A motor coach (international usage) or motorcar (US usage) is a
self-propelled passenger rail vehicle also capable of hauling a train. With
multiple unit
A multiple-unit train (or multiple unit (MU)) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more Coach (rail), carriages joined, and where one or more of the carriages have the means of propulsion built in. By contrast, a locomotive-hauled ...
train control, one operator can control several "motor coaches", possibly even combined with
locomotive
A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
s, efficiently in the same train, making longer trains possible.
Motor coaches can replace locomotives at the head of local passenger or freight trains. Especially electrified narrow gauge lines on the European continent often saw this form of operation. Many of these railways closed down, and many others changed to
electric multiple units
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...
. However, a few lines in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
still work with train consists hauled by motor coaches. It can be expected that the
Bernina line of
Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway (; ; ), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB operates all the railway lines of the Cantons of Switzerland, ...
will continue for a long time to be operated with motor coaches pulling passenger and freight trains.
Examples of motor coaches
Image:19900922K086-27.jpg, Two motor coaches of RhB
The Rhaetian Railway (; ; ), abbreviated RhB, is a Swiss transport company that owns the largest network of all private railway operators in Switzerland. Headquartered in Chur, the RhB operates all the railway lines of the Cantons of Switzerland, ...
in MU pulling the maximum allowed load of 140 t on the Bernina line
Image:BT BDe 3-4 43.jpg, An old Bodensee-Toggenburg (Switzerland) motor coach pulling four coaches: not an EMU and not a railcar
Image:20070520S326 73-221.jpg, Electric motor coach of CEV (Switzerland) with driving trailer
File:20040529K244-01A.jpg, Metre-gauge electric twin motor coach ABDe 8/8 4004 of the Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line
The Montreux–Lenk im Simmental line is a metre-gauge electric railway line in Switzerland run by the Montreux Oberland Bernois Railway (MOB) and links Montreux on Lake Geneva by way of Les Avants, Montbovon, Rossinière, Château-d'Œx, Rou ...
in Switzerland pulling two coaches and two cement wagons
Image:Steuerwagen 954.jpg, A Czech diesel motor coach with a driving trailer
See also
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Autorail
*
Budd RDC
The Budd Rail Diesel Car (RDC), also known as the Budd car or Buddliner, is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit (DMU) railcar. Between 1949 and 1962, 398 RDCs were built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The car ...
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Budd SPV-2000
The Budd SPV-2000 is a self-propelled diesel multiple unit railcar built by the Budd Company between 1978 and 1981 for use on Commuter rail in North America, North American commuter railroads. The design was a successor to Budd's popular Budd Rail ...
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British Rail Class 108
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ÄŒD Class 810
*
ÄŒD Class 814
*
ÄŒD Class 840 and 841
*
New York City Subway rolling stock
*
Power car
In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle:
*a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, potentially a multiple unit train, often as the lead vehicle;
*a veh ...
*
Railbus
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar with an automotive engine. It shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus (original or modified) body and four wheels (2 axles) on a fixed base instead of on bogies. O ...
*
Railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coa ...
*
Railmotor
*
Uerdingen railbus
Categories
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Railcar
A railcar (not to be confused with the generic term railroad car or railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coa ...
*
Railbus
A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar with an automotive engine. It shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus (original or modified) body and four wheels (2 axles) on a fixed base instead of on bogies. O ...
*
Multiple Unit
A multiple-unit train (or multiple unit (MU)) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more Coach (rail), carriages joined, and where one or more of the carriages have the means of propulsion built in. By contrast, a locomotive-hauled ...
*
Locomotive
A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
General
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Autorail
*
British Rail Railbuses
British Rail produced a variety of railbuses, both as a means of acquiring new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide economical services on lightly used lines.
Terminology
Railbuses are a very lightweight type of railcar designed specifically ...
References
Literature
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* {{cite book , last=Jackson , first=Alan A. , title=The Railway Dictionary , edition=4th , date=2006 , publisher=Sutton Publishing , location=Stroud , isbn=0-7509-4218-5
Railbuses
Multiple units