Preserved W4W, a Park Royal example, at NRM York |
Information | |
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Number built: | 38 |
Built: | 1934-42 |
Builder: | Park Royal, Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company, GWR Swindon |
Motor: | 1 or 2 AEC 6-cylinder diesel |
Power: | 121 / 242 hp (90 / 180 kW) |
The railcars were built in a number of batches throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. Park Royal built the first four, the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Company building the next thirteen. One of these was a dedicated parcels van, later railcars also had buffers and draw gear to haul stock. The rest of the fleet was built at the GWR's own Swindon works in the early 1940s. These differed from the earlier railcars in having an angular boxy exterior [2] as opposed to the Art Deco streamlined look of the earlier railcars (which had earned them the nickname of "Flying Banana"). The last few railcars built had cabs at one end only (gangways at the other) and were used in two-car sets [3].
The railcars remained in service until the 1960s used on Western Region branch lines. Three have been preserved.
Side view of W4W |
W31W at London Paddington (KD Collection) |
Front view of W4W |
[1] Brian Haresnape, Diesel Multiple Units: the First Generation (Ian Allan, 1985) p. 11
[2] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 4
[3] Haresnape p. 10