AC Cars Railbus to be restored

A PROJECT to restore AC Cars Railbus No. W79978 to operational condition has been launched at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in Wiltshire.

The vehicle has been based on the line since November 2019, when, following a change of ownership, it left its previous home at the Colne Valley Railway.

No. W79978 was stored in the open air for many years after it was stopped with an air system fault in 2004, which prevented it from operating at the ‘Railcar 50’ event at the Severn Valley Railway. Consequently, it is now in need of major structural repairs, with rotten flooring and large areas of the body framework requiring replacement due to water ingress.

The Railbus has a local history to the area, having operated out of Kemble between 1958 and 1964. Since entering preservation, it has had spells at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Kent & East Sussex Railway, before moving to the Colne Valley in 1984.

The other surviving AC Cars Railbus is No. W79976, currently located at Nemesis Rail, Burton, in an incomplete state and minus an engine.

Steve Knight/CC BY 2.0 Flashback to 1993 when both AC Cars Railbuses were based at the Colne Valley Railway. At that time given an E-prefix, No. E79978 waits to depart Castle Hedingham with plenty of passengers on board.