GWR Route: The North Warwickshire Line

GWR Route: Stratford Upon Avon to Hatton

Stratford on Avon Station: gwrsa1337

Diesel railcar W20W has become derailed on the crossover at Stratford upon Avon and requires the attention of the Tyseley breakdown train on 8th January 1961. W20W was previously Great Western Railway Railcar No 20, which was part of the batch to be built 'in-house' at Swindon to the AEC specification (Lot 1635, Diagram A1). This batch could seat 48 passengers of one class in two saloons (smoking 16 and non smoking 32) and also had a large luggage compartment, which can be seen nearest to the camera. This batch of railcars were powered by 2 x 8.8 litre, 6 cylinder, direct injection, high speed diesel engines (AEC type A180) which gave a combined output of 210 hp.No 19No.19 and 20 were fitted with five gear dual range gearboxes and could maintain a maximum speed of 65 mph on the level (10 mph less when pulling two standard 30 ton trailers).

The fuel consumption was 7 miles per gallon at maximum speed, which gave the railcar a 700 mile range. In the early British Rail period two of these diesel railcars where based at Leamington shed (W26W and W29W) and operated regular turns between there and Stratford upon Avon. No 20 officially started service on 4th June 1940 and between 1945 and 1953 was based at Weymouth working regularly to Bristol. After that date W20W moved to Gloucester shed and finally Worcester shed as British Rail concentrated the railcars at Southall and Worcester. W20W was condemned twenty months after this photograph was taken in October 1962.

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