View source for Railcar

{{Short description|Self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers}}
{{About|a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers|unpowered freight cars or passenger cars|railroad car<!-- |other American usage|railroad car -->}}
{{Redirect|Railcars|the band|Railcars (band)}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
[[File:Neue Mühle 3.jpg|thumb|The [[Bombardier Talent]] articulated regional railcar]]
[[File:Waldbahn VT 15.jpg|thumb|The [[Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1|Regio-Shuttle RS1]] low-floor vehicle is a modern version of a single unit railcar. Several of these can run together.]]
[[File:840 010 Tanvald 1.jpg|thumb|The [[ČD Class 840 and 841|RegioSpider]] modern railcar.]]
[[File:Hunter railcars 2751 & 2701 (45512879812).jpg|thumb|A two-car [[New South Wales Hunter railcar]] in Australia]]
[[File:LG AR2-001 Vilnius 01.JPG|thumb|A {{RailGauge|1520mm}} [[Russian gauge]] Latvian [[Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca|RVR]]-made railbus AR2-002 in [[Vilnius]], [[Lithuania]], based on [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] design]]
[[File:M152 0482, Lieferzustand.jpg|thumb|A [[ČD Class 810|ČSD Class M 152.0]] in [[Leipzig]]]]
[[File:JvmKEAJ01124 Persontåg på linjen mellan Strängnäs och Malmby. Statens Järnvägar, SJ X16 969 och SJ UBF7Z 2074.jpg|thumb|An electric [[SJ X16|SJ Class X16]] with control trailer between Strängnäs and Malmby in Sweden]]
[[File:Portland Streetcar B-Loop car on Broadway Bridge (2016).jpg|thumb|A tram on the [[Broadway Bridge (Portland, Oregon)|Broadway Bridge]] in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]]]

A '''railcar''' (not to be confused with a [[Railroad car|railway car]]) is a self-propelled [[Rail transport|railway]] vehicle designed to [[transport]] passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a [[train]] consisting of a single [[Coach (rail)|coach]] (carriage, car), with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the [[Great Western Railway|Great Western]], termed such vehicles "[[railmotor]]s" (or "rail motors").

Self-propelled passenger vehicles also capable of hauling a train are, in technical rail usage, more usually called "[[rail motor coach]]es" or "motor cars" (not to be confused with the motor cars, otherwise known as automobiles, that operate on roads).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parrypeoplemovers.com/ppm35-feature.htm |website=Parry Peple Movers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106103408/http://www.parrypeoplemovers.com/ppm35-feature.htm |archive-date=2009-01-06 |title=Light Railcars and Railbuses  |access-date=2008-06-09}}</ref>

The term is sometimes also used as an alternative name for the small types of [[multiple unit]] which consist of more than one coach.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.railtram.com.au/diesel-multiple-units |title=Diesel Multiple Units |website=Railways and Tramways of Australia |access-date=2024-11-02}}</ref> That is the general usage nowadays in [[Ireland]] when referring to any [[diesel multiple unit]] (DMU), or in some cases [[electric multiple unit]] (EMU).{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In North America the term "railcar" has a much broader sense and can be used (as an abbreviated form of "railroad car") to refer to any item of hauled rolling-stock, whether [[railroad car|passenger coaches]] or [[goods wagon]]s (freight cars).<ref>{{cite news |last=Brinckman |first=Jonathan |title=Railcar orders, jobs in jeopardy |date=March 6, 2009 |url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2009/03/railcar_orders_jobs_in_jeopard.html |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |access-date=March 11, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Trinity Eyes Stimulus |url=http://www.joc.com/node/409559 |journal=[[The Journal of Commerce]] |access-date=March 11, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bill address railcar storage |url=http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/02/20/news/state/48-billaddress.txt |newspaper=[[Billings Gazette]] |access-date=March 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722022219/http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/02/20/news/state/48-billaddress.txt |archive-date=July 22, 2012 }}</ref> Self-powered railcars were once common in North America; see [[Doodlebug (rail car)]].

In its simplest form, a "railcar" may also be little more than a motorized [[Handcar|railway handcar]] or [[draisine]].

==Uses==
Railcars are economic to run for light passenger loads because of their small size, and in many countries are often used to run passenger services on minor railway lines, such as rural railway lines where passenger traffic is sparse, and where the use of a longer train would not be [[cost effective]]. A famous example of this in the United States was the [[Galloping Goose (railcar)|Galloping Goose]] railcars of the [[Rio Grande Southern Railroad]], whose introduction allowed the discontinuance of steam passenger service on the line and prolonged its life considerably.

