Here is a feast for your eyes. A quick driving lesson on how to drive the Railcar at Didcot, with yours truly driving





If you would like to ask questions I will answer

I thought that adding the link, enabled people to watch the video by clicking on the video, but something seems to have gone wrong. The links work as I watched both video's myself.

Just watched both videos, it must be like driving a bus and a train at once, am I right in thinking the left hand controls ar the throttle sliding lever and the gear -preselect (rotary control) and the gear selection is foot operated?

Stephen Allcroft
Cardross
Scotland

Hi Stephen

The throttle is on floor, and the gear selection is done using the lever on top of the control panel, which has 6 positions, neutral which is straight up and down, then clockwise, 1st, 2nd, 3rd opposite to neutral, 4th, 5th then back to neutral. The gear is actually selected using the 1st Lever down, which you can see me using with my left arm. The throttle is unusually set so that when you bring the Clutch Lever to the right, the throttle motor shuts down, and as soon as you release the Clutch lever the throttle motor kicks in again. I have no idea why it is designed that way. All the control panel is original and built in 1940 by the masters of Lorries & Buses AEC

I know on a bus the clutch itself is called the operating pedal, but on the Railcar there is a little plaque above the lever which has the letter C stamped into it

Thank you for that Josh

Thankyou for the explanation, sound is much better on the computer I am using this time so I could hear you clearly too.

That throttle change-speed interlink is clever, I think I shall have to wait until Brian Thackray's next AEC book to find out about it though as he only covers railcars 1 to 17 in from the Regent to The Monarch.