vale Railway's locomotive engineer, designed in 1903 the first articulated railmotor with the boiler unusually placed across the frames with a single firebox and two short drums, this giving a high steam raising capacity. The engine unit and carriage pivoted on a pin, and the two parts could be separated in twenty minutes. The carriage had a third class saloon for 40 passengers and a first class compartment for 12 and an open rear driving position.This was followed by fifteen more: six in 1904, the engines built by Avonside Engine Co. and another six from Kerr, Stuart & Co. in 1905. The carriages built by the Bristol Wagon & Carriage Works were similar to the prototype except the open end was enclosed. In 1906 five engines were built by Manning Wardle & Co.; these were larger with entrances front and rear. Only three longer carriages were purchased that year, allowing two spare engines for maintenance.
The railcars worked over most of the Taff Vale system, normally without a trailer. Eight of the carriages were converted into autocoaches between 1914 and 1916; all of the engine portions were out of use by the end of 1920 and withdrawn by the end of 1921, whilst the remaining eight coach portions were converted into ordinary coaches during 1921–22.
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
In 1905, the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway received two railmotors from Kerr, Stuart similar to those they had supplied to the Taff Vale Railway. The carriages were built by the L&YR at Newton Heath on an under-frame built by Kerr, Stuart and seated 48 passengers in third class. The railmotors were considered underpowered by L&YR and soon the cylinders were bored out and fitted with new pistons.As the requirement was to work with a trailer, George Hughes, the L&YR locomotive engineer redesigned the cars. Retaining the articulated concept, the engine units were given a larger locomotive style boiler and four coupled wheels giving a tractive effort of. The carriage bodies seated 56 passengers and had corridor connections. Eighteen engine units and sixteen carriages were built between 1906 and 1911, the two original engines being withdrawn and replaced by ones of the new style in 1909. Twelve trailers, fitted with controls, were built. Being of the articulated type the ride quality was poor.
All eighteen were running when the L&YR were absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in the 1923 grouping, the first being withdrawn in 1927 and one was still running when the railways were nationalised in 1948.