Railcars have also been employed on premier services. In [[New Zealand]], although railcars were primarily used on regional services, the [[NZR RM class (88 seater)#Blue Streaks|Blue Streak]] and [[NZR RM class (Silver Fern)|Silver Fern]] railcars were used on the [[North Island Main Trunk]] between [[Wellington]] and [[Auckland]] and offered a higher standard of service than previous carriage trains.

In [[Australia]], the ''[[Savannahlander]]'' operates a tourist service from the coastal town of [[Cairns]] to [[Forsayth, Queensland|Forsayth]], and [[Traveltrain]] operates the ''[[Gulflander]]'' between [[Normanton, Queensland|Normanton]] and [[Croydon, Queensland|Croydon]] in the [[Gulf Country]] of northern [[Queensland]].

==Propulsion systems==

===Steam===
{{main|Steam railcar}}
[[File:LNER Sentinel-Cammell steam rail-car (CJ Allen, Steel Highway, 1928).jpg|thumb|[[London and North Eastern Railway|LNER]] [[Sentinel Waggon Works|Sentinel-Cammell]] steam railcar]]

[[William Bridges Adams]] built steam railcars at [[Bow, London]] in the 1840s. Many [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]] railway companies tried steam [[Railmotor|rail motors]] but they were not very successful and were often replaced by [[push-pull train]]s. [[Sentinel Waggon Works]] was one British builder of steam railcars.

In [[Belgium]], M. A. Cabany of [[Mechelen]] designed steam railcars. His first was built in 1877 and exhibited at a Paris exhibition. This may have been the [[Exposition Universelle (1878)]]. The steam boiler was supplied by the [[Boussu]] Works and there was accommodation for First, Second and Third-class passengers and their luggage. There was also a locker for dogs underneath. Fifteen were built and they worked mainly in the [[Hainaut (province)|Hainaut]] and [[Antwerp]] districts.

The Austro-Hungarian [[Ganz Works]] built steam trams prior to the First World War.  The [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe|Santa Fe]] Railway built a steam powered [[Doodlebug (rail car)|rail car]] using a body by [[American Car and Foundry]], a Jacobs-Schupert boiler and a Ganz power truck in 1911.  Numbered M-104, the experiment was a failure, and was not repeated.<ref>{{cite book |last=Worley |first=E.D. |title=Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail |publisher=Southwest Railroad Historical Society |location=US |year=1965 |asin=B0007EIUWE}}</ref>

===Petrol===
In 1904 the Automotor Journal reported that one railway after another had been realising that motor coaches could be used to handle light traffic on their less important lines.<ref>"Motor Coaches for Railways", The Automotor Journal, January 23, 1904</ref> The North-Eastern railways had been experimenting “for some time” in this direction, and [[Wolseley Motors|Wolseley]] provided them with a flat-four engine capable of up to {{convert|100|bhp|kW|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} for this purpose. The engine drove a main dynamo to power two electric drive motors, and a smaller dynamo to charge accumulators to power the interior lighting and allow electric starting of the engine. The controls for the dynamo allowed the coach to be driven from either end. For further details see [[1903 Petrol Electric Autocar]].

Another early railcar in the UK was designed by [[James Sidney Drewry]] and made by the [[Drewry Car Co.]] in 1906. In 1908 the manufacture was contracted out to the [[Birmingham Small Arms Company]].

By the 1930s, railcars were often adapted from truck or automobiles; examples of this include the [[Buick]]- and [[Pierce-Arrow]]-based [[Galloping Goose (railcar)|Galloping Geese]] of the [[Rio Grande Southern Railroad]], and the [[Mack Truck]]-based "Super Skunk" of the [[California Western Railroad]].

===Diesel===
While early railcars were propelled by [[Steam engine|steam]] and [[petrol engine|petrol]] engines, modern railcars are usually propelled by a [[diesel engine]] mounted underneath the floor of the coach. Diesel railcars may have mechanical ([[fluid coupling]] and [[gearbox]]), hydraulic ([[torque converter]]) or [[Diesel-electric transmission|electric]] ([[electric generator|generator]] and [[traction motor]]s) transmission.

