GWR Auto Coach 92 and GWR Autotrains

[simple simon]

I am curious, maybe someone knows the answers..

The recently restored GWR Auto coach No.92 which is at the Didcot Railway Centre has a corridor connection at one end (ie: the end without the driving controls). How come? Would the corridor connection have ever been used?

I ask because there would have been zero chance of it being used had it been paired with a Railmotor, whilst if used on on an ordinary loco hauled train then only having a corridor connection at one end would have been sub-optimal (unless it was the last / end carriage of that train!)

The other thing I am curious about is whether there were any trailer carriages which were fitted with mechanical rodding for autotrains (which used steam locomotives) but were not fitted with train driving controls? Such vehicles would have been used in auto-trains between the locomotive and the auto-coach.

Thanks

Simon

 

[alexl92]

I believe the answer is that when used with a steam locomotive it was actually possible to operate up to 4 coaches in one formation:
[Autocoach]-[Auto?coach]-[Loco]-[Auto?coach]-[Autocoach]

So the loco would be in the middle with a fireman, and then the driver would drive from one of the outward end cabs. Presumably (this is the bit I'm unsure about) the corridor connection allowed passengers to move between the two coaches at their end of the train. I presume all 4 would have had to have been autocoaches but I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon!

 

[simple simon]

I believe the answer is that when used with a steam locomotive it was actually possible to operate up to 4 coaches in one formation:
[Autocoach]-[Auto?coach]-[Loco]-[Auto?coach]-[Autocoach]

So the loco would be in the middle with a fireman, and then the driver would drive from one of the outward end cabs. Presumably (this is the bit I'm unsure about) the corridor connection allowed passengers to move between the two coaches at their end of the train. I presume all 4 would have had to have been autocoaches but I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon!

Thanks, I did suspect this but am also unsure about the same thing that you are unsure about.

I suspect that I will have to go to the Didcot Railway Centre or somewhere where they run autocoaches (South Devon Raiwlay) to find out!

Simon

 

[Cowley]

Thanks, I did suspect this but am also unsure about the same thing that you are unsure about.

I suspect that I will have to go to the Didcot Railway Centre or somewhere where they run autocoaches (South Devon Raiwlay) to find out!

Simon

Which begs the question - do any other auto carriages in preservation have corridor connections? I can't think of any. The Torbay and Dartmouth used to use them as observation cars alongside their Devon Belle car from what I remember so maybe they did, but I'm not sure if they use them still, does anyone else know? Marky T would probably know the answer.

 

[Darren R]

Although, alas, none survived into preservation, the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway's 18 Railmotor coaches built from 1906 onwards were also fitted with vestibule corridor connections. Although my reference books have several photographs, there is scant information on exactly how it worked with two coaches if the train was being driven from the coach rather than the footplate. There may, however, be a hint contained in the description of the second coach as being a "trailer." Possibly (pure guesswork) the additional trailers were specially adapted with a driving cab at one end, although no specific mention is made of this.

 

[simple simon]

Thanks Darren.

I have subsequently learnt that the GWR also used these auto-trailers which had corridor connections on ordinary trains where they replaced coaches with brake compartments.

As I understand it, the vacuum brake lever still worked when the auto-trailer was attached to ordinary trains, plus of course there was the hand brake as well.

Simon

 

[cav1975]

Which begs the question - do any other auto carriages in preservation have corridor connections? I can't think of any. The Torbay and Dartmouth used to use them as observation cars alongside their Devon Belle car from what I remember so maybe they did, but I'm not sure if they use them still, does anyone else know? Marky T would probably know the answer.

The two coach LCDR push pull set on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway is fitted with corridor connections between the two 4 wheel vehicles.