What is a railcar?
A railcar is a rail vehicle that is unique. In fact, it is part coach and part train. The first car models were based on road vehicles. The Micheline, for example, was fitted with rail-adapted tyres, the pneurails, which justify the comparison. In other words, the railcar is a passenger car equipped with its own propulsion system. Typically, this is a combustion engine. This rolling stock can carry a limited number of passengers without the help of a locomotive. Its operating costs are therefore reduced. It is used on secondary lines, where ridership is low and there are no catenary systems to power the trains. Today, the SNCF's X 73500 diesel railcars, which have been acquired by almost all the regions, are used on lines with difficult profiles, such as in the Massif Central or the Jura, and in rural and urban areas.
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Is there a difference between a railcar and a multiple unit?
Prior to 1938, when the French rail network was operated by large private rail companies, the term "railcars" was used. Subsequently, SNCF drew a distinction between a automotrice and a autorail, as these rail vehicles did not use the same source of energy. The term self-propelled railcar is used for railcars with electric traction, whereas the term railcar applies only to vehicles with thermal propulsion, such as the MGO diesel engine fitted to the legendary X 2800 railcar.
The term railcar is used for railcars with thermal propulsion, such as the MGO diesel engine fitted to the legendary X 2800 railcar.
The term railcar is used for railcars with thermal propulsion, such as the MGO diesel engine fitted to the legendary X 2800 railcar.
Is a railcar necessarily a Micheline?
The Micheline is amotorail operated between 1933 and 1952 by the PLM company, then by the SNCF. Designed by André Michelin in the early 1930s, it was equipped with special tyres that enabled it to run on the rail head of the rails. The aim of this patented system was to improve passenger comfort. The pneurail is now part of France's railway heritage. For a long time, railcars were traditionally referred to as Michelines, but while the Micheline is indeed a model of railcar, not all railcars are Michelines.
How to operate a railcar on a miniature railroad ?
The railcar runs on railswithout traction gear, so it is possible to operate it alone. It can also be combined with other rail vehicles. It can, for example serve as locomotive à a trailer. It can also be twinned with another railcar - this is known as a multiple unit (MU). This means that different types of convoy can be put together. It should be noted, however, that in reality, these rarely go beyond six vehicles. Take a look at our range of railcar trailers (railcar trailers).
The célèbres railcars
The X 2800 railcar
Commissioned in 1957 in the Tarn region, the X 2800 railcar was equipped with an 820 hp MGO (1) diesel engine. This represents a real step forward for the industry, as previously railcar engines were limited to 320 hp. To obtain this level of power, it was necessary to fit two engine bogies at each end of the vehicle body.This technological advance made it possible to tow up to 4 or 5unified trailers on medium-mountain routes, such as in the Massif Central or Haut-Doubs, where this railcar will remain in operation until 2019, a sign of the extraordinary strength of its chassis. It could reach a speed of 120 km/h.
The Billard A 80 D railcar
As its name suggests, this autorail was built by Etablissements Billard. This manufacturer of railway equipment, based in Tours, specialised in the manufacture of vehicles for narrow gauge. The Billard 80 D was a 32-seater railcar operated by the Compagnie des chemins de fer départementaux (CFD) from 1936. In particular, it was used to serve the company's short lines in Charentes and Indre-et-Loire. It was originally fitted with an 80 hp CLM engine, enabling it to reach a maximum speed of 75 km/h.
The De Dietrich X 3700
railcar.
This railcar ran in eastern France from the 1950s onwards.In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Société nationale des chemins de fer ordered 20 examples from De Dietrich - this manufacturer sold its rail business to Alstom in 1995. The X 3700 mainly served the Alsace and Lorraine lines. They were first assigned to the Nancy station, then to the Metz-Sablon station. Distinguishable by their vermilion-red underbodies, they were powered by two 160 hp Saurer BXDS engines, which enabled them to reach speeds of 120 km/h. The De Dietrich X 3700 railcars were withdrawn from service in 1976.
The X 3800 Picasso railcar
The plans for this one-car railcar were designed by the SNCF's Division d'études autorails (DEA) after the Second World War. The first prototypes, delivered in 1950, were easily recognisable by their raised lateral driving positions - their distinctive shape earned them the nickname of the Picasso - and some of them were assembled at the Renault factory in Boulogne-Billancourt. The 251 X 3800 railcars are designed to serve low-traffic lines throughout France. The vehicles are powered by Renault 517 G diesel engines with a unit output of 360 horsepower. Their maximum speed is 120 km/h. They were built in 1988.
In résumé
The autorail is a rail vehicle that played a major role in the decommissioning of the backward regions of France in the second half of the 20th century. Indeed, these traction engines made it possible to put together small trains adapted to so-called difficult lines. As such, it has a special place in the history of railways in France. It is therefore a particularly prized collector's item in railway design. It allows us to imagine a multiplicity of dioramas. Our models reproduce the emblematic railcars of French railways, in HO, G, Z or N scale. It's possible to form different couplings on a miniature railway layout: with one or more trailers or in multiple units.
(1) Marep, Grosshans, Ollier