===Electric===
Electric railcars and mainline electric systems are rare, since electrification normally implies heavy usage where single cars or short trains would not be economic. Exceptions to this rule are or were found for example in [[SJ X16|Sweden]] or [[Rail transport in Switzerland|Switzerland]]. Some vehicles on [[tram]] and [[interurban]] systems, like the [[Red Car]] of the [[Pacific Electric Railway]], can also be seen as railcars.

===Battery-electric===
{{main|Accumulator railcar}}

Experiments with battery-electric railcars were conducted from around 1890 in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy. In the US, railcars of the [[Edison-Beach]] type, with [[nickel-iron battery|nickel-iron batteries]] were used from 1911. In New Zealand, a [[NZR RM class (Edison battery-electric)|battery-electric Edison railcar]] operated from 1926 to 1934. In Ireland, the [[Drumm Battery Train]] used [[nickel-zinc batteries]] on four 2-car sets between 1932 and 1946 on the coastal and [[Harcourt Street railway line]]s. [[British Railways]] used [[lead–acid batteries]] in a [[British Rail BEMU|railcar in 1958]]. Between 1955 and 1995 [[Deutsche Bundesbahn|DB]] railways successfully operated 232 [[DB Class ETA 150]] railcars utilising [[Lead–acid battery|lead–acid batteries]].

As with any other [[battery electric vehicle]], the drawback is the limited range (this can be solved using [[overhead wires]] to recharge for use in places where there are not wires), weight, and/or expense of the battery.

==Old-generation railcars==
<gallery widths="150" heights="150" class="center">
NoELB Steam Railcar.jpg|Steam railcar for the narrow gauge [[Niederösterreich]]&shy;ische Landesbahnen [[:de:Niederösterreichische Landesbahnen|<small>('''DE''')</small>]], built by Komarek of [[Vienna]] in 1903
NYC-Railbus.jpg|An early petrol-engined rail omnibus on the [[New York Central]] railroad
Weitzer ACSEV hybrid railmotor.jpg|[[Weitzer railmotor|Weitzer petrol electric railcar]], 1903, French & German components, Austrian producer in Hungarian, now Romanian [[Arad, Romania|Arad]]
McKeen car 2.jpg|[[McKeen railmotor]], 1904, futuristic design, early international success, unsolvable gear problems
Triebwagen 802.jpg|Narrow gauge railcar in [[Dubrovnik]], [[Croatia]], in 1967<!--In 1967, it was new and modern-->
NZR RM class Standard 01.JPG|[[NZR RM class (Standard)|Standard railcar]] RM 31 in the [[rail yard|yard]] at Pahiatua station of the [[Wairarapa Line]], [[New Zealand]]
White railcar.jpg|[[White Motor Company]] railcar in the collection of the [[Railtown 1897 State Historic Park]]. [[Jamestown, California]]
GWR No.22 AEC Diesel Railcar at Didcot Great Western Railway Centre (7882166846).jpg|[[Great Western Railway|GWR]] diesel railcar, collection of the [[Great Western Society]] at [[Didcot]], [[Oxfordshire]]
File:Lužná u Rakovníka, motorový vůz M 131.1238.jpg|[[Czechoslovak State Railways|ČSD]] Class M 131.1
</gallery>

==New-generation DMU and EMU railcars==
{{see also|Diesel multiple unit|Electric multiple unit|Light rail}}       
[[File:Beinwil am See Seetalbahn 2003-06-25 4528.jpg|thumb|[[Stadler GTW]] light regional [[electric multiple unit]] railcar in [[Beinwil am See]]]]
[[File:Bahnhof Langenhahn.jpg|thumb|A diesel [[Alstom]] LINT of the [[Taunusbahn (Hochtaunus)|Taunusbahn]] in [[Langenhahn]] station]]
[[File:Emepa Alerce train.jpg|thumb|An [[Emepa Alerce]] on the [[Belgrano Norte]] line in [[Buenos Aires]]]]
[[File:Dart Train at Connelly Station, Dublin - panoramio.jpg|thumb| Two [[IE 29000 Class]] Suburban [[Diesel Multiple Unit|DMU's]] stand at [[Connolly Station]]]]

A new breed of modern lightweight aerodynamically designed diesel or electric regional railcars that can operate as single vehicles or in trains (or, in “multiple units”) are becoming very popular in Europe and Japan, replacing the first-generation [[Railcar#Railbuses|railbuses]] and second-generation DMU railcars, usually running on lesser-used main-line railways and in some cases in exclusive lanes in urban areas.  Like many high-end DMUs, these vehicles are made of two or three connected units that are semi-permanently coupled as “married pairs or triplets” and operate as a single unit. Passengers may walk between the married pair units without having to open or pass through doors. Unit capacities range from 70 to over 300 seated passengers. The equipment is highly customisable with a wide variety of engine, transmission, coupler systems, and car lengths.

