LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Coventry Station: lnwrcov3763

A three-quarters frontal view of the Michelin Type 9 Rail Car between tests standing in in Coventry. These railcars were built with continental-style low platforms and ground-level access in mind, so quite what the practice was at 3ft high British platforms is difficult to imagine. At least the cab doors can apparently be opened when the railcar was at a platform. In any event, the Type 9 was in Britain only for test purposes and there was never any intention to operate it in regular passenger service. The Type 9 was returned to France at an unknown date towards the end of 1932 or in early 1933. At this point there is some confusion over what happened next. Two photographs exist of a Type 11 railcar; one taken at Leamington Spa and the other at Harwich, with the latter taken just after the railcar had been unloaded from the Dunkirk ferry. The Type 9, as we have seen, entered Britain via Tilbury and a check on freight train ferries at that time shows the port had indeed changed from Tilbury to Harwich during 1933. Therefore we know the Type 11 railcar entered Britain no earlier than 1933, so it is quite likely the Type 11 was sent from France as a swap for the Type 9 which had arrived the previous year.

Photograph courtesy of the Mike Morant Collection

Film of the Experimental Michelin Rail Cars in action

	French streamlined rail car On the LMS rail track between Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire and Euston, London. Originally part of the film 'New in a Nutshell'.
	Michelin auto-trein (1932) The Michelin Rail Car performing on Dutch Tracks. Its similar to that trialled in the UK.

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