Autorail

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The French word Autorail describes a single powered vehicle capable of carrying passengers. French designed vehicles are some of the most interesting to be manufactured. While the concept faded for a while, it has been introduced with a new range of vehicles for both standard and metre gauge lines.

Many autorails from the 1950s and 1960s form the basic transport of many French preserved railways, of Chemin de Fer Touristique (sometimes Historique). They can be used at times of year when steam locos might cause fires. But mainly they have quick availability and do not require the specialist infrastructure of steam locomotives. Many lines have both steam and diesel traction, however, steam is often reserved for peak periods and weekends. The power of these machines means they can pull a small number of trailers if passenger numbers are greater than the single vehicle can cope with.

[edit] X4200 Panoramique

One of the more sophisticated Autorails built was the Panoramique from Renault. The raised centre section meant that it attracted tourist traffic in the rural areas where it was used.

This picture was taken by the author at Ambert in the Auvergne region of France. It runs on the Agrivap tourist line.