Railbuses
A variation of railcar is a railbus, a very lightweight type of vehicle designed for use specifically on little-used railway lines, and as the name suggests share many aspects of their construction with a bus, usually having a bus, or modified bus body, and having four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies. Railbuses were used commonly in countries such as Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom and Sweden.
A type of railbus known as a Pacer is still commonly used in the United Kingdom. New Zealand railcars that more closely resembled railbuses were the Leyland diesel railcars and the Wairarapa railcars that were specially designed to operate over the Rimutaka Incline between Wellington and the Wairarapa region. In Australia, where they were often called Rail Motors, railcars were often used for passenger services on lightly used lines. In France they are called an Autorail. Once very common their use died out as local lines were closed. However, a new model has been introduced for lesser used lines.
After the cessation of mainline passenger service on BC Rail in Canada, BC Rail started operating a pair of railbuses to some settlements not easily accessible otherwise.
In Russia, Metrowagonmash of Mytishchi manufactures railbus RA-1 with a Mercedes engine. As of the summer 2006, the Gorky Railway planned to start using them on the commuter line between Nizhny Novgorod and Bor.
A railbus runs on the Kalka-Shimla Railway route in India. Another railbus was in service on the Shimoga-Talguppa route, but this was closed in June 2007 for gauge conversion from narrow gauge to broad gauge under Project Unigauge.
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Uerdingen railbus in Germany
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Two axle British Rail Railbus in York, England
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1950s Emmina railbus in Italy
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