===  Institutional/regulatory Issues ===
Contrary to other parts of the world, in the United States these vehicles generally do not comply with [[Federal Railroad Administration]] (FRA) regulations {{Citation needed|date=February 2013}} and, therefore, can only operate on dedicated rights-of-way with complete separation from other railroad activities. This restriction makes it virtually impossible to operate them on existing rail corridors with conventional passenger rail service. Nevertheless, such vehicles may soon operate in the United States as manufacturers such as [[Siemens]], [[Alstom]] and [[ADtranz]] affirm they may be able to produce FRA-compliant versions of their European equipment.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

=== Existing systems ===
Light regional railcars are used by a number of railroads in Germany, and also in the [[Netherlands]], [[Denmark]], [[Italy]], [[United States]] and [[Spain]].
* [[Sprinter (rail service)|Sprinter]] in [[San Diego]], California
* [[Trillium Line]] in [[Ottawa]], Canada
* [[Capital MetroRail]] in [[Austin, Texas]]
* [[A-train (Texas)|A-train]] in [[Denton County, Texas]]
* [[Cynwyd Line|SEPTA Cynwyd Line]] in [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
* [[Ferrovia Trento-Malè]] in the region of  [[Trento]], [[Italy]]
* [[Ferrovia della Val Venosta]] in the province of [[South Tyrol]], Italy ''(→ [[:it:Ferrovia della Val Venosta|Italian language version]])''
* [[Ramal Talca-Constitución]] in the region of  [[Maule Region|Maule]], [[Chile]]

===Manufacturers===
Models of new-generation multiple-unit and articulated railcars include:
* [[Alstom Coradia LINT]]
* [[Bombardier Talent]]
* [[Metrovagonmash]]
* [[Siemens Desiro]]
* [[Stadler FLIRT]]
* [[Stadler GTW]]
* [[Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1]]

==Multiple-unit and articulated railcars==
When there are enough passengers to justify it, single-unit powered railcars can be joined in a [[multiple-unit]] form, with one driver controlling all engines. However, it has previously been the practice for a railcar to tow a carriage or second, unpowered railcar. It is possible for several railcars to run together, each with its own driver (as practised on the former [[County Donegal Railways Joint Committee|County Donegal Railway]]). The reason for this was to keep costs down, since small railcars were not always fitted with multiple-unit control.

There are also [[Articulated car|articulated railcars]], in which the ends of two adjacent coupled carriages are carried on a single joint bogie (see ''[[Jacobs bogie]]'').

==Railbuses==
{{main|Railbus}}
[[File:HFJ-bussen har ankommit till Marielund.jpg|thumb|Petrol railbus at the [[Östra Södermanlands Järnväg|Eastern Södermanlands Railway]], ÖSlJ, a narrow-gauge museum railway depicting 1890-1910-century [[Sweden]]]]

A variation of the railcar is the '''[[railbus]]''':  a very lightweight type of vehicle designed for use specifically on lightly-used railway lines and, as the name suggests, sharing many aspects of their construction with those of a road [[bus]]. They usually have a bus, or modified bus, body and four wheels on a fixed base, instead of running on bogies. Railbuses have been commonly used in such countries as the [[Czech Republic]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Sweden]], and the [[United Kingdom]].

A type of railbus known as a [[pacer (train)|Pacer]] based on the [[Leyland National]] bus was still widely used in the United Kingdom until withdrawal in 2021. New Zealand railcars that more closely resembled railbuses were the [[NZR RM class (Leyland diesel)|Leyland diesel railcars]] and the [[NZR RM class (Wairarapa)|Wairarapa railcars]] that were specially designed to operate over the [[Rimutaka Incline]] between Wellington and the [[Wairarapa]] region. In [[Australia]], where they were often called Rail Motors, railcars were often used for passenger services on lightly-used lines. In France they are known as [[autorail]]s. Once very common, their use died out as local lines were closed. However, a new model has been introduced for lesser-used lines.

