A motor coach or motorcar is a powered rail vehicle able to pull several trailers and at the same time transport passengers or luggage. With multiple unit

Multiple unit

The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...

 train control, one operator can control several “motor coaches” efficiently in the same train, making longer trains possible, it can be part of a permanently or semi-permanently coupled trainset. If it is usually running as a single unit or with a matching trailer, it is called a railcar

Railcar

A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...

 or railbus

Railbus

A railbus is a very lightweight type passenger rail vehicle that shares many aspects of their construction with a bus, usually having a bus, or modified bus body, and having four wheels on a fixed base, instead of on bogies...

.

There were also motor cars that replaced locomotives at the head of local passenger or freight trains. Especially electrified narrow gauge lines on the European continent often saw this form of operation. Many of these railways closed down, many others changed to electric multiple units. But a few lines in Switzerland, Italy and Austria still work with motor coach pulled train consists. It can be expected that the Bernina

Bernina Pass

The Bernina Pass is a high mountain pass in the Bernina Range of the Alps, in the canton of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland. It connects the famous resort town of St. Moritz in the Engadin valley with the Italian-speaking Val Poschiavo, which ends in the Italian town of Tirano in Valtellina....

 line of Rhätische Bahn will continue for a long time to be operated with motor coaches pulling passenger and freight trains.

In Europe, motor coaches are becoming popular once again replacing light-weight aging “Schienenbuses” and “Autorails” (railbuses or railcars) in Germany and France respectively, covering small villages and for feeder services on main lines.

See also