The first diesel railcar was introduced by the GWR in 1933. The innovation was to prove extremely successful and they continued in operation well into the 1960s when their use was eclipsed by the introduction of the BR first generation DMUs. The railcars art deco air smoothed styling has lead to their nickname of Flying Banana although later variants were produced to a more angular style. In all 38 GWR diesel railcars were produced from 1933 to 1942 at three different sites with three surviving into preservation.
The Dapol Streamlined Diesel Railcar O Gauge model has the following features:
Electrical
- Operating Directional lighting
- Operating passenger compartment lighting which includes working wall lights
- Cab light
- Two running light configurations
- On appropriate models the lamp bracket can be exchanged for a working tail lamp for prototypical running
- DC control switches for DC control of lighting
- Easy DCC fitting via removable plate.
- DCC Ready (21 pin) with DCC & DCC Sound fitted options available
- Factory sound fitted models to be fitted with RealDrive
Chassis & Body
- Detailed cab interior
- Separate detail (Handrails, Handles and horns where appropriate)
- Removable gearbox covers (supplied in accessory pack)
- Correct flooring height with prototypical two level seating
- Decorated seating
- Flush glazing with a single window posed in the slid open position for passenger ventilation
- Sliding luggage doors
- Vestigial buffers
- Heavyweight Diecast chassis
- Single, low profile, powerful 5 pole skew wound motor driving a single bogie
- All wheel pick up
- Engineered for passenger inclusion
- O gauge society wheel profiles
- Suitable for Radius 2 curves
- Expertly applied liveries
