# British Rail railbuses

British Rail produced a variety of railbuses, both as a means of acquiring new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide economical services on lightly used lines.

## Terminology

Railbuses are a very lightweight type of railcar designed specifically for passenger transport on little-used railway lines. As the name suggests, they share many aspects of their construction with a bus, usually having a bus body, or a modified bus body, and having four wheels on a fixed wheelbase, rather than bogies. Some units were equipped for operation as diesel multiple units.

## First generation

In the late 1950s, British Rail tested a series of small railbuses, produced by a variety of manufacturers, for about £12,500 each (£261,000 at 2014 prices). These proved to be very economical (on test the Wickham bus was about 9 mpg$_{‑imp}$ (31 L/100 km)), but were somewhat unreliable. Most of the lines they worked on were closed following the Beeching Cuts and, being non-standard, they were all withdrawn in the mid-1960s, so they were never classified under the TOPS system.
In addition to those railbuses, BR ordered three for departmental (non-revenue earning) service. The full list of passenger and departmental units is set out below.
Table of orders and numbers :
| Lot No. | Manufacturer | Diagram | Qty | Fleet numbers | Service life | Length over body | Seats |
| 30483 | Bristol / Eastern Coach Works | 610 | 2 | Sc79958–79959 | 1958–1966 | 42 ft 4 in (12.90 m) | 56 |
| 30482 | Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth railbus | 611 | 5 | E79960–79964 | 1958–1967 | 45 ft 10 in (13.97 m) | 56 |
| 30481 | D Wickham & Co | 612 | 5 | Sc79965–79969 | 1958–1966 | 38 ft 0 in (11.58 m) | 48 |
| 30480 | Park Royal Vehicles | 613 | 5 | Sc79970, 79974 M79971–79973 | 1958–1968 | 42 ft 0 in (12.80 m) | 50 |
| 30479 | AC Cars | 614 | 5 | W79975–79978 Sc79979 | 1958–1968 | 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m) | 46 |
| | D Wickham & Co | | 1 | RDB999507 Elliot | 1958–1997 | | |
| | Drewry Car Co. | | 2 | RDB998900-998901 | 1950–1990 | | |
Engines:
* 79958/59, Gardner 6HLW of 112 bhp (84 kW) at 1,700 rpm
* 79960–62/64, Büssing, 150 bhp (110 kW) at 1,900 rpm
* 79963, AEC A220X
* 79965–69, Meadows 6HDT500 of 105 bhp (78 kW) at 1,800 rpm
* 79970–74, AEC, 150 bhp (110 kW)
* 79975–79, AEC, 150 bhp (110 kW)

## Leyland Experimental Vehicles

British Rail returned to the idea of railbuses from the mid-1970s, and prototype four-wheel vehicles were developed jointly by British Leyland and the British Rail Research Division. These were named Leyland Experimental Vehicles (LEVs) and consisted of double-ended Leyland National bodyshells (chosen for their strength and cost-effective manufacturing) mounted on top of simple 2-axled railway chassis, which were a derivative of those used on the HSFV.
The LEVs spent a substantial amount of time abroad in the hope of attracting export orders, however none were ever made. Domestically, the LEVs were the predecessors of the Pacer DMUs, of which the Class 140 is its closest relative.
In total, five LEVs were built, which are listed below:
| Identity | Built | Design | History |
| LEV1 No. RDB 975874 | 1978: Leyland/BREL Derby | 12.3 m long. 2 Doors (front right and back left). | It was built at Railway Technical Centre in Derby as an unpowered trailer and used for testing on the West Coast Mainline at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). In 1979, it was converted to a self-propelled vehicle using a Leyland 510 diesel engine and was then tested at Old Dalby Test Track. In January 1980, it was shipped to the US and was tested on the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Attleboro and the Boston and Maine Railroad between Lowell and Concord. After returning to the UK, it was then tested in passenger service, primarily in East Anglia. It carried its last passengers in July 1983 and was withdrawn in 1987, when it was given to the National Railway Museum. In 2004, it moved to North Norfolk Railway and was restored, returning to passenger service in 2010. In 2012, it was moved to Wensleydale Railway via Locomotion Museum, Shildon. It stayed there until 2024, when it was moved back to Shildon. |
| LEV2/R3 (for USA) | 1980: Leyland/Wickham | 15.3 m long. 2 doors (front left and back right). | It was exported to the US for use by MBTA on a new passenger route to Concord, New Hampshire, which it started running on 1 December 1980. On 15 December of the same year, it struck a car at a level crossing, killing two occupants of the car. After a period in storage, it was sold to Boston and Maine Railroad in May 1983 for use as a track inspection vehicle. It was then sold to Steamtown National Historic Site for use as a shuttle, but was damaged by a derailment and sold for scrap. It was bought and repaired by Durbin and Greenbrier Valley Railroad and was used for passenger excursions. In 2001, it was sold to Connecticut Trolley Museum, however by 2021 it had been scrapped. |
| RB003/R3 (for BR) No. RDB 977020 | 1981: Leyland/BREL Derby | 15.3 m long. 2 doors (front right and back left). | In 1981, it was shown to the press as a 'pre-production' unit of the then-envisioned future export railbuses. It was then used for demonstrations in the Bristol area. It was sold to Northern Ireland Railways in August 1982 and re-gauged for use on the Portrush branch. It proved to have insufficient passenger capacity, so was taken out of passenger service and used for track inspection duties. In July 1990, it operated the 'Cavan Coup' railtour from Belfast to Kingscourt via Drogheda. After being withdrawn in December 1992, it was first preserved at Ulster Transport Museum before going to Downpatrick and County Down Railway in 2001. In 2024 it was given to Gwendraeth Valley Railway, where it will be re-gauged again and repaired. |
| RB002 'The Denmark' | 1984: Leyland/BREL Derby | 2 doors (front left and back left). | Between 1984 and 1986, it toured several countries as a demonstration vehicle, visiting Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada and the US. It returned to the UK, having gained its nickname, and was used as a classroom and office by BREL for some time. It was then preserved at Riverstown Old Corn Railway, near Dundalk, which is thought to have happened in 1999. The site is now home to Carlingford Brewing Company, but, as of 2019, it remains there, albeit in poor condition. |
| RB004 | 1984: Leyland/BREL Derby | 6 doors (front, middle and back on both sides). | It was first shipped to the US as a demonstration vehicle and was used for trials in the following locations: a preserved railway in Newport, Long Island Rail Road, the International Exhibition on Transportation Systems in Washington, New Orleans, SEPTA Regional Rail and Cleveland. It was then sent back to the UK and put into storage before later being used as a classroom by BREL in York. It was first preserved at Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway and then moved to Telford Steam Railway in 2004 and Aln Valley Railway in 2010. In 2011 it was purchased by Railbus Trust and visited Midland Railway – Butterley and Llangollen Railway before moving permanently to Waverley Route Heritage Association in 2012. |
* ↑ It is unclear whether this was Washington D.C. or Washington State

