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When running autocoach first - as is the case with vehicle 187, pictured above - the driver could warn of the train's approach using a large mechanical gong, prominently mounted high on the cab end of the autocoach, which was operated by stamping on a pedal on the floor of the cab. 

Internally, the passenger section of the coach was divided into two open saloons – originally for 'smoking' and 'non-smoking' – with a lobby in the middle separating the two. There was usually a small guard's and luggage compartment at the 'loco' (non-driving) end of the coach. The seating layout was similar to the lower deck of a modern-day bus, with a mixture of transverse seating and inwards-facing bench seats. 

Passengers accessed the auto coach via the lobby and the vehicle was equipped with retractable steps, which could be extended if the train stopped at rural halts  with either low or non-existent platforms and which folded in tight against the coach underframe to keep them clear of lineside obstructions when the train was moving. These steps were controlled by the guard using levers in the lobby.

In 1935 it was decided to paint these windows black as locomotive crews complained about being distracted by reflections. The non driving end windows were also likely to be smashed during locomotive coaling whilst the auto coach was still attached at this end, despite a thin white horizontal stripe being painted over them as a warning during the early 1930s.

As a result, in 1937, it was decided to plate the luggage end windows over and consequently the correct GWR livery for these modified vehicles would include the "shirtbutton" logo - as seen on the side tanks of the Dapol model of 1420 pictured above - rather than the traditional crest as used. Although of a design built in 1912, the 70' panelled auto coach represented in the N Gauge Langley kit also has a windowless luggage end and so demands a "shirtbutton" logo to be historically correct.  However, as I am claiming my auto train as a preserved example such an inconsistency could be excused.

As inferred earlier in this article, GWR auto coaches were used over a long period of time. As such, some vehicles were converted from steam railcars ( steam rail motors being phased out from 1921 ) and even the new wooden framed steel panelled builds - the first  of which left Swindon in 1928 and the last in 1954 - were not identical.  

In the Grouping of 1922 / 3 the Great Western Railway also absorbed many smaller rural railways and inherited  a number of wooden trailer type coaches. These were invariably modified and used after the takeover

The table below explores these difference by reviewing the auto coaches currently preserved and some contrasting ones that are no longer with us. Locations may vary with time and in the Seats column the first number refers to fixed seats and the last to tip up seats in the luggage area.  

More specifically, auto coach 212 was originally  steam railmotor 93 of 1908, DW150375 / Test Car 1 is now preserved at the Midland Railway Centre, Butterley while auto coach 216 was originally steam railmotor 64 of April 1906, converted in December 1935 and condemned in September 1957.

Auto coach 190 is the basis for the ex-Airfix 00 gauge ready to run model.  However, this model has been criticised for being an amalgamation of two separate diagrams as A28 specifies 7' wheelbase bogies, recessed glazing and flush driver's doors but Diagram A30 has 9' wheelbase bogies, flush glazing and recessed driver's doors.  

Dapol's model of auto coach 187 - released in 2004 - is based on Diagram A30 and so depicts one of ten vehicles outshopped from Swindon between December 1932 and April 1933.  Other Dapol variants included W192W in early BR crimson and cream and W196W in BR lined maroon although apparently most maroon autocoaches were not lined out.  The 9' wheelbase bogies were the same ones that Dapol had previously used on its "brown stock" GWR Siphons G and H.

"The Great Western Branchline Weekend on 2 and 3 July saw the entry into traffic of a second autocoach [ as well as 178, seen below ] on the DFR.  This is trailer W238W, now named "Chaffinch".

The post war auto-trailers were built at Swindon Works in two batches, the first 15 in 1951 and then, after a gap of three years, a further ten in 1954.  W238W is from the second batch which became the last wholly new coaches built to a purely Western design at a time when the Works was engaged in building DMUs and standard BR Mark 1 coaches.

These trailers were to the designs drawn up by Mr F.W. Hawksworth, the last Chief Mechanical Engineer of the GWR, although by the time that they had entered traffic he had retired from railway service.  They followed the traditional pre-war layout of two open saloons divided by an entrance vestibule, plus a driving end and luggage area.  The auto driving gear and folding steps followed pre-war practice but there were many detail differences as compared with, say, trailer 178, not least being the bogies which are of the 9' plate-framed pattern.

The two post war batches shared the same revised style of body but the internal finishes were different.  The first fifteen had traditional wooden framed seats, hanging straps and grained varnish woodwork, whereas the last ten reflected more modern thinking.  The walls are covered in "Formica", the seats have metal tubular frames, there are no hanging straps and luggage racks are fitted for the first time.  In short they were to a transitional design reflecting evolution in railway coach building.

The coach as now restored contains a notice board which gives details of its history and specification together with two archive pictures showing it in BR service during its short service life of 11 years.

238 was purchased direct from British Railways Western Region by Dart Valley Railway plc for use on the Totnes to Buckfastleigh line, being later moved to the Paignton to Kingswear branch where it was converted for use as an observation saloon.  For this use, a new corridor connection was put into the luggage end, the auto-driving gear was removed and half-height glazing was fitted into the driving compartment.

