Present your case
If there’s a prototype that you think needs to be offered ready-to-run, here’s the place to voice your opinion…
COLOUR RAIL
COLOUR RAIL
Locomotive: LEV1 prototype railcar
Gauge: ‘OO’
Proposed by: Alex William
What is it?
LEV1, which stood for Leyland Experimental Vehicle No. 1, was the first of a handful of single-car, twin-axle prototype railcars, built by British Rail’s Research Division. In the 1970s, BR began planning for the renewal of its ageing multiple unit fleet, with economy and ease of manufacture being dominant criteria.
At the same time, the High Speed Freight Vehicle programme was also under way, leading to the creation of a twin-axle chassis design capable of operating at speeds of up to 100mph. Somewhat improbably, the idea soon arose of placing a bus body atop this freight chassis and adding a simple traction package to create a cheap and reliable passenger railcar.