GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Spring Road Platform: gwrsr1115

View of AEC Diesel Railcar No 5, the first of a trio of local suburban railcars, standing at Spring Road's down platform. Designed to be light weight and streamlined the Great Western Railway eventually operated a fleet of 38 diesel railcars and these were the fore runners of the modern DMU. No 5 is seen here in 1930's livery stopped at Spring Road Up platform. After the initial railcar prototype had proved successful in 1934, the next three railcars had been designed as express service railcars with an on-board buffet, lavatory facilities and seating for just 44 passengers.

They operated an express service between Birmingham and Cardiff, stopping only at Stratford-upon-Avon, Gloucester and Newport. Meanwhile Railcar No 5 entered service on 8th July 1935 at Oxford Shed and without the luxuries of the express railcars had seating for 70 passengers. These were suburban railcars designed to provide fast connecting services to the existing timetable and in her first year No 5 could be found shuttling between Oxford, Kingham, Hereford, Princes Risborough, Thame and Didcot.

In January 1937 Railcar No5 was allocated to Worcester Shed and with the exception of one brief month at Tyseley Shed in April 1937 (which was one of the railcar maintenance depots), remained at Worcester Shed until July 1940. During this period the Worcester based railcars provided a morning business service from Malvern, before spending the rest of the morning shuttling up and down the North Warwickshire Line:

Malvern (departing 8 54am) to Birmingham Snow Hill (arriving 9 54am)
Birmingham SH (departing10 02am) to Henley-in-Arden (arriving 10 30am)
Henley-in-Arden (departing 10 40am) to Birmingham SH (arriving 11 23am)
Birmingham SH (departing 11 25am) to Stratford-upon -Avon (arriving 1 00pm)
During these operations this railcar would stop twice at Spring Road Platform at 10 12am.(Down platform) and 11 11am (Up platform).

Railcar No 5 was eventually condemned on 28th December 1957 and withdrawn from traffic.

Robert Ferris

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