The extraordinary story of Test Car 2 - how to make sure a wagon's brakes work!

The Great Central Railway is home to many unusual vehicles. Test Car 2 is one of them. Converted from a passenger carriage it was used to 'let go' or 'slip' wagons from the back of a short train to test how effective their brakes were. It was useful for evaluating new designs of wagons before computer modelling was widespread.
Rather than be converted back to passenger stock, the vehicle has been preserved at the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire as it was, when in use for testing. You can hear the story and explore inside, accompanied by Dave Bower who worked on the vehicle, when it was in use testing wagons.
In July 2023 after a long restoration, Test Car 2 returned to the rails, albeit with wagons firmly coupled up to it!
Dave has published books about the test car which you can buy at
www.bowerbooks.co.uk/testcar2

[@trainiacvideos3832]

Saw the coach at the weekend and bought the booklet. Great video and description. A genuine piece of modern railway history preserved. Thank you 😊

[@carlbentley80]

Fantastic this has been saved.

[@4ntig3n]

Interesting, thank you

[@matty99]

What a fabulous coach and a great little video, thank you.

[@ianjones4116]

Nicely presented and explained. Thanks for sharing your vid 👍😎

[@TedBeausire]

Great to see that this coach has been preserved, I shall have to seek it out. I spent a week or so when Acting DMI Crewe as PICOP for this work riding on the coach during these tests: that would probably have been early 1983.

[@Thornaby37]

Excellent news that it has been preserved as a slip brake test coach. I had a look round this coach at the GCR diesel gala in April, and it was interesting to learn about how it was used to test wagon braking characteristics

[@airvisualltd3838]

Stop that man !....I have been trying to get hold of Dave Bower to see if he has any spare copies of his book on Rail Vehicle Testing !!..... Dave ?...

[@tomingall74]

Have you tried through his website bowerbooks.co.uk ? Alternatively you can meet the man himself most weekends at the GCR, somewhere around Quorn working on the wagon fleet. Hope that helps, Tom.

[@carlbentley80]

Its a great book.

[@SpoonyMcSpoonface]

Didn’t fancy slipping one off to demonstrate then? 😁

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

But why "Wagon and Wagon"?

[@True_NOON]

Any chance this is narrated by clarksons son?

[@RCassinello]

It's narrated by Tom Ingall, a GCR volunteer and BBC Look North presenter.