The Devon sea air had taken its toll by the time the coach reached Norchard with much corrosion to the body panels and internal structural frame.  Many internal fittings were missing and the coach generally had become drab inside.

At this stage I would like to pay tribute to three groups of people involved with its restoration.  Firstly, the Thursday Gang led by Harry Rawlins made and fitted new auto driving gear, removed and rebuilt the former corridor end and restored the communication cord fittings: Society memebers David Hughes and Ian Perham have toiled long and hard for over two years to renovate the interior and finally the boys at Bewdley Works, Severn Valley Railway, who made a fine job of painting the exterior at Bewdley under contract.

In the medium term it is planned to replace the present unauthentic seat covers with a GWR design and carpeting will be replaced by some more of the maroon linoleum.

So why is the name "Chaffinch" now carried?  At the very back of that excellent book "Great Western Auto Trailers, Part Two" ( obtainable at Norchard ) is reproduced an internal memo sent by the Chief Regional Officer to Swindon Works in 1952.  This gives the decision to name the first batch of new trailers after British birds and a list of eleven names is shown.  There may have been fifteen altogether because the page reproduced seems to be cut short.  Trailers 220 and 221 were named "Thrush" and "Wren" respectively and ran all of their time so named until both were scrapped.  The other names were never used.  Therefore I have pinched one of the proposed names from the published list - you can blame me, it was never carried in BR days!

If more than one autocoach was used in a train, the locomotive would usually be marshalled between the coaches, as 'play' in the control linkages could otherwise make operation difficult.  It was also possible for an auto train such as the model one pictured above to haul a tail load of vans and wagons although it would not normally propel these goods vehicles.

As well as the branch and Gloucester-Chalford services already mentioned, auto trains could also be found on some London inner-suburban services out of Paddington, where they were usually powered by the faster and more powerful 5400 Class 0-6-0 pannier tanks. Similarly, auto-trains on the steeply-graded routes in the South Wales valleys often used the smaller-wheeled 6400 Class engines.  

A fuller list of auto-capable GWR locomotives is tabulated below, but only the 14xx is available ready to run in N gauge in 2010.  Dapol have produced a fine model of a 4575 prairie tank but numbered 5532 rather than one of the auto fitted machines mentioned below

Indeed, Wrexham & Shropshire was the only long distance train operating company to offer cheap flat fares on all its services and the only one that allowed passengers to pay on board at the same price.  In contrast, Virgin Train's cheap fares were only available if booked 12 weeks in advance.

Trains in smart liveries featured on-board catering, first and standard class accommodation, and staff who took care of passengers throughout their journeys.

Or as Jonathan Guthrie reported in the Financial Times reported on 11 April 2009:

Tiny rail group has Virgin in retreat

The biter has been bitten.  Sir Richard Branson, who virtually owns the "plucky underdog" brand, has retreated from a battle with a tiny railway company that Virgin Trains had threatened to squash.  On Thursday Virgin Trains capitulated, cancelling plans for new services on a sleepy route between North Wales and London that would have killed off fledgling operator Wrexham and Shropshire.

"Mr Branson has got enough money already" opined 72 year old Welsh grandmother Violet Benson, travelling down to London that day to see her grandchildren on a thrifty £35.00 return ticket.

This was a commercial battle that Virgin Rail would easily have won.  The company, which received £ 35 million in state subsidies in 2008, intended to start two new services a day between Euston and Shrewsbury with connections through to Wrexham.  But it only revived the plans, shelved earlier this decade, after W&S started up last April to fill a gap in the market.  For years inhabitants of North Wales and Shropshire had been asking big train operators to run more trains to London.

Virgin began to take a hammering in bad publicity.  The buccaneering balloonist was morphing into a bearded bully in the eyes of the public.  Newspaper editorials blasted Virgin with salvoes against anti-competitive behaviour.  The Virgin empire has 47 000 staff and is run by a man who owns a Caribbean island and a space airline.  Wrexham and Shropshire is managed by a six person office in Shrewsbury and employs 65 staff.

A Virgin official said " We had to be realistic.  The reaction [ to our plans ] was that we were being predatory and that we could put [ W & S ] out of business."

Hostile media coverage was "froth" he said, but the company could not be seen "to have blood on its hands".

Wrexham & Shropshire's style of operation harks back to the days before Dr Beeching took an axe to branch lines in the 1960s.  Its little trains meander along at speeds that, at times,
a well maintained milk float could better.  Passengers can stretch their legs in comfort in the 40 year old carriages - something that only an Oompa-Loompa could manage on a Virgin Pendolino.

Reservations are not displayed via failure-prone LED screens above the seats; instead, they are printed on cards attached to the headrests.  No onboard computer announces the stations as on some other cross-country train services - that job is handled bya nice lady called Jane in a smart black and claret uniform.

Nostalgic poet Sir John Betjeman would have revelled in halts with names such as Chirk and Ruabon, complete with pretty sandstone station buildings.  But is this heartwarming tale of an entrepreneurial David besting a corporate Goliath as good as it seems?  As Virgin Trains pointed out, Deutsche Bahn, the German state rail company, is the key backer of W&S.  is the tiny business just a foot in the door of the UK rail industry for the Teutonic monolith, which also owns Chiltern Railways?