## Routes

Lines regularly served by railbuses include:

### Scotland

* Ayr – Dalmellington 1959–1964
* Craigendoran – Arrochar 1959–1964
* Darvel 1959–1964
* Devon Valley 1959–1964
* Falkirk – Grangemouth 1967–1968
* Gleneagles – Crieff / Comrie 1958–1964
* Kilmarnock – Ardrossan / Ayr 1962-1964
* Larbert – Alloa 1967–1968
* Lugton – Beith 1959–1962
* Speyside 1958–1965

### East Anglia

* Cambridge to Mildenhall railway
* Witham-Braintree branch line
* Witham-Maldon branch line
* Saffron Walden Railway

### Midlands

* Bedford – Northampton / Hitchin 1958–1959
* Millers Dale – Buxton 1966–1967

### Western

* Bodmin – Wadebridge 1964–1967
* Kemble – Cirencester Town and Kemble-Tetbury 1959–1964
* Yeovil Junction – Yeovil Town 1964–1966 – Pen Mill 1966

## Preservation

A number of the BR railbuses, both first and second generation examples have survived into preservation, as follows:
| Vehicle no. | Builder | Year built | Location | Comments |
| First generation |||||
| 79960 | Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth | 1958 | Ribble Steam Railway | Formerly North Norfolk Railway |
| 79962 | Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth | 1958 | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway | — |
| 79963 | Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth | 1958 | East Anglian Railway Museum | Formerly North Norfolk Railway, now on loan |
| 79964 | Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth | 1958 | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway | — |
| 79976 | AC Cars | 1958 | Great Central Railway | Purchased in 1968 without its engine and moved to Bristol and then Bleadon and Uphill museum. Since then it has moved to Bodmin & Wenford Railway, County School railway station, Colne Valley Railway and then Great Central Railway, before moving to Nemesis Rail where it is stored as a sheeted-over carcass. |
| 79978 | AC Cars | 1958 | Swindon & Cricklade Railway | Sold to North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 1968 It was at the Kent & East Sussex Railway from 1979 to 1984, then moved to the Colne Valley Railway. In November 2019, it moved to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway. |
| RDB999507 | Wickham | 1958 | Previously Middleton Railway – moved to Lavender Line 2009 | Elliot High-speed track-recording unit |
| RDB998901 | Drewry Car Company | 1950 | Middleton Railway | Overhead-line inspection car |
| Second generation |||||
| RDB975874 | Leyland/BREL Derby | 1978 | Wensleydale Railway | LEV 1 |
| LEV2 | Leyland/BREL Derby | 1980 | Connecticut Trolley Museum | Was subject to a project to repatriate to the UK but has been reported as scrapped in August 2021. |
| RDB977020 | Leyland/BREL Derby | 1980 | Downpatrick and County Down Railway in Northern Ireland | LEV3 aka RB3. Has been regauged to 5'3” |
| RB002 | Leyland/BREL Derby | 198? | Riverstown Old Corn Railway? near Dundalk, Ireland | RB002 aka The Denmark |
| RB004 | Leyland/BREL Derby | 1984 | Currently at the Whitrope Siding (arrived 31 May 2012) | Owned by Northumbria Rail Ltd. and The Railbus Trust. Moved from Telford Steam Railway to Llangollen Railway 20 May 2011 and then to Midland Railway Centre 19 August 2011 |
Additionally, AC Cars railbus 79979 was preserved. It was the first of the railbuses to be delivered and spent all its working life in Scotland. In 1968, it was moved to Craigentinny where the chassis was scrapped, and it was used as a battery store. It was moved to make way for the TMD in 1977 and the grounded body sold to the Strathspey Railway in 1977. It was scrapped by MC Metals, Glasgow, in 1990.