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Micheline Type 9

Micheline Type 11

Micheline Type 22

Coventry Railcar

Daimler Railcar

Armstrong-Whitworth

GWR Railcars

1934 saw the arrival of Micheline's latest version of the pneumatic tyred railcar. This was quite different to its predecessors. The car body sat on two 8 wheeled bogies, driven by a Hispano-Suiza flat 12 petrol engine sitting transversely in the bogie frame. The most unusual feature to British eyes was the driving position. This was a centrally mounted raised position resembling a 'conning tower' at one end of the railcar. This meant that only one set of driving controls was needed and no need to turn the railcar at the end of its trip. Although unusual in Great Britian, most French railcars, or Autorails, used this driving position. A single leaf air operated door allowed access to the passenger compartment.

The railcar operated on the Oxford-Cambridge route and in the Leamington Spa-Coventry area. The livery was cream upper and red lower with a monogram on the side that appears to state 'Pneumatic Railcar'.

The railcar seemingly disappeared around the the same time the Coventry Railcars were introduced in June 1935.

Although I do not know of any model of this particular unit, it is very similar to the 56 place Micheline used on French railways and as produced in the Atlas Editions range of HO Autorails and Michelines. Some conversion would be necessary.