Rail-Cars for Parcels Traffic.

The employment of light streamlined rail-cars for passenger transport is now general throughout the world of railways, both for main and branchline working. A new move is the utilisation of the streamlined rail-car for the conveyance of parcels traffic carried at passenger train rates, an innovation of which the Great Western Railway is the pioneer.

The Paddington authorities have introduced a specially-built streamlined Diesel rail-car, built by Associated Equipment Co. Ltd., of Southall, for the movement of parcels between London, Reading and Oxford. The new car is of similar design to the sixteen passenger rail-cars in service throughout the system, and previously described in these pages. In place of the big observation windows, however, it has three glass-panelled doors on each side, to facilitate the rapid stowing and clearing of the parcels from a series of racks. The car is driven by two 130 h.p. oil engines, and is capable of speeds of up to 75 m.p.h. The service marks a new era in the conveyance of parcels by rail, and it is hoped that it will avoid delays which sometimes result to the ordinary passenger trains at stations from the loading and unloading of parcels traffic.