Andy Hamilton, managing director of W&S, said that 36 per cent of the business still belonged to the four British private investors that set it up.  

"Investment from Deutsche Bahn is in the for of a loan that has to be paid back." he said, adding that W&S needed to break even in its third year to stay in business.

Mr Hamilton was "delighted" by Virgin's retreat.  But, he added, W&S was still threatened by a "predatory" expansion of the services of Arriva Trains Wales.  These plans were however, termed "complementary" by the larger operator.

"That is what competition is all about" said John Wylde, a retired bus company owner, riding the W&S service to Marylebone last week.

"Mrs Thatcher thought you should get companies at each other's throats.  But in the end the big boys always win."

W&S has re-opened a cafe that closed 41 years ago at the Edwardian architectural gem that is Wrexham General station.  There are two tables, a tea urn and a vase of fresh freesias. There is no station cat.

But it is still early days for W&S.  Besides, the company first needs to acquire a wicker hamper for the cat to fall asleep on top of.  Following Virgin's volte face, such long term capital investment is more justifiable.

The moral of the tale is that no one messes with Welsh grannies.  Not even Sir Richard Branson.

On Wednesday 26 January 2011 the Birmingham Post reported:

"Wrexham & Shropshire Railways is to cease operations on Friday, ending its services between North Wales and London, it has been announced.

The rail company said the move followed an investigation into all possible alternatives, citing the "unprecedented economic environment" as a contributing factor.

Trains from North Wales call in at Shrewsbury, Telford and Wolverhampton, on their way to Marylebone Station.

"Although the company has strived to increase passenger numbers, it has been determined that the business has no prospect of reaching profitability. Wrexham & Shropshire is not insolvent nor is it being placed in administration and all outstanding financial commitments will be met.

"Alternative employment opportunities within the railway industry are being sought for the 55 employees, and all staff wages and full redundancy entitlements will be paid," the firm said in a statement.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said the decision was a "bitter blow" to the railway industry.

The company said it had made a number of moves in a bid to make a profit, including cutting the original service of five trains a day between Wrexham and London Marylebone, to four in 2009, then to three last month.

Chairman Adrian Shooter said: "Regrettably, we have concluded that the potential for further changes to the company's operations, including any synergy with Arriva Trains Wales, will not improve the financial position sufficiently."

Wrexham & Shropshire launched in April 2008, restoring direct train services between Wrexham, Shropshire and London, developing a reputation for excellence in customer service, reaching a 99% customer satisfaction score in the National Passenger Survey.

Despite strong growth in passenger numbers, the business has not been able to generate sufficient revenues to cover more than 65% of the cost of operating the service and in 2010 alone suffered losses of £2.9 million, said the company, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn, the German state railway.

The last train to depart will be the 1830 from London Marylebone to Wrexham General on Friday. From Saturday January 29, all Wrexham & Shropshire tickets already purchased will be valid on alternative routes into London Euston operated by Arriva Trains Wales, London Midland and Virgin Trains, and from London Marylebone by Chiltern Railways."

In Issue 1282 of Private Eye magazine covering 18 February to 3 March 2011 the Signal Failure column allegedly written by "Dr B Ching" also reported:

"Pontificating in the US press this month,Richard Branson said companies should respond to mishaps by being "honest about what was happening" and that good press relations would "help journalists put any bad news in context." Really?

Branson used Virgin Trains (VT) to illustrate good practice; but VT was far from honest when reacting this month to the latest bad news - people blaming Virgin for the sudden demise of Wrexham, Shropshire and Marylebone Railway.  Passengers on WSMR's London-Wrexham trains liked the standard class leg room, friendly staff, buffet car and not being browbeaten or fined when buying tickets on board.  WSMR's demise shows such sentimentality is out of place in today's greed system (shurely "customer focused rail system"? Ed)

"We did not prevent them dropping off passengers at Wolverhampton, as has been stated by politicians," VT told the Birmingham Post.  In fact VT executive Charles Belcher reminded rail regulators in April 2007 of VT's unique "moderation of competition" clause, banning rivals from most of VT's territory.  He told them WSMR's proposed services "calling at Wolverhampton and Birmingham International" would have "closed rights" - ie WSMR must carry no passengers between London and Wolverhampton or Birmingham International.  Belcher said there was "no record as to how WSMR will ensure that customers will not use their services" and regulators must get "clarification regarding these matters".

The regulator duly shackled WSMR, which never had enough passengers to break even.  But VT wanted to make doubly sure: after showing no interest in Wrexham or Shrewsbury for a decade, VT started a rival Wrexham-London train and applied to compete on Shrewsbury -London (Eye 1235).  Beardie's all for free market enterprise until it threatens his own income; then he loves regulation and market restriction ( see also Eye 923, when Virgin asked regulators to block new Manchester-Penzance trains in 1997)"

However, Wrexham and Shropshire will live on in N gauge at Terminal 1 and I hope in the hearts of many enthusiasts who applauded this plucky little company.