Latest News

January 2012 - Latest pictures of restoration - all images by Simon Gott

Chassis, 12th Jan 2012

Bufferbeam, 12th Jan 2012

Missed a bit! John Birnie, John Boddy with a roof panel off the autocar, 12th Jan 2012

Panel, Oliver Harrison and John Birnie on autocar roof, 12th Jan 2012

December 2011 - Latest pictures of restoration

Chassis, 15th Dec 2011

Exterior view, 15th Dec 2011

Below, roof canvas

Below, roof metalwork

Below, overall view on 1st December 2011

Below, autocar

Below, beading work

November 2011 - Press Release - Autocar Trust seeking restoration ‘apprentices’

The Trust, which is restoring the world’s first non-steam powered railcar, is looking for people to learn new skills whilst helping with the restoration at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway, near Skipton.

The Trust is very conscious that their band of volunteers is mostly comprised of people of mature years. Looking to the future, they would like to recruit some younger members who can play an active part in the Trust for many years to come. Simon Gott, the Trust’s Press Officer, said, “Many of our members have an impressive range of practical skills and experience and this has been invaluable in the restoration so far. We would like to pass these skills on to a new generation of volunteers. When it’s operational, the autocar will be used as an aid to education – let’s start this now, with the restoration work.”

Stephen Middleton, the Trust’s Chairman, added, “Although we are hoping that more young people will join us, membership of the Trust is open to all and we will welcome volunteers from all backgrounds, age groups and skill levels. This is an opportunity for people to learn new skills from the existing team in a friendly, relaxed environment and make a valuable contribution to transport heritage.”

Though the restoration project, partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, has started and is expected to be complete by 2016 there will still be ongoing maintenance work and support activities requiring volunteers’ practical work after then.

The minimum age for working volunteers is 16, though there is no minimum membership age.

For further details, please look on the Trust’s website – www.electricautocar.co.uk – or phone Stephen Middleton on 01423 561 965.

October 2011 - Autocar restoration - latest progress

September 2011 - Autocar restoration - latest progress

April 2011 - Autocar restoration - latest progress

The passenger saloon has had a first pass over just about all surfaces and some areas have had a second pass. Len Clarke has had some success with chemicals on the ceiling, getting most of the flecks off. The restoration team have been working on second pass in places in the saloon and are giving the driving compartment a first pass. Some bits are infuriating, as the paint has soaked into crevices and hollows in the woodwork and it’s difficult to get it out without damaging the timber.

March 2011 - Autocar restoration - latest progress

February 2011 - Autocar restoration - latest progress

January 2011 - Autocar restoration shown on Look North

To view the clip in HD, click here.

December 2010 - Successful grant application for 1903 NER Electric Autocar Trust

The North Eastern Railway 1903 Electric Autocar Trust has been awarded a grant of £20,000 from PRISM. This will finance the restoration of the body and the newly acquired (historically accurate) underframe within twelve months. Part of the balance funding was a grant from the Ken Hoole Trust. While these two grants will restore the electric autocar as an unpowered coach, they in turn act as balance funding for a Heritage Lottery Fund application. If this is successful, the autocar will be equipped with an engine, controls and brakes and the autocoach will be restored as a driving trailer.

Trust chairman Stephen Middleton said, ‘We are immensely grateful to both bodies. In such tough times competition for increasingly limited funds must be intense, so it is wonderful to see our work valued. Trust members are excited at the prospect of beginning restoration work after so long and would welcome new volunteers to help us achieve our tough deadline.’

Editorial Note: “The Fund for the PReservation of Industrial and Scientific Material (PRISM Fund) is administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council on behalf of the Department of Culture, Media & Sport. It supports the acquisition and/or conservation of any object or group of objects illustrating the history of any branch of science, industry or technology.”

October 2010 - New 2mm Kit for NER Autocar

Worsley Works has released a 2mm scale kit of the autocar. This ‘scratch-aid’ kit is for the later body type and will be accurate for the period 1908 – 1931. The kit is similar in nature to their 4mm autocar kit and contains brass etch pieces (for the floor, sides, ends and clerestory section) but lacks castings, glazing and wire, as well as the usual omissions of wheels, paint and transfers.

For further details, please visit Worsley Works web-site: www.worsleyworks.co.uk. Kits can also be ordered from Worsley Works, 19 Douglas Road, Worsley, M28 2SR. The price per kit is £11 plus £1.60 P&P, cheques should be made payable to ‘A Doherty’.

October 2010 - NOTICE OF MEETING

The Sixth Annual General Meeting of the NER 1903 Electric Autocar Trust will be held at 2pm in a director’s saloon at Embsay station on Saturday the 9th October 2010.

September 2010 - Motor bogie for Autocar

Plans to restore the surviving petrol-electric autocar received a boost recently with the arrival of a motor bogie at the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway where the project is based. As previously reported, this railcar was the first in the world to use this technology and the restoration is the subject of a Lottery grant application.

The bogie is an ex-BR Southern Region from a class 416. Originally the autocar was fitted with a Fox power bogie, however, none of these have survived. The Trust’s engineers examined a Fox heavy duty bogie at Beamish but decided reluctantly that it could not be used. This bogie had longitudinal inside members and there was not enough space to fit motors between them. Enquiries about the feasibility of adapting the bogie or using different traction motors revealed that this would be both difficult and prohibitively expensive.

One advantage of using this ex-BR bogie is that it and its motors are compatible with modern diesel generators and control equipment. It received a major overhaul in 2003 and has seen little use since. Similar EE507 traction motors are still in service, so spares would be obtainable should they be needed. The other three bogies for both the autocar and its trailer will be authentic Fox lightweight ones – enough of these survived for the Trust to secure some for the restoration.

June 2010 - Website now accepts payments through PayPal

We are pleased to announce that our website is now set up to accept payments for donations to our trust or membership fees to join us. Why not test out our new system and make our efforts worthwhile by making a donation? Click the donate button now!

February 2010 - 4mm Scale Model

Allen Doherty of Worsley Works, in co-operation with the NER 1903 Petrol Electric Autocar Trust, has produced a new ‘scratch-aid’ kit of the autocar for 4mm scale. This kit is for the later body type, after the NER enlarged the vestibule to form a luggage compartment and will be accurate for the period 1908 – 1931. More info here.

February 2010 - Latest Autocar issue

The latest issue (number 6) of Autocar has now been published and sent to members, whilst the previous issues are now available to download.

Power bogie arrives at Embsay