In [[Canada]], after the cessation of [[BC Rail#Passenger services|their mainline passenger service]], [[BC Rail]] started operating a pair of railbuses to some settlements not easily accessible otherwise.

In [[Russia]], the [[Mytishchi]]-based [[Metrowagonmash]] firm manufactures the RA-1 railbus, equipped with a [[Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes]] engine. As of summer 2006, the [[Gorky Railway]] planned to start using them on its commuter line between [[Nizhny Novgorod]] and [[Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast|Bor]].<ref>[http://www.transp.nnov.ru/photo/railroad/ra1 "Railbus RA-1 in Nizhny Novgorod"], on the site "Public Transportation in Nizhny Novgorod" {{in lang|ru}}</ref>

<gallery widths="150" heights="150" class="center">
File:Baureihe 798 752-2.jpg|[[Uerdingen railbus]] in Germany
File:Railbus 79964 at York Railfest.JPG|Two axle [[British Rail Railbuses|British Rail Railbus]] in [[York]], England
File:Tren - Tecnópolis.JPG|An Argentine [[TecnoTren]] railbus
</gallery>

=== Road–rail vehicles ===
{{main|Road–rail vehicle}}

The term ''railbus'' also refers to a dual-mode [[bus]] that can run on streets with rubber tires and on tracks with ''retractable'' train wheels.

The term ''rail bus'' is also used at times to refer to a road bus that replaces or supplements rail services on low-patronage [[railway line]]s or a bus that terminates at a [[railway station]] (also called a train bus). This process is sometimes called [[bustitution]].

==Parry People Movers==
A UK company currently promoting the railbus concept is [[Parry People Movers]]. Locomotive power is from the energy stored in a [[Flywheel energy storage|flywheel]]. The first production vehicles, designated as [[British Rail Class 139]], have a small onboard [[liquefied petroleum gas|LPG]] motor to bring the flywheel up to speed. In practice, this could be an electric motor that need only connect to the power supply at stopping points. Alternatively, a motor at the stopping points could wind up the flywheel of each car as it stops.

==Draisine ==
The term "railcar" has also been used to refer to a lightweight rail inspection vehicle (or [[draisine]]).

<gallery widths="150" heights="150" class="center">
File:Metrotrolley.jpg|Battery electric [[MetroTrolley]] for rail use (for ultrasonic rail flaw detection)
File:USFSRailcarWilliams5171.JPG|In its simplest form, an American [[railroad speeder|speeder]] - with motor unit detachable by hand
File:ATSFRailcarFairmontM-19-5173.JPG|With some weather protection, including mountable canvas side curtains
</gallery>

==See also==

===Categories===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Autorail]]
* [[Locomotive]]
* [[Multiple unit]]
* [[Railbus]]
* [[Railmotor]]
* [[Rail motor coach]]
{{div col end}}

===General===
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Air brake (rail)]]
* [[Autorail]]
* [[Bilevel rail car]]
* [[British Rail BEMU]]
* [[British Rail Railbuses]]
* [[Budd Rail Diesel Car]]
* [[Budd SPV-2000]]
* [[CPH railmotor]]
* [[DEB railcar]]
* [[Diesel multiple unit]]
* [[Doodlebug (railcar)]]
* [[Draisine#Dressin, velorail or railbike|Draisine]]
* [[EIKON International]]
* [[Edwards Rail Car Company]]
* [[GWR railcars]]
* [[GWR steam rail motors]]
* [[Handcar]]
* [[Highliner]]
* [[Luxtorpeda]]
* [[McKeen Motor Car Company]]<!--<br> pioneering US railcar builder / Data not really needed-->
* [[Motor coach (rail)|Motor coach]]
* [[Railmotor]]
* [[Railroad car]]
* [[brake (railway)|Railway brakes]]
* [[Pauline (railcar)]]
* [[Road-rail vehicle]]
* [[Rail car mover]]- some of which<br> resemble [[Road-rail vehicle|HiRail trucks]]
* [[Schienenzeppelin]]
* [[Railroad speeder]]
* [[Stadler GTW]]
* [[Unimog]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary-inline|railcar}}
* [http://www.railmotorsociety.org.au/ Rail Motor Society (NSW, Australia)]
* [http://www.stadlerrail.com/ Stadler Rail]
* [http://www.narcoa.org/ North American Railcar Operators Association]

[[Category:Railcars| ]]
[[Category:Multiple units]]